Eating below BMR as an obese person

fvtgvl

Apparently as of today, I weigh in at a whooping 273 lbs at 5'9".

Obviously I'm obese.

I've been counting calories for three weeks now. The first week and a half I ate 1700 calories a day, then 1500. MFP tells me I need to eat 1480 calories to lose two pounds a week. I also do 30 minutes of cardio three times a week, and some light pilates six times a week. Now obviously, for someone who only has 10 pounds to lose, that would be a different matter, but if you weigh as much as I do, two pounds a week isn't exactly unrealistic.

However, now I've read that you shouldn't be eating under your BMR, which would be around 2000 calories for me. If I continue to eat below that, will it really cause a yo-yo effect eventually?

I felt relatively good with 1500 calories, maybe a little hungry in the late evening, but bearable... Now I'm just feeling at a loss.

ModernRock

Your body is happy to burn fat stores to make up the difference. Lots of people are under BMR after exercising and not eating back the calories. Just don't go too far with it without eating back some exercise/extra activity calories.

If you are worried about it, then make your calorie goal the same as your BMR. You'll still lose, albeit at a slower pace, and on unusually active days you can eat back some of the activity/exercise calories.

Here's what the National Institutes of Health has to say:

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/eat/calories.htm

Eating plans that contain 1,200–1,500 calories each day will help most women lose weight safely.

lynn_glenmont

There's really nothing magical about your BMR. It's not as though your body has some way to distinguish between energy demands to fuel a workout and energy demands to fuel breathing, digestion, etc.--it's not going to raid fat stores to fuel workouts but refuse to raid fat stores to fuel breathing and other basic bodily functions. If your overall deficit is small enough that your body can fuel it from stored fat (roughly 30 calories per pound of fat per day), you should be fine. The closer you get to that limit, or if you go beyond it, the more your body will have to scavenge energy from lean body mass, which you want to happen as little as possible.

PAV8888

Increase your calories out through activities. Eat 20% less than your calories out (25% less while obese). And automagically if you were to limit your deficit to those amounts you would be eating above your BMR**

**obese, sedentary, no exercise would be just below on a 25% cut. Every other case would be above.

The disagreement comes from the "entitlement" of I should be able to tolerate a 1000 calorie cut because I am 270lbs. One opinion is that as long as the loss is 1% a week (and obviously 2lbs would be)... that is fine. A slightly diverging opinion as stated above is that you base your deficit on the size of your TDEE.

For whatever its worth, limiting the size of the cut becomes much more important when you leave the obese/upper part of overweight category and start playing in the high 20s bmis

The less extra fat you have around the more important it becomes to limit the cut both for the reason stated above (calories that can be provided by a lb of fat per day) and because the body is more prone to utilize lean mass.

Note that I am using BMI as proxy for fat %. If you are unusually muscular the point of concern will be at a higher bmi.

yarwell

fvtgvl wrote: »

However, now I've read that you shouldn't be eating under your BMR, which would be around 2000 calories for me.

you were reading fiction. Nothing bad or even significant happens if you eat below your BMR, it isn't a thing anywhere in the medical literature.

PAV8888

Is BMR magical? Probably not, and it is probably of lesser concern the more fat reserves you have.

Nevertheless, as I already mentioned, if you aim for a reasonable deficit that will still allow you to lose weight fast; (but not too fast), and with the exception of being obese, sedentary and aiming for a 25% cut, by simple math, will be netting at or above your BMR.

So it is pretty much a no-brainer that most people who are not over-doing their deficits are automatically eating at least a little bit above their BMR.

Given what I suspect your concerns to be given your discussion of BMR, you may find the following very long, and full of references, thread of interest: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1077746/starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss/p1

Sued0nim

There is no reason not to eat below BMR

If you are currently satisfied on 1500 calories then I see no issue with you continuing to eat that - at your weight you would be safe looking to lose 2 - 2.5lbs a week

Of course you should eat back 50-75% of your exercise calories on top

and if you're feeling hungry at night - save some calories for night munching

yarwell

PAV8888 wrote: »

So it is pretty much a no-brainer that most people who are not over-doing their deficits are automatically eating at least a little bit above their BMR.

