Hi all! Need help with my BMR/TDEE maths.

This topic contains 3 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by FlemishCurves 10 years, 8 months ago.

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FlemishCurves

1:04 pm
7 Apr 14
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Hello everyone

I started 5:2 about 11 months ago (April 30th) and have gone from 85.5 kg (189 lbs or 13 stones 6 lbs) to 73 kg (161 lbs or 11 stones 6 lbs) without counting calories on regular days.

Right now I finally feel in control of my food intake so I’d like to make a bit of an effort to teach myself to naturally feel how much food goes into the amount of calories I need (so I won’t need to count calories on normal days but will know what ges into my mouth). I’m hoping to lose another 10kg or so, but I’m in no hurry. I’m aiming for another 10 lbs by September.

I calculated my BMR & TDEE on several sites and decided to use the highest BMR (1475) to be sure I don’t starve myself and the lowest TDEE (1770) so I don’t overeat thinking I’m doing splendidly. Some websites gave me a TDEE of 2300, which seems way too much considering that’s what I probably ate on splurge days when I was gaining.

Anyway, I tracked all my calories for a few weeks and this is what I came up with:

Daily average excluding fast days = 1830
Daily average including fast days = 1407

So my question is, should I be aiming for a daily average between my BMR and TDEE including or excluding my fast day deficits? I just want to make sure I don’t sabotage my health and weight loss on either side of the spectrum (too much r too little). My results seem on the high side looking at my average on normal days alone but a tad low looking at my average for the whole week.

So considering I eat healthy non-processed foods all week (I go by a sort of mediterranean diet + occasional treats) and always cook from scratch, am I in the right area calorie-wise or should I work towards altering my intake a little?

I hope I’m making myself understandable and it’s great to finally speak to all of you! (I’ve been lurking for a while)

kilda

1:44 pm
7 Apr 14
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If you want to maintain then I would shoot for a daily average between the BMR and TDEE including fast days. If you are still trying to lose, I would go for a daily average between those numbers NOT including the fast days.

Because TDEE and BMR are just estimates and we are all individuals, you may find you need to tweak the numbers based on your results.

simcoeluv

4:42 pm
7 Apr 14
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Hi:

My question to you is have you lost weight during the few weeks you have been tracking your calories? If you have, and the weight loss is acceptable, keep going. If you have not, it would appear you are eating to your TDEE and need to eat less to begin losing weight. You would generally eat less on your non-diet days, although not eating any calories on your diet days is a very common option for many people.

PS: There is no scientific evidence that eating below your BMR is harmful if you are trying to lose weight. Most ‘normal’ weight loss diets require you to eat under your BMR every day without harm. I would focus less on getting your ‘numbers right’ and more on losing weight if weight loss is your goal.

Good Luck!

FlemishCurves

7:06 pm
7 Apr 14
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Thanks for the advice you guys.

@simcoeluv, I’ve been stagnating a bit weight-wise but I’ve just been able to squeeze myself in a European size 40/42 for the first time since I turned 15 so I’ve definitely lost a cm or 2 around the tummy/thighs this past month. Could be because I can get in more exercise without really trying, cycling to the shops in the nice weather we’ve been having. I’ll keep going the way I am for a few more weeks and see how it goes.

Good to know that I’m not going to get less healthy if I cut down some more calories. I definitely want to shed some more weight but the health benefits are pretty important to me too. What good is a pretty car if the engine doesn’t run smoothly?