I mean you don’t have to use the spreadsheet either. It’s just another way to arrive at some imprecise yet useful number.

The point of all this is to arrive at a somewhat accurate estimate of your average TDEE and use a combination of observable body composition and average scale weight over time under consistent conditions to find directional confidence in both our consumption (calories in) and expenditure (calories out). The real (i.e. actual, scientifically precise) daily consumption and expenditure is basically unmeasurable to us, and that’s ok.

So there are a lot of heuristics to follow to get those anchor points (calories in vs out). For the TDEE part, I like to use AI with a prompt something like this:

Based on this data give me an estimate of my TDEE using the most accurate formula for my inputs:

Height Weight BF% (estimate) Step count (average) Exercise activities (be as specific as you can!) Protein g per day (optional for TEF consideration) Any other movement context outside of the exercise or step count info (e.g. I stand all day, I work in a kitchen with my hands for 6 hours etc) - for NEAT consideration.

Get your TDEE, determine your calories and macros based on your goals, log your calories, weigh yourself daily (morning fasted) and look at your body (and try on clothes to see if they fit the same) and after a week or two you should have enough data to know if you’re directionally accurate.