# Understanding BMR vs TDEE



## Mr P

*BMR vs TDEE *


Ok, so I've had quite a few guys come up to me & tell me how they are confused when it comes to BMR vs TDEE... 

So here's a little breakdown when it comes to the two...

*BMR* (or basal metabolic rate) is the amount of calories your body burns just to stay alive. If you were in a coma - you would need this many calories just to sustain life. This includes organ function, hair growth, nail growth, etc. 


So can u eat below your BMR???, not for too long if you aren't giving your body enough calories to just sustain life (and if you are likely doing more than laying in a coma)) like walking, talking, eating, digesting food, etc ...; Then your body needs more than your BMR ! ) 
Some people think that eating a 500 calorie deficit from their BMR is the way to lose weight. I'm sure for a short time, yes you would see a weight loss. But, long term, not really ..This will not be sustainable long term, at some point your weight loss will slow way down & stall.

*
TDEE* (or total daily energy expenditure) is the amount of calories your body burns in a day). 
In order to figure out your TDEE, you take your BMR and you multiply it by your daily activity level. 
Each level has a different number that you use. Since this number takes into account not only your basic caloric needs but also your activity level this is the number from which you should deduct your 500 calorie deficit.

So the different from your BMI, BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is how it measures the number of calories you expend per day while your body is at rest. Vs how your TDEE tells you how many calories you burn per day, taking into account your activity levels. 
* 
Women:

BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)

Men:

BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches – (6.8 x age in years)

Now that you have your BMR, u can multiply it by your activity calculator to find your TDEE. 
Figure out which of the activity levels below describes you best...

*

*So: 

Sedentary (little or no exercise) = 1.2

Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) = 1.375

Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) = 1.55

Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/week) = 1.725

Extra Active (hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x daily training) = 1.9*



Example: A female age 27 5’5” 140lbs, lightly active

BMR = 655 + (4.35 x 140) + (4.7 x 65) – (4.7 x 27) = 1,442
* 
TDEE = 1442 x 1.375 = 1,984*

So in conclusion, your TDEE tells you how many calories you burn in a day. In general, you should try to match the number of calories you consume with your TDEE in order to give your body the energy it needs to operate properly. 

In order to lose weight, you need to expend more energy than you consume. In other words, your TDEE needs to be higher than the number of calories you eat.... And for bulking you need to consume more calories than u expend... Pretty simple concept !

The safest approach is to cut 500-1,000 calories per day (1-2lbs per week) by manipulating your diet, cardio, and strength training. 
And Remembering that 1lb of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. If you want to gain some weight, you should consume more than your TDEE.


Keep in mind, however, that this is not an exact science; the number of little movements you make in a day will never be fully accounted for, nor will every single calorie of everything you eat.


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## Pikiki

Once again nice thread on a very good topic Mr P.


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## LeanHerm

Nice read p. Also did u get my pm?


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## Mr P

Pikiki said:


> Once again nice thread on a very good topic Mr P.



Thanks Big Pikiki Fat Sasso, sending u some love !!!!!!  



BigHerm said:


> Nice read p. Also did u get my pm?



Hey big guy, didn't get your pm... pls re-send it again


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## LeanHerm

Ology pm btw


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## Bro Bundy

Mr P is the man


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## Lulu66

Thanks mr P. Awesome post.


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## DF

Very nice break down Mr P


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## Jada

Great post P


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## Pikiki

So this is very simply I just calculate mine and my 
BMR = 1673.84 cals
TDEE = 2594.45 cals

Some sugesstions Mr P, right now my diet is about 3000 cals x day. How much do I go up if I want to bulk? Im over 500 cals aprox, so 500 more cals to bulk will be ideal?? I never use this calcs before but look real damn good to manage my diet for my next cycle.


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## HH

This should def be a sticky for the board


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## Mr P

Pikiki said:


> So this is very simply I just calculate mine and my
> BMR = 1673.84 cals
> TDEE = 2594.45 cals
> 
> Some sugesstions Mr P, right now my diet is about 3000 cals x day. How much do I go up if I want to bulk? Im over 500 cals aprox, so 500 more cals to bulk will be ideal?? I never use this calcs before but look real damn good to manage my diet for my next cycle.



What's your weight & height & age Pikiki ? 
When it comes to bulking I can tell u from personal experience that "most" people make some serious mistakes when they try to bulk.... For example, some will try & eat everything on their site without realizing that this will only add some unwanted fat... Can u bulk without gaining fat ?????(some will say yes) but truly no u can't.. u bulk by eating more calories than u expand.. so there for, u will gain some fat, the trick is to gain as little fat as possible.. so in order to gain good quality weight, u have to place close attention to what u eat... cause no matter why your bulking, weather it is to look good or to prep for a competition.. if u gain too much fat, you'll have to lose it to accomplish your goals, so what's the point, right ? 
So to bulk u need to ofcoruse feed your body more calories than what it is being burned, and yes,  some of those calories are stored as body fat. However, by bulking up on good foods, by training hard and by starting from a low percentage of body fat, you will minimize the fat gain and maximize the muscle mass gain.

