How often do you calculate TDEE?!?!

[krisdimi]

I was wondering... how often should I perform the exercise in the stickies to calculate TDEE? i.e. finding BMR and then multiplying by exercise factor to get TDEE. Should you check and revise TDEE (calories and macros) like once a week or once a month? Or should I calculate it once and try finding maintenance calories from that calculation? Gracias!

[SuffolkPunch]

If you are calculating calorie intake and monitoring your weight, you get that information by default. You just need to measure recent weight change and recent average calorie intake.

What it says in the stickies is only for getting an initial guess (a starting point). It never supersedes real data about your intake / weight change.

[faithbrah]

you don't calculate your "real" TDEE like that, it only gives you a rough number to start from. you're supposed to calculate it once (if even that), then see what happens to your weight when you keep eating a certain amount of calories and adjust accordingly

for me, i'd say my TDEE is 2300-2400, so i eat 2550-2650 calories per day for lean bulking. if i stop progressing at the gym and my weight gain comes to a stop, i'll simply increase calories by ~200

[smokinal]

If you are calculating calorie intake and monitoring your weight, you get that information by default. You just need to measure recent weight change and recent average calorie intake.

What it says in the stickies is only for getting an initial guess (a starting point). It never supersedes real data about your intake / weight change.

you don't calculate your "real" TDEE like that, it only gives you a rough number to start from. you're supposed to calculate it once (if even that), then see what happens to your weight when you keep eating a certain amount of calories and adjust accordingly

for me, i'd say my TDEE is 2300-2400, so i eat 2550-2650 calories per day for lean bulking. if i stop progressing at the gym and my weight gain comes to a stop, i'll simply increase calories by ~200

Yup^^^

Recalculate when your progress slows or halts; either weight gain or weight loss, whichever your goal is

This is also a good time to recalculate/recheck all your macros and caloric intake to make sure you're consuming what you think you are.

[desslok]

I recalculate if i have taken an extended break and restarting up again without knowing exactly where i am.

[XinXom]

Constantly I use an excel spreadsheet that I put my total cals from MFP and my weigh ins once you set it up which honestly doesn't take that long it will do it al for you and all you do is plug in the numbers. I cant recommend this enough makes things very easy.

[illpinoise]

A lot of it is making an educated guess. I check my heart rate frequently during my workouts to estimate a calorie burn. An hour workout for me averages 450-600.

10 percent of my intake (so if I plan to eat 2000 cals, I expect to burn 200)

Then add another 100 for day to day (I am sedentary, office and a lot of web meetings during the day). 100 sounds reasonable unles you’re running after kids all day, have a big house and do all the chores, fidgeting all day, or do manual labor for work then maybe you can estimate 200-300 (maybe more) but on a cut I would try not to overestimate. A good indicator of your non exercise activity level is how many steps you take. I normally only do 1000-2000 due to nature of my livelihood. Every 10000 steps non exercise is about 400-500 cals.

For me I like doing it everyday and then making the intake adjustment on the fly.

[AdamWW]

Ya'll up in here basically doing quantum physics with your calories...

i'm over here just eating until i'm full.

lol

[AdamWW]

Constantly I use an excel spreadsheet that I put my total cals from MFP and my weigh ins once you set it up which honestly doesn't take that long it will do it al for you and all you do is plug in the numbers. I cant recommend this enough makes things very easy.

I seriously cannot imagine how tedious and annoying doing that must be....

[Nicksosure1]

I seriously cannot imagine how tedious and annoying doing that must be....

You cannot tell me you didn't do things like this at your absolute craziest. I know for a fact I did lol

[illpinoise]

Ya'll up in here basically doing quantum physics with your calories...

i'm over here just eating until i'm full.

lol

Pretty much me every morning...hahaha

[AdamWW]

You cannot tell me you didn't do things like this at your absolute craziest. I know for a fact I did lol

Honestly... I think at one point I almost did that but stopped because I realized I didn't need to write down the weights and everything in that format...

I definitely had MASSIVE streaks of always using MFP... for like hundreds of days...

But now I literally just eat foods I know contain at least enough fat and protein to keep me healthy, and literally everything else just kind of falls in based on hunger and energy needs.

Given my food preferences, zero chance I won't get enough protein or fats naturally

IMO: if you feel you need track all of this after years and years of doing it... you kind of missed the mark on absorbing the information.

I mean I don't check my bank balance before I buy every box of cereal because I know what my budget generally is... since I've been spending money for years. Same with food.

[illpinoise]

IMO: if you feel you need track all of this after years and years of doing it... you kind of missed the mark on absorbing the information.

Noted!! ^^

I'm on my 4th year tracking .. to each his own!

[AdamWW]

Noted!! ^^

I'm on my 4th year tracking .. to each his own!

Have you ever stopped to just see how you manage without it?

I think you're probably far better at hitting your goals WITHOUT it than you realize...

Im not saying stop being aware of food portions, etc, but the act of logging it, targeting specific numbers, etc....


I had MASSIVE relief of low-level stress when I stopped.

[illpinoise]

Have you ever stopped to just see how you manage without it?

I think you're probably far better at hitting your goals WITHOUT it than you realize...

Im not saying stop being aware of food portions, etc, but the act of logging it, targeting specific numbers, etc....


I had MASSIVE relief of low-level stress when I stopped.

TBH, I only successfully tracked 3-5 months out of the year. When I decided maintenance for the rest of the year, I ended up gaining 4-5 lbs a month basing it solely on what I thought were hunger cues lol.

What was so stressful about tracking?

[AdamWW]

TBH, I only successfully tracked 3-5 months out of the year. When I decided maintenance for the rest of the year, I ended up gaining 4-5 lbs a month basing it solely on what I thought were hunger cues lol.

What was so stressful about tracking?

The processes of weighing food, trying to target numbers, telling myself I couldn't eat anymore even if i was hungry... it was misery. I'd get to the end of the day, realize I only had a certain amount of grams left of one macro or another, and try to 'fit things in'.... such a chore... and so limiting.


If i'm hungry at the end of the day, I'm gunna eat... even if my 'macro targets' say I shouldn't.

I personally think hunger cues exist for a reason... and they're quite reliable if I make primarily wholesome choices.

[illpinoise]

If i'm hungry at the end of the day, I'm gunna eat... even if my 'macro targets' say I shouldn't.

I personally think hunger cues exist for a reason... and they're quite reliable if I make primarily wholesome choices.

Do you agree while cutting, that maintaining hunger cues (or "pangs" if you will) is a "good thing"?

Satisfying all hunger cues while on a cut would be counterproductive wouldn't it?

[AdamWW]

Do you agree while cutting, that maintaining hunger cues (or "pangs" if you will) is a "good thing"?

Satisfying all hunger cues while on a cut would be counterproductive wouldn't it?

Some level of hunger is going to happen once you reach a bodyfat level and caloric intake that is lower than what your body wants.

So I mean.. sure.. if you wanna be really lean, gotta tolerate some hunger.