Should I eat at my BMR?
Options
Replies
-
According to online calculators my BMR is ~1200 but by doing the math by hand I got ~1380. I feel naturally I eat ~1600 or fewer calories I day. I don't count daily since I don't have a scale and can't measure super accurately, plus it makes me crazy. When I am walking and moving and doing as much as I do while not eating 2000 calories, surprised I can lose weight I once lost. When I lost it before I went off of medication and it melted away after a few months. Now I can't go off meds and it's annoying the hell out of me. I also have been doing strength training among tons of damn cardio and yoga
If you're not counting calories, then what is the point of trying to figure out how many calories to eat?
Forget your BMR, it's not helping you. If your total calorie expenditure is 2100, take a cut off that. To lose a pound a week, you'd take 500 calories off, and eat at 1600.
But all of this is pointless if you aren't going to weigh your food and count your calories.0 -
I think you'd be very surprised at how many calories you are probably actually eating without weighing and measuring everything. And you don't need to eat 1000 cal. You just need to properly weigh your food and eat around 1600 or 1700 cal/day (400 or 500 cal deficit of you TDEE not your BMR- forget about the BMR right now)0
-
Also I am 5'1 ~112 and want to lose weight. I want to know if 1380 is where I lose weight or is that 880?
Hi Jordan,
Your ticker says you have lost 18 pounds and want to lose more to get to 108 pounds. It sounds like you have been successful, so I'm confused as to why you're asking about calories to lose weight.
You should be eating 250 calories less than your TDEE to lose .5 pounds per week. Anything other than that is too aggressive.
Finally, why are you trying to lose weight when you are clearly in a healthy weight range for your height? http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm
I encourage you to look into body recomp instead of trying to lose more weight.
0 -
sheldonklein wrote: »BMR is irrelevant to weight loss and is clearly confusing you. Either let MFP set your calories or use TDEE. Make sure you understand the difference between the two methods.
And this.0 -
Think of your BMR as how many calories it would take to keep you alive in a coma. (Breathing, Organ function).
Think of your TDEE as how many calories it takes to sustain you doing your everyday stuff (Walking about, going to work, walking to the shops, consuming food, doing housework, exercise whatever).
Eat 200-500 cals less than your TDEE. And within reason, eat what you want.0 -
slideaway1 wrote: »Think of your BMR as how many calories it would take to keep you alive in a coma. (Breathing, Organ function).
Think of your TDEE as how many calories it takes to sustain you doing your everyday stuff (Walking about, going to work, walking to the shops, consuming food, doing housework, exercise whatever).
Eat 200-500 cals less than your TDEE. And within reason, eat what you want.
This kind of crazy Pseudoscience will never take off.
0 -
Also I am 5'1 ~112 and want to lose weight. I want to know if 1380 is where I lose weight or is that 880?
Hi Jordan,
Your ticker says you have lost 18 pounds and want to lose more to get to 108 pounds. It sounds like you have been successful, so I'm confused as to why you're asking about calories to lose weight.
You should be eating 250 calories less than your TDEE to lose .5 pounds per week. Anything other than that is too aggressive.
Finally, why are you trying to lose weight when you are clearly in a healthy weight range for your height? http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm
I encourage you to look into body recomp instead of trying to lose more weight.
^^^Yep, basically everything I planned to say.0 -
sheldonklein wrote: »BMR is irrelevant to weight loss and is clearly confusing you. Either let MFP set your calories or use TDEE. Make sure you understand the difference between the two methods.
This.0 -
Basically I think what's best for you is:
- To invest in even a cheap set of scales and from there weigh everything! I'm a little shorter than you so I can understand if the problem is you've plateaued. I don't have much to lose and it's definitely putting up a fight!
- To do some research on your medicine - find out if it's making you retain water, etc.
- If logging each thing drives you crazy... make big batches of meals as you can use scales to check the calories with the Recipe section just that once and then have pre-portioned tubs frozen or chilled (I even put "no. of calories stickers" on my frozen meals so I can grab and go).
- Either get MFP to decide your calories or start at a 500 deficit to what you think you use daily. 2100-500=1600 calories a day. Give it a week or two while correctly logging then maybe take another 100. Repeat until you find the best fit.
- And remember that you need to give real weight loss time!