Without exercise calories I suspect the majority here for weight loss are below their BMR as a goal. Sedentary calories minus 1 lb/week weight loss (hardly excessive) will be below BMR for most.

BMR * 1.2 - 500 is less than BMR if BMR is below 2500.

fvtgvl

Thank you for your answers. Then I will continue eating the 1500 calories.

If I told MFP that I only wanted to lose one pound a week, I'd still eat below my BMR, by the way.

becca_rup23

I went to the doctor a while back and he recommended 1500 per day and I was almost exactly the same height/weight.Since November I've been aiming for 1600/day, 1800 on workout days, and a little more on the weekends and I've gone from 271 to 252. It takes some adjusting for you not to be hungry all the time but my body has gotten used to it as long as I eat filling food (plus if you go over a little it's not a huge deal)

20yearsyounger

I think the eating below BMR comes in to play when you are in a healthy/goal weight. For me there was a big difference going below that BMR than the BMR at my heavier weight.

vespiquenn

20yearsyounger wrote: »

I think the eating below BMR comes in to play when you are in a healthy/goal weight. For me there was a big difference going below that BMR than the BMR at my heavier weight.

This. There is a difference of someone eating below BMR that is on the low end of a BMI versus someone on the opposite side of the spectrum. Right now, you have plenty fat storage for the body to use as energy, so don't fret too much. Just listen to your body, and if you notice fatigue setting in, adjust your goals accordingly.

fvtgvl

I agree, right now, I have more than enough fat to draw energy from I will definitely be listening to my body.

becca_rup23 wrote: »

I went to the doctor a while back and he recommended 1500 per day and I was almost exactly the same height/weight.Since November I've been aiming for 1600/day, 1800 on workout days, and a little more on the weekends and I've gone from 271 to 252. It takes some adjusting for you not to be hungry all the time but my body has gotten used to it as long as I eat filling food (plus if you go over a little it's not a huge deal)

Thank you for sharing this, and congrats on your weight loss!

Colorscheme

If you're obese or overweight, eating below BMR isn't bad. As someone above said, it's when you're at a normal weight and always eating under your BMR. I mean, look at the people on My Six Hundred Lb Life. To lose weight as quickly as possible, the doctor has the patients in a VLCD. It's not a problem when you have a lot of extra fat stores.

meritage4

Trust the calories that MFP gives you (all ecept the exercise calories-they are way over). It has been working for you Keep at it and you will see results.

OhMsDiva

I hate BMR, TDEE, all of it. I understand none of it. I have a lot more weight to lose. I have not put my stats in recently, but last time I checked mfp and some other site said I can eat 2000+ calories and lose weight. The program I was put on, and remain on is 1800 calories. I probably eat between 1750 and 1900 daily. I also exercise for an hour daily. So far it is working pretty well. I am still trying to learn all the science and calculations that many talk about on here.

ilex70

OhMsDiva wrote: »

I hate BMR, TDEE, all of it. I understand none of it. I have a lot more weight to lose. I have not put my stats in recently, but last time I checked mfp and some other site said I can eat 2000+ calories and lose weight. The program I was put on, and remain on is 1800 calories. I probably eat between 1750 and 1900 daily. I also exercise for an hour daily. So far it is working pretty well. I am still trying to learn all the science and calculations that many talk about on here.

Your BMR is your Basal Metabolic Rate, or the calories you body uses daily for basic function, so what you would need if you just stay in bed all day long.

Your TDEE is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure. Your TDEE is calculated by multiplying your BMR by a number based on your level of activity.

You can get both number by putting your information in this calculator:

https://tdeecalculator.net/

Some people choose to set their daily calorie goal by calculating their TDEE and then reducing that number by 20% or 25%.