Help with wife's TDEE

[Cannabinerd]

Using online calculators and the manual method found in the TDEE sticky, I am coming up with a TDEE of ~2300 for my wife. I feel like this is a little high. Any help is appreciated, here are her stats:

Female
27 years old
5'10" (70 inches, 177.8 cm)
150lbs.
Moderately active (has a desk job but weight trains with cardio 4-6 times a week)

A 500 calorie deficit would put her ~1800 calories a day, which again, we both feel is slightly high.

[--->>405<<---]

cann.. u wanna use LBM for ur wifes tdee.. get her bf% chekd .. then: lb to kg conversion is: (wt in lbs) x .4536 = wt in kg

(total wt kg) x (bf%) = bf weight kg
(total wt kg) - (bodyfat wt kg) = LBM kg
BMR = 370 + (21.6 x LBM in kg)
TDEE = BMR x activity level(moderately active is 5days/week wking out)------->>>moderately active multiplier being BMR x 1.55

TDEE based on activity level set as shown can be a bit inaccurate.. for example my tdee is 3100 based on moderately active, however i am consuming 2130 cals/day and losing about 2lbs/week with little to no drop in lbm.. im on week 9 lifting 4 days and doing am fasted cardio 5-6 days hope this helps

[Cannabinerd]

cann.. u wanna use LBM for ur wifes tdee.. get her bf% chekd .. then: lb to kg conversion is: (wt in lbs) x .4536 = wt in kg

(total wt kg) x (bf%) = bf weight kg
(total wt kg) - (bodyfat wt kg) = LBM kg
BMR = 370 + (21.6 x LBM in kg)
TDEE = BMR x activity level(moderately active is 5days/week wking out)------->>>moderately active multiplier being BMR x 1.55

TDEE based on activity level set as shown can be a bit inaccurate.. for example my tdee is 3100 based on moderately active, however i am consuming 2130 cals/day and losing about 2lbs/week with little to no drop in lbm.. im on week 9 lifting 4 days and doing am fasted cardio 5-6 days hope this helps

Based on this, her TDEE is 2414. That is with a BF% of 19.2, taken from a scale that give all kinds of info. Of course, the BF% on a digital home scale could easily be off, but it seems to be pretty accurate on my BF%. Right now she is taking in about 1200 calories a day and I fear that it might not be enough, so I wanted to figure out her TDEE. But it seems that it might be a little more difficult to figure out for women?

[--->>405<<---]

I would not trust a scale to measure bf personally... I have one and it said my bf was 42% ... If i were u id get it dun by either calipers or even better than that go to a satellite doc office that has a bodpod... I went to one by my work and it cost 35$ and took 1/2 hr.. According to SteM watever her bf is based on the bodpod subtract 4% cuz it measurez total bf not just subcutaneous.. So say it says shes 25% bf then run the numbers at 21%... im running about 900 cals under my tdee.. Whi h would put her at about 1550 cals .. Seems a bit low.. U may wanna start with 700 cals and see how she does.. Thatd be 1700 cals assuming she is indeed 19%... if u think she needs to lose weight my guess is shes prob higher than 19%... either way i would not trust a scale...

[Back In Black]

TDEE calculators almost always come up with a higher figure than you actually need. I always lower the multiplier as people often think they are more active than they actually are.

Agree with 405, home bodyfat scales may be ok for charting your progress but actual readings are usually way off what you actually are.

What are her results at 1200cals and what macro breakdown is she following? I suspect, if her bodyfat at 20% is about right and she wants to drop fat then she may be able to move up to 1400-1500cals or thereabouts.

[Cannabinerd]

That is the meal plan I came up with for her last night. We eat pretty much the same foods with a few different variations. She can't stand the taste of the plain oatmeal pancakes that I make so she has me use a packet of maple and brown sugar oatmeal in hers. She also likes the greek yogurt for its convenience, and the macros are pretty good, imo. This is pretty much the same as when she was doing 1200 calories except she had about 3oz. of meat and 1/2 a cup of brown rice instead of 1 cup. I can see visual progress in her physique, but her weight isn't decreasing. She has been ~150lbs. for 2 months now. I think she is putting on a little bit of muscle because she has been following an actual weight training program instead of just cardio/light weight like she was doing for the past 2 years.

I'm not sure how accurate the 20% BF is because I am not good at judging BF, especially on women. I feel like 20% is high, but women have higher BF anyways.

[Cannabinerd]

I would not trust a scale to measure bf personally... I have one and it said my bf was 42% ... If i were u id get it dun by either calipers or even better than that go to a satellite doc office that has a bodpod... I went to one by my work and it cost 35$ and took 1/2 hr.. According to SteM watever her bf is based on the bodpod subtract 4% cuz it measurez total bf not just subcutaneous.. So say it says shes 25% bf then run the numbers at 21%... im running about 900 cals under my tdee.. Whi h would put her at about 1550 cals .. Seems a bit low.. U may wanna start with 700 cals and see how she does.. Thatd be 1700 cals assuming she is indeed 19%... if u think she needs to lose weight my guess is shes prob higher than 19%... either way i would not trust a scale...

I need to go get a bodpod reading for both of us TBH. If I had to guess, I would say she has maybe 10lbs. of fat she can lose. She has already lost 50lbs. in the past 2 years, so she doesn't really NEED to lose weight, she just wants to see abs and get a little cut. I'll see if she will let me post a pic for better reference. Thanks for your replies bro!

[JohnnyVegas]

I never trust those TDEE calculators.

I can tell you that I am a 5' 10" male that lifts heavy four times a week and does cardio (45 minutes to an hour) at least four days a week...and I am maintaining 195 pounds at 1,800 calories a day.

It doesn't seem possible for your 150 pound wife to have a TDEE of over 2000 calories, or that 1800 calories would be a deficit for her. Seriously, take a look at my avatar and decide if she needs the same amount of calories that I do. I weigh 45 pounds more.

[Cannabinerd]

I never trust those TDEE calculators.

I can tell you that I am a 5' 10" male that lifts heavy four times a week and does cardio (45 minutes to an hour) at least four days a week...and I am maintaining 195 pounds at 1,800 calories a day.

It doesn't seem possible for your 150 pound wife to have a TDEE of over 2000 calories, or that 1800 calories would be a deficit for her. Seriously, take a look at my avatar and decide if she needs the same amount of calories that I do. I weigh 45 pounds more.

That's why I made the post. Is there an accurate way for us to calculate her TDEE, or are all the formulas completely useless like the seem to be so far?

[--->>405<<---]

Like i told u before cann my tdee is 3100 and im actually eating 2129cals/day and have effectively lost 19lbs in 2 months... Thats 971 cals below tdee.. I lift 4 days and fasted cardio 5-6 days... If shes at 2414 then 971 from thatd be 1443 cals/day... I think SteM put her around 1400-1500 so thats pretty close... U def want accurate bf to be sure ... We are however all difft cuz like JV said hes maintaining at 1800 and 195 lbs.. Im also 195 lbs and losing at 2130...

[--->>405<<---]

I also think the answer to ur question is "NO" theres not.. U just have to start somewhere and then make adjustments accordingly.. Thats why i weigh and do bf every sunday morning to trak progress.. If fats not coming off then adjustments have to be made.. If LBM is going down.. Adjustments.. If ur losing 2lbs a week and LBM is staying close to the same.. Keep rolling...

[Back In Black]

Meal plan looks good. Is meal 5 PWO? If so, I'd probably wanna move the carbs from the greek yoghurt meal to the PWO shake.

[JohnnyVegas]

We are however all difft cuz like JV said hes maintaining at 1800 and 195 lbs.. Im also 195 lbs and losing at 2130...

So true.

The good news is that you can almost pull a number out of the air, reduce it by 500, then see if she loses or gains weight in the first two weeks. Sometimes we spend so much time thinking and planning that we forget to actually take action.

[Cannabinerd]

Thanks guys, that's what I was looking for. I was kinda thinking that I might have to "guess and check", just wanted some input from the people that know.

[Cannabinerd]

Meal plan looks good. Is meal 5 PWO? If so, I'd probably wanna move the carbs from the greek yoghurt meal to the PWO shake.

