BMR Questions

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ArcticSero
ArcticSero Posts: 63 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
1. How important is it to know your BMR?
2. Should you eat over or under your BMR?
3. Why is it bad to eat under your BMR?
4. Is BMR really that important for weight loss?

I found out my BMR, it's basically 1,700 but I'm supposed to only eat 1,350. Should I eat up to my BMR then? I really don't understand the whole BMR thing except for the fact it's the amount of calories your body naturally burns by basically existing.

Replies

  • lemonychild
    lemonychild Posts: 654 Member
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    basic metabolic rate - should not be eating under that. you should be eating under you TDEE. total daily energy expenditure. TDEE minus 15-20% cals to stay in deficit and lose weight
  • RobD520
    RobD520 Posts: 420 Member
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    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Above is a good web site to calculate TDEE and BMR.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    Right now as you read this, your heart is beating to keep you alive; your heart is a muscle and it's doing work. That burns calories. You're breathing, because your diaphragm is making your lungs expand and contract, more calorie burning work that your body is constantly doing. You're probably thinking about BMR, too, using your brain, burning still more calories. When you add them all up, your body needs 1,700 calories per day to stay alive and in good condition.

    Those calories (to keep you going) can come from food, or from "stored" calories (fat, maybe carbs too). If they come from food, you'll maintain or increase your body weight; if you eat fewer than 1,700 kCal per day, they'll have to come from what you have stored in your body, which means you lose weight.

    I can't imagine eating just 1,350 calories per day, I don't think I could do that more than a few days in a row. But I do a lot of exercise. Anyway, it's important to also factor in exercise calories; if you go for a walk and burn 100 kCal, your body will burn 1,800 for the day and (depending on your goals) you may want to replenish them.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,191 Member
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    It is more important to know your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), but BMR does give a lower limit. Generally, unless a person is morbidly obese, eating below your BMR is generally a bad idea.

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