How to confirm TDEE

[u/Frequent-Advisor6986]

How can you scientifically confirm TDEE? Where would you go? The reason I ask is that as a lean adult (F) 15 years ago, when I tracked calories daily to maintain my weight, my maintenance calories were 1750. I was in my early 30s and was in the best shape of my life, lean but muscular, and beautiful and healthy. Even though I wasn’t an athlete, people always assumed I was due to my build.

Whenever I’ve needed to lose weight in the past, I’d always need to cut back to about 1200 calories, which makes it about a 500 calorie deficit to the old maintenance calories. That makes sense.

But even now when I weigh almost 100 pounds more than that (!!!), even a 1500 calorie/day diet has me modestly gaining weight. None of the TDEE calculators that account come close to that, even for just the basal rate.

I’m thinking that maybe I need to target 1000-1200 calories or less while on Wegovy to see a gradual loss. However, I feel like if I say that out loud then all the naysayers will come out of the woodwork and scream about starving myself and killing my metabolism, yada yada.

I just think those calculators do not reflect reality for me and I’d like to confirm that, but how/where?

[u/whotiesyourshoes]

I figured mine out last year with trial and error but decided to do an RMR test this year to confirm and I was about correct and the numbers I got from the test line up and confirmed my TDEE IS pretty low and the calculators were no longer applicable.

*I lost 30 pounds ,very slowly, eating 1500 calories and stalled.

I did lose another 25 pounds with help from Zepbound and Ive learned my TDEE is now about 1420 so eating 1500 is now at/slightly over maintenance .

I had mine done through a company called Dexafit. I did a package with Dexa scan so I'm not sure of the RMR alone but I think the other comment of.about $120 sounds about right.

*I saw your comment about age and for reference I'm 49, 5 ft 4, also perimenopausal so I feel your pain

*Edited