TDEE
What’s new, everyone?
I don't have much to report this week. It was quiet, and after a busy January, I am grateful for rest. ❤️
I'm staying true to my New Year's Resolution of slowing down and being more intentional with my time. I added a new plant to my collection, cleaned out my closets, and worked on rebuilding a favorite Lego set from over 20 years ago.
Being busy is necessary sometimes, but it's not a pace you can sustain forever. I feel much more balanced taking a step back and not feeling pressured to be “on” all the time. 🌿
This week’s post is all about calculating your TDEE, or Total Daily Energy Expenditure.
Knowing your daily calorie needs is the first step to creating healthy calorie deficit or surplus.
Before we begin, a quick disclaimer that nutrition or calorie-counting content can be triggering for some people. Please proceed with caution. ❤️
If you're looking for quality supplements or protein bars, please use my code “hails” at checkout at Legion Athletics or Built Bar!
on my radar this week
A few things that have caught my eye, plus last week’s blog post, are linked here for you.
what is TDEE?
To reveal the muscle you’ve built, you’ll need to maintain a slight calorie deficit until you reach your desired weight.
Then, after achieving your goal weight, you’ll need to stay in calorie maintenance.
But first things first – you can’t determine your daily calorie needs without first knowing your TDEE, or your Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This is an estimation of how many calories you burn each day.
how do I calculate it?
It's easy to calculate, and here's how to do it.
1️⃣ Head to a calculator website like https://tdeecalculator.net/
2️⃣ Enter your basic information like gender, age, weight, height, and activity level.
3️⃣ Once you have your maintenance calorie estimation, you can use that number as a guideline for your daily needs.
how can I maintain a healthy calorie deficit?
Despite what is often promoted in the media, a healthy calorie deficit is not aggressive.
Instead, try to decrease your calories by about 500 each day.
I don’t recommend dropping below 1,800 calories a day, and most women should stay between 20-30% body fat to prevent hormone disruption.
Eating ~1g of protein per lb. of body weight can help you feel full and build muscle in a deficit.
your homework from me
This week, I'll challenge you to download a basic calorie counting app, such as MyFitnessPal, and track your food for a few weeks.
Focus on tracking calories only for now.
Although you don’t need to do it forever, tracking food can help you learn about portion sizes and which high-calorie foods should be substituted for lower-calorie alternatives.
When you feel comfortable with counting calories, consider switching over to macros tracking to help dial in your results.
We’ll cover macros tracking next week! See you then xo.
