Two problems.... Help!

funkyspunky871

Hey! So, here's the problem:

When I checked under "tools" for my BMR, I got 2,001 calories. Yet, when I checked under "Goals" it says that my calories burned from normal daily activity is 2,480. Is this because the BMR does not account for daily activities?

Also, I've been eating around 1200 calories a day (I find it hard to get above 1200) for about 5 months. I don't want to screw up my metabolism or anything, so do you think that I could get away with suddenly upping my calories to MFP's suggestion of 1490? I'm thinking about getting some protein shakes so that I can drink some of my calories when I just don't have the appetite to eat them.

Will suddenly upping my calories make me gain? Have I already screwed my metabolism up? Should I start eating to 1300 next week, and then 1400 the next, and so on until I get to 1490? Or is just too late?

waguchan

If what are are doing now is working and you aren't hungry, then I suggest sticking with it. If you start to plateau or something, you can try adding in some extra calories to mix things up.

aippolito1

This would be fine, you would just lose less per week. Your BMR is just your metabolic rate, not sure how to explain it, but yes, it's different than calories burned during normal activity. So, right now, with eating 1200 calories, you're set to lose about 5.6 lbs per week. If you were to raise your calories to 1490, you would lose about 3.5 lbs per week. Not a bad trade off. Just something to think about. :happy:

And hopefully this helps. I was eating 1200 calories and was told by a couple people I wasn't eating enough (because I wasn't losing or seeing results in the measurement tape, etc.) and I increased to 1400 and held my breath. I didn't gain and it took me awhile to lose just because I changed my exercise routine, but you should be fine, since your body will still be in a deficit. If you do gain, don't lose heart because your body just has to adjust. Give it time.

laurenpence

I have found that since I work out so hard I need more than 1200 calories a day so when I bumped my caloric intake to 1500 my weight seemed to come off faster because I had more energy to work harder in the gym. Your metabolism should be fine as long as you are eating through out the day. I talked to one of the personal trainers at my gym and she said to have a cheat meal once a week will not only curb off binging but also through your metabolism into a good "funk".

funkyspunky871

This would be fine, you would just lose less per week. Your BMR is just your metabolic rate, not sure how to explain it, but yes, it's different than calories burned during normal activity. So, right now, with eating 1200 calories, you're set to lose about 5.6 lbs per week. If you were to raise your calories to 1490, you would lose about 3.5 lbs per week. Not a bad trade off. Just something to think about. :happy:

And hopefully this helps. I was eating 1200 calories and was told by a couple people I wasn't eating enough (because I wasn't losing or seeing results in the measurement tape, etc.) and I increased to 1400 and held my breath. I didn't gain and it took me awhile to lose just because I changed my exercise routine, but you should be fine, since your body will still be in a deficit. If you do gain, don't lose heart because your body just has to adjust. Give it time.

Actually, I think eating 1200 a day gives me a 2.5 pound deficit, and eating 1490 gives me a 2 pound deficit. So, logically, just like MFP says, I should be able to lose 2 pounds a week eating 1490. I'm just really worried that suddenly increasing my calories won't work like it "logically" should. Arg.

funkyspunky871

If what are are doing now is working and you aren't hungry, then I suggest sticking with it. If you start to plateau or something, you can try adding in some extra calories to mix things up.

1200 cals a day is working right now. So maybe I should just stick with what I'm doing until I hit a plateau? Then I should try the 1490?

hkystar

Here is the math for myself.

5'7" 229lbs 29yrs old = BMR of 1830
My lifestyle is sedentary (since I sit for 8 hours of hte day behind a desk) so I need 1.2x my BMR to maintain my weight.
1830 * 1.2 = 2196

I set my goal to be 1.5lbs loss a week = 5250 calories deficit a week

2196 * 7 days = 15372 calories - 5250 deficit for weight loss = 10122 calories per week
10122 / 7 days = 1446 calories per day... pretty close to my current calculation

I used another site for my BMR for this example.
You need more ratio of your BMR if you are more active.

mchelle125

I agree, if what you're doing is working, I wouldn't change it up. You could be over-estimating your activity level making the computer "think" you need more calories than you really do. If you feel good, are not constantly hungry and are losing weight, I say stick with it. :happy: