Do you find this TDEE estimator to be fairly decent?

[EliKoehn]

Someone a while back posted one that got praised by most of the regular posters here as being right on the nose of their own careful tracking; however, I can't find that one anymore.

I lose steadily on the amount I've selected, so I'm not worried that it's especially high, but for future reference, what do you all think of this one?

https://tdeecalculator.net/

[paulinkansas]

The daily protein requirements from that site seem a bit high based on conventional wisdom.

[Heisman2]

I posted the one you are referring to. The NIH body weight planner: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/bwp/

[AdamWW]

Not for me, no.

The closest i've seen was here: https://www.trifectanutrition.com/tdee-calculator

It actually breaks out your weight training and cardio/general activity... and was closest to my actual needs.


However, I would rather estimate based on steps/miles walked per day, plus a default amount for weight training etc.

For example:

2000 Calorie Baseline + Miles Walked (80 calories per mile) + 150-200 calories for weight training = TDEE


Of course it varies highly based on other general activity as well... which is why, now, I just eat intuitively because I know if I at least get in 3200 calories Im in a small surplus.

[EiFit91]

Someone a while back posted one that got praised by most of the regular posters here as being right on the nose of their own careful tracking; however, I can't find that one anymore.

I lose steadily on the amount I've selected, so I'm not worried that it's especially high, but for future reference, what do you all think of this one?

https://tdeecalculator.net/

Why don’t you just estimate it using your own data?

[DougyF7]

what do you all think of this one?

https://tdeecalculator.net/

I like it...seems to give out good numbers for macros and calories. Not sure I'd take the rest of the information it provides to heart, but for the basic calculations it does seem fine.

[Tommy W.]

They are all still basic starting points. NEAT can vary widely as can calorie counting inaccuracies so it still comes down to picking a reasonable number and adjusting from there. It’s usually better to start off on the low side so you have less of a chance of spinning your wheels the first 3 weeks with too high of an amount

[mtnmama]

i can't remember the word where the universe seems to be in tune with some smaller circumstance - maybe it's syncrenicity

https://youtu.be/4pYBVuTYD8o

so who gave the topic to coach greg?

[AdamWW]

i can't remember the word where the universe seems to be in tune with some smaller circumstance - maybe it's syncrenicity

https://youtu.be/4pYBVuTYD8o

so who gave the topic to coach greg?

Greg is so cringe now...

He doesn't even seem to care about how much he messes up while typing or speaking... outsources everything...

Not a fan

[Tommy W.]

Greg is so cringe now...

He doesn't even seem to care about how much he messes up while typing or speaking... outsources everything...

Not a fan

I just listen to what AA has to say anymore.

[mtnmama]

i still find some of his content valuable enough to watch - but it's like 1 out of 10....

just thought it was interesting he ran this video this am - had started answering this thread based on my experience and decided just to post...

but let's be honest - he says cals don't matter - sooooooo

[Tommy W.]

but let's be honest - he says cals don't matter - sooooooo

As soon as I see someone utter those magic words their credibility is zero

[EliKoehn]

Uh oh... Here we go again.

And thank you Heisman for citing the one I had in mind. That was exactly it.

Why don’t you just estimate it using your own data?

I guess for the same reason any other minor aspect is a point of interest here. We all know the essential basics, so most of the discussion seems to be on more peripheral things. Whether or not a TDEE calculator is in general fairly accurate is one of them to my mind.

[desslok]

Whether or not a TDEE calculator is in general fairly accurate is one of them to my mind.

They never will be accurate. They can’t. They are just designed to give you a rough starting point. Should be called estimated baseline calculator or something to not be confusing.

[EliKoehn]

They never will be accurate. They can’t. They are just designed to give you a rough starting point. Should be called estimated baseline calculator or something to not be confusing.

Fair enough.

I am just one guy, but the "estimator" that Heisman referenced, gave me data which I followed very carefully for weeks, and lost almost exactly according to the projection, taking one pound to equal 3,500. Of course there was some margin of error necessarily, but I did not eat or drink anything at all without making a realistic, honest guess and adding that to a daily count.

Granted, the activity level input is a little bit vague. For that stint of time I was actually running at least a couple times a week in addition to my regular lifts, but normally I lift for about an hour, four or five days a week. Heart rate gets up there and I break a sweat, but it's not really the same thing as running, cycling, swimming, or whatever. To be safe, I went ahead and regarded regular lifting just one point higher than sedentary.

A 25-30 set workout at a decent intensity relative to the lifts in my sig, without excessive rest between them is probably comparable to distance running, but I actually don't know...

[AdamWW]

i still find some of his content valuable enough to watch - but it's like 1 out of 10....

just thought it was interesting he ran this video this am - had started answering this thread based on my experience and decided just to post...

but let's be honest - he says cals don't matter - sooooooo

Honestly 99.9% of this content now consists of:

- Selling his cookbook/supplements/training plans
- Calling out fake natties
- Commentary on IG/YouTube people in the fat acceptance niche
- Talking about entry-level training or nutrition subjects


But yeah it was an interesting coincidence... I just cannot stand the guy... and his flock of sheep is even worse.

[Tommy W.]

Fair enough.

I am just one guy, but the "estimator" that Heisman referenced, gave me data which I followed very carefully for weeks, and lost almost exactly according to the projection, taking one pound to equal 3,500. Of course there was some margin of error necessarily, but I did not eat or drink anything at all without making a realistic, honest guess and adding that to a daily count.

Granted, the activity level input is a little bit vague. For that stint of time I was actually running at least a couple times a week in addition to my regular lifts, but normally I lift for about an hour, four or five days a week. Heart rate gets up there and I break a sweat, but it's not really the same thing as running, cycling, swimming, or whatever. To be safe, I went ahead and regarded regular lifting just one point higher than sedentary.

A 25-30 set workout at a decent intensity relative to the lifts in my sig, without excessive rest between them is probably comparable to distance running, but I actually don't know...

Your NEAT will be a lot bigger factor than your calories burned during couple of training sessions on a weekly basis

[desslok]

Fair enough.

I am just one guy, but the "estimator" that Heisman referenced, gave me data which I followed very carefully for weeks, and lost almost exactly according to the projection, taking one pound to equal 3,500. Of course there was some margin of error necessarily, but I did not eat or drink anything at all without making a realistic, honest guess and adding that to a daily count. ...

Yep, might work, might not. You can guess at the activity multiplier and might get lucky within reason. Or it may well be 20% off, but the allowable 20% margin on food labels could make it seem accurate. It is a decent crapshoot to start from then and then you can track and adjust as needed. A lot of people are too scared to start doing something without knowing som kind of baseline.

[EliKoehn]

Yep, might work, might not. You can guess at the activity multiplier and might get lucky within reason. Or it may well be 20% off, but the allowable 20% margin on food labels could make it seem accurate. It is a decent crapshoot to start from then and then you can track and adjust as needed. A lot of people are too scared to start doing something without knowing som kind of baseline.

And I figured out from that that I lose at a good pace at 2,700-3,000 even with mild activity (from a other times and a couple of weeks recently where I didn't run and lifted less) and without my strength suffering more than a little, so getting too specific isn't necessary anyway.

[mtnmama]

As soon as I see someone utter those magic words their credibility is zero

ya i am shocked that ppl say it and i usually think it is sarcasm and then they try and make a scientific arguement, ugh! :<

Calling out fake natties

so i still pick up the trash mag for a minute while waiting for the checkout line to be up and click on clickbait s41t knowing it's just s41t, but i like to watch the natty convos, especially derek. he posts so much history to make his arguments 🤣

[AdamWW]

ya i am shocked that ppl say it and i usually think it is sarcasm and then they try and make a scientific arguement, ugh! :<



so i still pick up the trash mag for a minute while waiting for the checkout line to be up and click on clickbait s41t knowing it's just s41t, but i like to watch the natty convos, especially derek. he posts so much history to make his arguments 🤣

Derek I like... he's a cool dude.. doesn't scream.. his humor is actually super funny...

He's FAR more enjoyable than Greg, at least speaking as an adult... I mean Greg is basically like that dude on TV who yells about Stocks... he belongs on some kind of weird Shark Tank variation playing the douchebag that everyone loves to hate.

[mtnmama]

Derek I like... he's a cool dude.. doesn't scream.. his humor is actually super funny...

He's FAR more enjoyable than Greg, at least speaking as an adult... I mean Greg is basically like that dude on TV who yells about Stocks... he belongs on some kind of weird Shark Tank variation playing the douchebag that everyone loves to hate.

so true!

side note - keep trying to post something to this thread and getting the damnmnmn forbidden bs screen - have removed all special characters except periods and commas - any thoughts?

[EliKoehn]

so true!

side note - keep trying to post something to this thread and getting the damnmnmn forbidden bs screen - have removed all special characters except periods and commas - any thoughts?

It just happens sometimes. AFAIK you can't do anything about it when it rears its ugly head. You could try posting an individual word and then editing it with the rest of your originally intended message.

[AdamWW]

so true!

side note - keep trying to post something to this thread and getting the damnmnmn forbidden bs screen - have removed all special characters except periods and commas - any thoughts?

This forum freaks out all the time for no reason... I've never been able to find the cause for it though... it's ancient technology!

[mtnmama]

gonna try a two part post

PT1

Katch McArtle uses body fat entered to be more specific. in my case KM is four cals higher when activity set to sedentary, so basically the same.

a few years back i paid to have my bmr tested in the lab a few times, at different weights all thru a cut to compare the KM estimates and change while cutting knowing my avg bf. avg was between bodpod, hydro, and dexa. and this was the two hr test in the lab no exertion with the astronaut helmet on. i love doing the lab tests, have also had vo2max done a few times since college. in hs and college we used to get many metrics tested. it was so much fun with all of the data points

when i did all the lab tests for several months, the results were always within fifty to a hundred cals of the estimates with valid bf i would do the three types of bf testing and bmr test in the same day, in case you wonderin

i only say all of that to explain that the calculations are decent estimates to start from, and then work for a personal baseline number to jump off from.

there is so much published about how much protein per lb total body weight or lean mass or even goal weight lean mass. i tend to err on the side of a little less than some of the studies recommend since female and in my fourties. based on my experience, i currently aim for 1gm protein per pound of lean mass at current weight.

[mtnmama]

PT2

i can tell you that this go round, like right now, after twelve weeks of testing and cutting, here's how it went for me. i lost twelve percent total body weight, six percent body fat, and only three percent lean mass. that's a fairly uncommonly low rate of lm loss, for most ppl, but for me specifically compared to past cuts. i've held on to lm better this go round than ever before.

i am almost to the halfway point of this cut and i am about to add back in resistance training cautiously. still holding off on long steady state cardio for now (cuz ghrelin)

don't worry about explaining to me the error percentages, etc in bf, bmr, votwomax testing. been doing this (scientifically tested data points from actual labs across the country) since the mid ninties and im aware of the shortcomings and all, but i still like knowing and playing with the numbers.

at the end of the day, a two or three week period of actual tracking and consistency tells you more than any calculator ever can. that's why we all sound like broken record players when the noobs ask the questions

[mtnmama]

removed all numeric characters except PT1 and PT2 - typed out words - allowed posts - ridiculous

[AdamWW]

PT2

i can tell you that this go round, like right now, after twelve weeks of testing and cutting, here's how it went for me. i lost twelve percent total body weight, six percent body fat, and only three percent lean mass. that's a fairly uncommonly low rate of lm loss, for most ppl, but for me specifically compared to past cuts. i've held on to lm better this go round than ever before.

i am almost to the halfway point of this cut and i am about to add back in resistance training cautiously. still holding off on long steady state cardio for now (cuz ghrelin)

don't worry about explaining to me the error percentages, etc in bf, bmr, votwomax testing. been doing this (scientifically tested data points from actual labs across the country) since the mid ninties and im aware of the shortcomings and all, but i still like knowing and playing with the numbers.

at the end of the day, a two or three week period of actual tracking and consistency tells you more than any calculator ever can. that's why we all sound like broken record players when the noobs ask the questions

As you alluded to, the biggest issue with the calculators isn't the BMR so much as the activity factor adjustments.

One person may estimate at 1.5 when they're a 1.2, another might estimate at 1.5 when they're a 2+

For me, the calculators always undershoot by like 300-500 calories... which is probably NEAT-related and also perhaps my exercise is more 'intense' than their definition allows for.

[mtnmama]

As you alluded to, the biggest issue with the calculators isn't the BMR so much as the activity factor adjustments.

One person may estimate at 1.5 when they're a 1.2, another might estimate at 1.5 when they're a 2+

For me, the calculators always undershoot by like 300-500 calories... which is probably NEAT-related and also perhaps my exercise is more 'intense' than their definition allows for.

ya - so that was always my question/concern back in the day - when doing a cut - and assuming the only goals are lose fat and maintain lean mass - you can do no movement, lifting only, cardio only, or lift and cardio - and of course that can be at a whole crazy huge spectrum of effort - which is subjective per the individual person (unless using super high tech labs we mostly dont have access to)

so then theres the 'should i add back my calories burned by said activities'. i know from my experience that if you dont - you might eat your own leg off at a point a few weeks in - but if you struggle with binging - and do - you may never really cut - thats why i have been hesitant to add back in lifting and cardio this time. i get completely obsessive about cardio. but i love lifting and dont get as obsessive - but i do get hungrier.

i did start again yesterday with some unloaded movements to get thru some initial doms - SO STOKED

[Tommy W.]

Always err on the lowest calorie amount otherwise you'll most likely piss away 3 weeks finding out you set the amount too high