I would not start off by adding 500 calories, I would start off by adding 300 calories and then in about 2-3 weeks increase the calories, this is another mistake people do while trying to bulk.. they add a calorie surplus at the begginig of their bulking cycle & never keep upping their calories without realizing that as your body puts on weight your TDEE changes there for u need to continue to add on calories as u go untill u reach your bulking goals.. So u shoudl continue adding 200-300 calories.. untill your satisfied, there's no specific time frame for a bulking cycle, you and the mirror are your best judge.


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## Pikiki

PM on your way P


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## number5

Very nice.  Everyone should be reading posts like this.


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## iJMorgan

Would anybody have the time or like to double check my figures? I really appreciate this quality posts as it has deff  cleared up some confusion about the subject for me.


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## jsam

What a post!  Very self explanatory even a newb can use it.  Thanks


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## saltylifter

kick ass break down of them both.
Thanks for the info man.


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## DeadliftDave

Thank you,
This is useful information


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## akwild1

I've tried a few different Tdee calculators online and all show some slightly different info , what's a good one you all use that really hits it on the head for our goals ?


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## zyad00

nice thread thanks


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## zyad00

nice thread thanks.


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## Xavier

Thanks a ton. This is a great read.


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## BRICKS

Thanks for the thread, good stuff


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## Straight30weight

Is it safe to assume that 6 years later, this is still an accurate way to determine BMR/TDEE?


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## PillarofBalance

Straight30weight said:


> Is it safe to assume that 6 years later, this is still an accurate way to determine BMR/TDEE?



There are different formulas out there. None of precise, but generally close enough that with some tweaking to your needs it will work.


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## BRICKS

To add to POBs response, you can use 3 or 4 different formulas and should be able to average or get a better ballpark number for a starting point.  And it is just a starting point.  Adjust up or down every few weeks as needed to achieve your goal.


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## Straight30weight

Thank you both. Looks like no matter who’s calculator I’m using, I should probably bump my cals a bit.


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## Viduus

Straight30weight said:


> Thank you both. Looks like no matter who’s calculator I’m using, I should probably bump my cals a bit.



I’m jumping in without reading the full thread but my advice is to treat any number as a starting point only. As Bricks mentioned, it’s all about the adjustments.

If you have an iPhone, hook MyFitnessPal up to Apple health and the HappyScale app. Assume 3500 cals equals one pound of fat. (This isn’t completely accurate but works well enough)

Whatever you end up gaining or losing after a week you can increase or decrease your weekly calls by the necessary cals to achieve your goal. 

Obviously building muscle throws this off but you should have a decent idea of how much you’re adding in a week. (Probably not much compared to fat)

What your body does with the food is a better gauge then any formula.


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## knatevbaby

my weight is 400lbs and my height is 6 ft (72in) so my BMR = 3254 and my TDEE = 4475. I dont eat anymore than 3000 calories and im not losing weight...any suggestions?!? im looking to lose a substantial amount of weight again


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## TODAY

knatevbaby said:


> my weight is 400lbs and my height is 6 ft (72in) so my BMR = 3254 and my TDEE = 4475. I dont eat anymore than 3000 calories and im not losing weight...any suggestions?!? im looking to lose a substantial amount of weight again


A couple of possibilities:

You're not tracking your calories accurately

You're losing fat but holding water for dietary or hormonal reasons

You haven't been dieting long enough to see results

You've vastly over-estimated your TDEE

Or you're a true genetic outlier for whom more aggressive/specific methods are necessary.

The last option is BY FAR the least likely.


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## knatevbaby

TODAY said:


> A couple of possibilities:
> 
> You're not tracking your calories accurately
> 
> You're losing fat but holding water for dietary or hormonal reasons
> 
> You haven't been dieting long enough to see results
> 
> You've vastly over-estimated your TDEE
> 
> Or you're a true genetic outlier for whom more aggressive/specific methods are necessary.
> 
> The last option is BY FAR the least likely.


i used the equation at the beginning of this post and came up with these results. i have been dieting on and off for a year nothing really seems to work...


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## Ragingmenace223

thank for helping me learn something new. i had a test done where it measured the amount of oxygen i used and it gave me a report on how many cals i need resting and what i would need to gain or lose...cant remember what the test was called had it done over 15 yrs ago


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