0 -
I am on Risperdone and my doctor told me its notorious for causing weight gain. My doctor told me to lay off counting calories because it was making me insane. The days I count them I feel like I did okay those days so I assume most days are similar . I am asking simply out of curiousity since I make generally safe assumptions on my calorie intake and I figured I would get some good advice. I don't need a handful of you telling me "oh it doesn't even matter if you won't count calories". Everyone else, thank you for your input0
-
Also when you're saying 1380 is what I need to sustain, and then saying "follow MFP", it's contradictory. MFP says eat 1200 a day, and I know that's the lowest it'll go, otherwise it would go lower. Because other apps and websites have suggested 1000-1100 daily. I use my fitbit app more than MFP because it also has my BMR at 1200-1380 and that's more accurate. I watch calories and try to make healthy decisions. Every morning I have a fruit smoothie with spinach. Lunch I try to have either a chicken breast some kind of high protein meal and a vegetable. Dinner I normally eat a meat with vegetables and carbs. I snack occasionally but on cheese sticks and gummie packs. I also walk 5-6 miles daily. I drink starbucks sometimes, twice a week maybe. I don't think it's all "you're obviously miscalculating calories", I think there's some other factors involved0
-
I am on Risperdone and my doctor told me its notorious for causing weight gain. My doctor told me to lay off counting calories because it was making me insane. The days I count them I feel like I did okay those days so I assume most days are similar . I am asking simply out of curiousity since I make generally safe assumptions on my calorie intake and I figured I would get some good advice. I don't need a handful of you telling me "oh it doesn't even matter if you won't count calories". Everyone else, thank you for your input
Okay then bye
Way to get offended lmao. You didn't answer my question you just told me oh well you're doing nothing so why does it matter.
0 -
Also when you're saying 1380 is what I need to sustain, and then saying "follow MFP", it's contradictory.
Follow MFP or follow TDEE.
MFP does not include exercise, so to do MFP properly you add back in exercise calories.
You control the result on MFP by your goal. How much of a loss are you asking for per week?0 -
I am on Risperdone and my doctor told me its notorious for causing weight gain. My doctor told me to lay off counting calories because it was making me insane. The days I count them I feel like I did okay those days so I assume most days are similar . I am asking simply out of curiousity since I make generally safe assumptions on my calorie intake and I figured I would get some good advice. I don't need a handful of you telling me "oh it doesn't even matter if you won't count calories". Everyone else, thank you for your input
Okay then bye
Way to get offended lmao. You didn't answer my question you just told me oh well you're doing nothing so why does it matter.
Offended? Not at all. What I'm saying is you asked a question, got opinions, came back adding in medical conditions which seems to be a tactic most people that come here looking for advice miraculously forget to include before and you thanked people and said the rest weren't helpful, is that correct? So I guess your work here is done right? Okay bye.
My bad normally I include the medical portion. Sorry. No I felt like your comment was rude, maybe that wasn't your intent . I didn't mean to be misleading0 -
I am on Risperdone and my doctor told me its notorious for causing weight gain. My doctor told me to lay off counting calories because it was making me insane. The days I count them I feel like I did okay those days so I assume most days are similar . I am asking simply out of curiousity since I make generally safe assumptions on my calorie intake and I figured I would get some good advice. I don't need a handful of you telling me "oh it doesn't even matter if you won't count calories". Everyone else, thank you for your input
Okay then bye
Way to get offended lmao. You didn't answer my question you just told me oh well you're doing nothing so why does it matter.
Offended? Not at all. What I'm saying is you asked a question, got opinions, came back adding in medical conditions which seems to be a tactic most people that come here looking for advice miraculously forget to include before and you thanked people and said the rest weren't helpful, is that correct? So I guess your work here is done right? Okay bye.
My bad normally I include the medical portion. Sorry. No I felt like your comment was rude, maybe that wasn't your intent . I didn't mean to be misleading
My work here is done? I just want opinions I don't get what work I was here to accomplish ?0 -
Also when you're saying 1380 is what I need to sustain, and then saying "follow MFP", it's contradictory. MFP says eat 1200 a day, and I know that's the lowest it'll go, otherwise it would go lower. Because other apps and websites have suggested 1000-1100 daily. I use my fitbit app more than MFP because it also has my BMR at 1200-1380 and that's more accurate. I watch calories and try to make healthy decisions. Every morning I have a fruit smoothie with spinach. Lunch I try to have either a chicken breast some kind of high protein meal and a vegetable. Dinner I normally eat a meat with vegetables and carbs. I snack occasionally but on cheese sticks and gummie packs. I also walk 5-6 miles daily. I drink starbucks sometimes, twice a week maybe. I don't think it's all "you're obviously miscalculating calories", I think there's some other factors involved
Why is MFP telling you 1200? did you choose the maximum weight loss? That setting is only for the very obese.
If you did not choose a high rate, then let the admins know. There is a history of a glitch that gives artificially low recommendations.
Stop looking at your BMR, unless you want a rough idea of the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM you should net per day.
Look at your TDEE. Multiply by .8 or .9 -- eat that much to lose the last few pounds sensibly.
Do not try to lose more than .5 pound per week. I won't question your desire to drop to the low end of healthy BMI (for now, but I am concerned that your doctor thinks you might be unhealthily obsessed with how much you are eating) because that is OK if you have a very small frame. Do keep evaluating your goal weight, though. You don't want to go down an ED rabbit hole.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.8K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 396 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 967 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions