How To Calculate My Bmr and Tdee For Weight Loss? - Macro Diet Plan for Fast Weight Loss • IIFYM • Calculate Your Macros (2024)

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How To Calculate Your Macros To Lose Weight

The average person considers two metrics when it comes to weight loss – calories and pounds/kilograms. This is common and those metrics are essential when it comes to building a solid weight loss strategy. However, science has evolved over the years and it’s important to broaden your horizons with the implementation of advanced metrics.

This guide is going to look at two of the more heralded data points of weight loss and how to calculate them. These metrics include BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).

What is BMR?

Let’s begin with your BMR.

BMR is short for “Basal Metabolic Rate” and refers to the number of calories a person burns while resting.

This means the number of calories a person burns without doing anything except existing. In essence, a person could simply sit in the same spot for 24 hours and calculate their BMR. This may not seem like an essential metric to calculate but it does matter.

The purpose of knowing your BMR is to understand what the bare minimum is from a caloric perspective. This number is the foundation for your future decisions including dietary planning and/or workout regimens. Without knowing your BMR, it becomes impossible to get an accurate estimate of what’s needed to shed fat.

This number is an excellent way to understand how your body functions without influence. It’s about setting the base for what’s to come. In general, the average person will burn over 2/3 of their caloric intake by doing nothing. Just the idea of existing and completing bodily functions (i.e. digestion, pumping blood) requires the use of energy. if the body doesn’t have enough calories to meet its BMR, it will start to shut down. Several bodily functions are reliant on these calories and should be accounted for immediately.

BMR will vary depending on a person’s characteristics including gender, age, height, and weight. Please note, the same variables are used to determine a variety of data points including Basal Energy Expenditure (BEE) and RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate).

With BMR calculations, the emphasis is on understanding the body’s core functions and is often far more accurate.

With the right calculations, you can get a hold of this number and move forward from there. While it’s difficult to get an exact number, it’s easy to use the right formula and come close!

Calculating BMR

So, what does it take to calculate your BMR?

There are a variety of formulas a person can use to get to this number but here’s one of the more accurate variations.

Note down the following variables: Age, Gender, Height, Weight

The formula is BMR = 10 x Weight (kg) + Height (cm) x 6.25 – 5 x Age + S (+5 for men, -161 for women)

What is TDEE?

The second metric is just as useful as your BMR and offers an all-encompassing illustration of your health.

TDEE is short for Total Daily Energy Expenditure and refers to the number of calories burned per day through activity. This is an extension on the BMR and helps flesh out what’s already shown through your BMR. Remember, your BMR is a generic look at what your current physical condition is but it doesn’t look into the overall activity level.

This is where TDEE comes into action as a one-stop solution to provide a well-rounded assessment.

In general, the idea is to get a deeper look into what your daily caloric expenditure is. The average person isn’t going to be sitting in a corner all day long, which means their BMR isn’t enough! As a result, nutritionists often use a person’s TDEE to determine what’s required and what’s not on a weight loss journey.

Any type of activity can be included in the TDEE including walking to work, playing with your child, taking a bath, or even vacuuming the house. All of these activities require calories in one way or another!

Once you have this number, it becomes easier to see whether or not your caloric intake is in line with your body’s needs. For example, a person that eats the same amount of calories as their TDEE is going to maintain weight. While someone that eats more than their TDEE is going to gain weight.

Calculating TDEE

Let’s take a look at how you go about calculating your TDEE.

There are a few numbers involved when it comes to your TDEE and each one can be plugged into a calculator.

* If you sit around at a desk – BMR x 1.2
* If you do light workouts 1 to 3 times per week – BMR x 1.375
* If you do light workouts 3 to 5 times per week – BMR x 1.55
* If you do light workouts 6 to 7 times per week – BMR x 1.725
* If you workout every day and lift heavy boxes at work – BMR x 1.9

With these numbers in mind, let’s look at a potential example using these numbers.

Let’s assume Dave’s BMR is coming out to 1,500 and he exercises 3 times per week. After looking at the chart he’s going to multiply 1,500 by 1.375 = 2062.5.

This means he has to eat 2062.5 calories to stay the same weight. This is his TDEE.

If he eats less, he will lose weight. If he eats more per day, he will gain weight.

Final Thoughts

It’s important to note, these numbers are estimations.

You are only going to learn more about your BMR and/or TDEE after speaking to a professional. However, it’s okay to move forward with an estimate because the body is always changing. The goal should be to take this information and set the foundation for a well-planned diet and workout regimen.

As long as you are willing to come close to this number, the results will come. It’s all about taking these calculations and using them as a launching pad for success.

With these numbers, you are going to gain clarity when it comes to working out or eating well. It eliminates most of the guesswork involved in weight loss journeys.

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