TEF

BlackRuins

So recently I have been going on a cut and of course been using cronometer to track my calories. Importantly I want to make sure I lose weight at a slow and steady pace as I don't want to lose muscle. However I recently noticed there is a feature to turn on TEF. Turning that on showed I was in a caloric deficit of ~200kcal more than I had originally thought. However looking at the forums made my confused as to whether I showed have the feature on or off. For example I saw a post saying that TEF is already calculated in the Mifflin st jeor equation. Does that mean I am calculating TEF twice if I have it on or not?

Essentially if I want to be very precise in measuring my caloric intake, do I turn on TEF?

~Thanks BlackRuins

p0wer_lifter

I can only go with what I’ve experienced. I have TEF on and have consistently shown that my deficit matches my weight loss. But, keep in mind that your activity level setting is also a factor. The two work together to calculate deficit and your activity level setting is rather arbitrary unless you’re setting to none and using a tracker.

BlackRuins

I have my activity level set to sedentary and then I add the amount of minutes I have done resistance training and/or cardio for that day.

p0wer_lifter

So that setting may still be off the mark. The sedentary setting sets your activity calories to 0.2 x BMR, but that may not be accurate for you. Just something to keep in mind as you try to get very precise data, the tools we are all using aren’t very precise. Ultimately, the best data is your scale; configure your Cronometer settings, track consistently for 6-8 weeks and verify using your scale. Adjust Cronometer settings to match the scale. Once that’s calibrated, then you can start tracking more accurately.

For example, I found that I had to set my activity level to a custom number that was in between two levels within Cronometer. From then on, I have found that my scale matched my deficit much more accurately than it was prior to this calibration.

Of course, this assumes that you live a relatively consistent life.

Nemo

I have my activity settings at none, then add exercise. That gives a very accurate record of calories burned and weight loss/gain for me is predictable when I enter food and exercise accurately.

wmarler

I do not have TEF enabled in my Cronometer settings.

I agree with @p0wer_lifter on this part, totally:

Ultimately, the best data is your scale; configure your Cronometer settings, track consistently for 6-8 weeks and verify using your scale. Adjust Cronometer settings to match the scale. Once that’s calibrated, then you can start tracking more accurately.

By "configure your Cronometer settings" I'm pretty sure he means to set your kcal & macro targets manually. Don't use a BMR value as provided by Cronometer.

The keys to this technique are long-term consistency with food, weight accuracy & training stimulus.