TDEE & My fitness pal explain?

hi could anyone please explain why some people use their TDEE amount for maintainence instead of my fitness pal maintaince goal? Is it better?
Many thanks

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unknown

some people like eating the same amount each day (TDEE), some people like eating back exercise cals on workout days (MFP)

unknown

It's really only different in two ways:
1/ With TDEE method your exercise calories are estimated in advance as an average amount over the course of a week. With MFP they are estimated after the event.
2/ With TDEE you get the same calorie allowance every day. With MFP your calories vary daily to match your exercise.

Better is subjective and personal.
MFP can be more accurate as you only get credit for exercise you do rather than exercise you intend to do.

TDEE is simple.

I prefer, and sometimes need, to fuel my exercise on the day I do it. Although I exercise a lot it varies enormously (low of 4000 to high of 11000 as an exceptional week).

unknown

Ok thanks both very much!

unknown

yapdog wrote: »

hi could anyone please explain why some people use their TDEE amount for maintainence instead of my fitness pal maintaince goal? Is it better?
Many thanks

TavistockToad wrote: »

some people like eating the same amount each day (TDEE), some people like eating back exercise cals on workout days (MFP)

That is it in a nutshell. In the end, they are both eating the same number of calories but arrive at the calculation differently. TDEE works best for maintenance and if you are consistent with your exercise from week to week. NEAT is especially good if you are not very consistent, because you only eat extra after you have actually earned it.

I am switching to TDEE (I am using my actual numbers, rather than going by a calculator) because, on workout days, I get an extra 1000-1200 calories to eat, which is just too many. On rest days, my calorie target is kind of low. On the days that I walk only, I get an extra 300 or so, which is close to what my TDEE-500 (for a one lb loss) is and is just right. I kind of feel like Goldilocks, lol.

If you want to play with numbers and check your TDEE, you take a period of several weeks (I am doing 4) and make sure you are extremely accurate in your weighing, measuring, and logging. Add up the number of calories you ate, multiply the weight you lost in that same period by 3500 and add that in (add nothing if you stayed the same, subtract if you gained), then divide the total by the number of days you are including. That gives you your TDEE. Subtract 500 calories from that for each lb. per week you want to lose (or subtract none if you want to maintain) and that gives you your daily target. Don't eat back exercise calories, just make sure you are exercising the same as you had been.

unknown

earlnabby - I think she is talking about in maintenance, not for weight loss.

OP - A properly set TDEE goal should be about the same as a properly set MFP goal. They just come at it from different directions.

TDEE is total, all the calories you need including exercise.
MFP does not include exercise, so when you do exercise, you need to eat more for that.

Of course they are estimates. But with TDEE, your activity would all be averaged across the week and you would eat the same amount of calories every day. With MFP method, you would eat more some days depending on if you exercised more that day.

unknown

deksgrl wrote: »

earlnabby - I think she is talking about in maintenance, not for weight loss.

and I was talking about both.

ETA: I edited it to make that point a little more clear

unknown

Thanks earlnabby
I think sticking to MFP for me will be ok. But then another question,
What about the people that go by their weekly not daily calorie goal? Eg, if u eat slightly less some week days and then eat slightly more on weekends. If u are still reaching , and not exceeding your weekly goal this will still work?

unknown

Yes! I'm talking about maintainence. Thanks they are good explanations!

unknown

Thanks deksgrl! So it is all averaged over the week which ever way u choose to do it?

unknown

yapdog wrote: »

Thanks earlnabby
I think sticking to MFP for me will be ok. But then another question,
What about the people that go by their weekly not daily calorie goal? Eg, if u eat slightly less some week days and then eat slightly more on weekends. If u are still reaching , and not exceeding your weekly goal this will still work?

Yes it works and can be much more flexible.
Especially for maintenance you need to find a way to fit your diet (noun) around your life and not the other way round.

Whether that's weekends, social events involving food, meals out....

unknown

Thanks sijomial! That's what I have been doing re weekly cals and that works best for me.
Good point re diet around life not life around diet!

At least now I know what all the TDEE talk is about now!

unknown

yapdog wrote: »

Thanks earlnabby
I think sticking to MFP for me will be ok. But then another question,
What about the people that go by their weekly not daily calorie goal? Eg, if u eat slightly less some week days and then eat slightly more on weekends. If u are still reaching , and not exceeding your weekly goal this will still work?

This is what I do and I love it! MFP actually gives me a number really close to my TDEE because I don't really do cardio. All I do is shave off 100 calories on the days I'm not lifting or the days I'm lifting but only doing hypertrophy and not power work, and bam...I have a nice 2500 calories to work with on Saturday. I have both lost and maintained this way.

unknown

I like this too arditarose! I tend to eat a little less when I'm working during the week when I'm busy and I am out more and being social on weekends so I like to have a bit more cals to cover that

unknown

yapdog wrote: »

I like this too arditarose! I tend to eat a little less when I'm working during the week when I'm busy and I am out more and being social on weekends so I like to have a bit more cals to cover that

Me too. So hard for me to stick to 1800 when I'm out with the boyfriend on the weekend. I like drinks and cheese burgers.

unknown

Yeah! I'm same!

unknown

yapdog wrote: »

Thanks earlnabby
I think sticking to MFP for me will be ok. But then another question,
What about the people that go by their weekly not daily calorie goal? Eg, if u eat slightly less some week days and then eat slightly more on weekends. If u are still reaching , and not exceeding your weekly goal this will still work?

As long as you are eating at about your average TDEE total for the week, it doesn't matter. It can get more tricky to keep track of though. If you keep tracking for awhile and get into a routine, then it just becomes the normal.

unknown

@yapdog , I'm late to the thread here, but there's a good treatise on this by @usmcmp in http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach which I have found quite helpful... (very much inline with what has been posted already)

unknown

@standenvernet thanks this is a good read!