Meal 5 is PWO. I put 1/2 cup of oatmeal in her shake for after the gym today. She wants to try it and see if she can drink it like that everyday. If so, thats where the carbs will be.

[Back In Black]

Excellent! Go with it, monitor her weight and appearance. Adjust (or ask) where necessary. If she can't handle the oats in the shake she can have them (or brown rice or similar) seperately.

I'm sure she won't want her pic sprawled on this site but if you get her to join she can post pics in the female section. I'm sure the girls will look after her!

[JohnnyVegas]

Your diet plan looks pretty solid. Can she eat like that every day? My wife has seen me eat the exact same foods every day for months and swears she could never do it. She wants everything to be delicious...and she wants every meal to be exactly what she was craving. What a pain! I don't mean my wife is a pain, I mean that having such high expectations for food is a pain.

Good luck!

[--->>405<<---]

LOL JV.. Wives... Rnt they just great !

[JohnnyVegas]

^^^^ My wife is frickin' awesome. Couldn't imagine a better mate. Having said that, we do not see eye to eye on food.

[Cannabinerd]

Your diet plan looks pretty solid. Can she eat like that every day? My wife has seen me eat the exact same foods every day for months and swears she could never do it. She wants everything to be delicious...and she wants every meal to be exactly what she was craving. What a pain! I don't mean my wife is a pain, I mean that having such high expectations for food is a pain.

Good luck!

Yes, she eats like that everyday already, we are just making some adjustments because she feels like her progress has slowed a little. She has already lost a good amount of weight and she eats the same foods I do, so it works out really well for the both of us. She is trying hard to get used to some of the more hardcore stuff like no soy sauce in her chicken/vegetable meal and plain oats with breakfast instead of flavored. We have both come a really long way and I know she isn't going to let something like flavor stop her from reaching her goals.

[Cannabinerd]

Excellent! Go with it, monitor her weight and appearance. Adjust (or ask) where necessary. If she can't handle the oats in the shake she can have them (or brown rice or similar) seperately.

I'm sure she won't want her pic sprawled on this site but if you get her to join she can post pics in the female section. I'm sure the girls will look after her!

She did the oats in the protein shake just fine yesterday, so that is good to go. She is also fine with dropping the greek yogurt, so I am going to rework the meal plan and post it when I'm done. I'm trying to get her on the site, but she doesn't have time to get on forums at work and after work its gym, dinnner, shower, bed. I will try to get her on this weekend, already making a login for her as we speak.

[--->>405<<---]

some guys like cinnamon and splenda in their oats i really enjoy mine with smuckers strawberry preserves ( sugar free) .. make sure its the preserves(not jam) and smuckers cuz ive tried others and they taste like crap.. spoonful in it stir it up its actually pretty dang good.. i eat it pwo as well and thats at 1300 and i dont even bother reheating it.. im sure shed want to but just sayn its alot better than plain and it only has like 10cals and maybe 5 carbs.. no sugar

[SlimmerMe]

Hope she joins us!

[JohnnyVegas]

Yes, she eats like that everyday already, we are just making some adjustments because she feels like her progress has slowed a little. She has already lost a good amount of weight and she eats the same foods I do, so it works out really well for the both of us. She is trying hard to get used to some of the more hardcore stuff like no soy sauce in her chicken/vegetable meal and plain oats with breakfast instead of flavored. We have both come a really long way and I know she isn't going to let something like flavor stop her from reaching her goals.

You are in great situation. Not many people will eat like we do. We affluent humans have a strange relationship with food, and it is hard to break away from tasty, processed foods that are so plentiful and convenient.

some guys like cinnamon and splenda in their oats i really enjoy mine with smuckers strawberry preserves ( sugar free) .. make sure its the preserves(not jam) and smuckers cuz ive tried others and they taste like crap.. spoonful in it stir it up its actually pretty dang good.. i eat it pwo as well and thats at 1300 and i dont even bother reheating it.. im sure shed want to but just sayn its alot better than plain and it only has like 10cals and maybe 5 carbs.. no sugar

Sugar free jam for the win! I love my purple oatmeal.