UNDERSTANDING TDEE FOR A BETTER, HEALTHIER ME!

In his book “Burn the fat, Feed the Muscle”, well-known international fitness coach, Tom Venuto writes: “There’s a big difference between knowing what to do and doing what you know. A goal is the bridge that spans this gap.”  We are in week 2 of our 8-week Summer Challenge, and I can already sense that this time things are different – there’s more focus, energy, and determination than ever before, and it`s clear that for the first time most participants actually BELIEVE that they can achieve their personal goals.

In the process of trying to support and assist everyone better during their body assessment appointments, I am really expanding my own horizons too, learning each day and have come to believe that knowledge is indeed power.  It was during their short visit from Stellenbosch a fortnight ago that Eswee and Mariné introduced me to the intriguing TDEE calculator, a helpful tool both of them have implemented in their own fitness journeys…

Last Sunday I sent the link to the article and a short explanation of the TDEE calculator on our Challenge group (if you are interested you’ll find it at tdeecalculator.net), but realised that most members didn’t really know what to do with the info…so, therefore, this Blog…☺, with another Venuto quote in mind: “Knowledge unused is worthless; only knowledge applied is power.”

…Let’s start at the beginning:  We may not like them, but we need calories to live.  This minimum number your body needs to function while not performing any activity is called your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).  So yes, even if you lie in bed all day watching Netflix your body requires calories.  In fact, daily, about 70% of the calories you consume are used to keep your body operating.

As our members have witnessed on our InBody machine, increasing muscle mass does increase BMR, because muscle is metabolically “hungry”, so when you have a lot of muscle, you`ll burn more calories at rest. 

Now, the overall number of calories your body uses daily is referred to as your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).  It’s based on your BMR as well as your activity level throughout the day.  Generally, men have a higher TDEE simply because they have more muscle mass, and both TDEE and BMR tend to fall regardless of gender as we age.

Knowing our TDEE and BMR can assist us in determining how many calories we need per day, but how the heck do we really get to EAT BETTER?  And what does eating better really mean?  If you are serious about weight-loss this will imply that you might need to track your calories for a few days.  For weight-loss your calorie intake should be about 15 to 20 percent less than what is burned – though you should never fall below your BMR.  Even more important is to make your calories count as good fuel and to consider nutrients over calories.

For example, 80 calories from a hard-boiled egg will keep your body energised and nourished a little better than 80 calories from a chocolate truffle. (Remember that 1 calorie equals 4,18 kilojoules, and when you track your kilojoule intake you should always multiply the calorie reading on the food labels by 4,18 to get a kilojoule reading).

…Over-consuming calories is generally the major culprit in an expanding waistline, so yes, consuming fewer calories is definitely a good starting point.  In other words, simply eating smaller portions.  Gradually is the magic word… I firmly believe that balancing calories in and calories out is at the heart of successful weight loss and maintenance, meaning?  Consume fewer calories.  Burn more calories.

Take the recent Survivor TV-reality show as the best example.  This year`s castaways lost a combined, staggering 151 kg.  Runner-up Nicole lost 13 kg and winner Rob Bentley dropped 16 kg in 39 days!

If your calorie consumption is equal to your TDEE, you will maintain your current weight.

If your calorie consumption is less than your TDEE then you will lose weight.

It’s really that simple.

One thing that I would like to stress is that if you’re trying to lose fat, do not eat extra calories to compensate for any exercise you are doing.  This is my only gripe with MyFitnessPal (a helpful App you’ll find in the Google Play store for tracking calories) – it adds calories back to your budget that you’ve burned through activity however, you can change the settings of the App… There’s just too much room for error here.  It’s not worth doing – walking 15 000 steps when you normally walk 10 000 does NOT entitle you to eat an extra pizza!

So, how many calories below your maintenance do you need to go and for how long to lose a given amount of weight?  It requires a deficit of around 500 calories to safely lose weight. That would mean deducting 500 calories from you TDEE.  Think a couple of small chocolate bars don’t matter?  Now you see how they do.

It’s all about averages over long periods.  Maybe you recently looked at your body stats from a year before and was shocked about the fact that you have put on 5kg since last year.  To put on 5kg, you have at some point created a calorie surplus which over time has added up to about 38 000 calories.  Over a year, that’s energy to the value of one banana a day more than your body needs – 105 calories over your maintenance each day… Do this for a year and BAM!, 5kg weight gain.

It’s quite easy to consume too many calories, especially when:

• You don’t understand how weight gain relates to TDEE.
• We all think we need more food than we do.
• So many people think calories don’t matter at all – instead they only focus on “good” and “bad” foods.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking now – where do I start?  By not over-complicating things – Start by making small, deliberate changes to your diet:

• Try to eat more protein!
• Vegetables are your friend, and no, corn doesn’t count.
• Fat is not the enemy! Sugar is the enemy!  Especially watch out for hidden sugars in fruit, sauces, condiments and “healthy foods” such as protein bars.
• Make changes you can live with.
• Don’t try to crash-diet your way into a bathing suit. Make small permanent changes that permanently change your relationship with food.
• Drink lots of water.
• Get enough sleep.
• Limit your alcohol intake.
• Remind yourself of your goals.
• Surround yourself with positive people.

Stop saying “But this won’t work for me!  My body is different!”  Nonsense.  It will work as long as you actually do it.  If you “can’t” lose weight, the reality is that you are still eating more calories and/or burning fewer than you think you are.

Hope this made sense, even just a little.  Good luck on your journey, and remember:

“There’s no secret to getting started. You simply decide and
then take your first step. With each subsequent step, the next
one becomes easier…” ― Tom Venuto

Yours in fitness

Mirna

082 779 0507

PS: Interested in your BMR and a stunning analysis of your Body Stats?  Contact me for a full body assessment on our InBody machine or find one near you.  We charge R50 for members, R100 for non-members, and of course, when you are a Challenge member 3 assessments are included in your Challenge fee.