BMR as a baseline for calories

Justme_1
Justme_1 Posts: 104 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My BMR is 1529 calories a day. Do you think that would be a good calorie goal each day?
I have a sedentary lifestyle with a desk job.
Activities burning calories above and beyond would create a deficit. Opinions?

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited August 2016
    BMR includes a deficit... You're thinking of tdee, which is your BMR x at least 1.2.
  • beatyfamily1
    beatyfamily1 Posts: 257 Member
    The way I understand it is BMR is basically the calories you need to maintain your current weight, but the explanations I've read don't say it like that. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. So you would need to go lower, but not lower than 1200. If you exercise to burn off more calories then you can eat back some of those calories. My BMR is 1729 and I can't lose any weight if I eat at my BMR.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    beatyfamily1 wrote: »
    The way I understand it is BMR is basically the calories you need to maintain your current weight, but the explanations I've read don't say it like that. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. So you would need to go lower, but not lower than 1200. If you exercise to burn off more calories then you can eat back some of those calories. My BMR is 1729 and I can't lose any weight if I eat at my BMR.

    Nope, that's TDEE
  • msalicia116
    msalicia116 Posts: 233 Member
    edited August 2016
    beatyfamily1 wrote: »
    The way I understand it is BMR is basically the calories you need to maintain your current weight, but the explanations I've read don't say it like that. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. So you would need to go lower, but not lower than 1200. If you exercise to burn off more calories then you can eat back some of those calories. My BMR is 1729 and I can't lose any weight if I eat at my BMR.

    BMR is when you literally lay in bed for 24 hours. Just to stay alive basically.

    TDEE is what you burn just living your life, walking to the fridge, car, mailbox, moving around at your job, walking your dog, nothing extra, just your ordinary day. This is how many calories your body uses on a day to day basis. Deficits are based off this number, and to maintain your weight.
  • Justme_1
    Justme_1 Posts: 104 Member
    msalicia116 wrote: »
    beatyfamily1 wrote: »
    The way I understand it is BMR is basically the calories you need to maintain your current weight, but the explanations I've read don't say it like that. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. So you would need to go lower, but not lower than 1200. If you exercise to burn off more calories then you can eat back some of those calories. My BMR is 1729 and I can't lose any weight if I eat at my BMR.

    BMR is when you literally lay in bed for 24 hours. Just to stay alive basically.

    TDEE is what you burn just living your life, walking to the fridge, car, mailbox, moving around at your job, walking your dog, nothing extra, just your ordinary day. This is how many calories your body uses on a day to day basis. Deficits are based off this number, and to maintain your weight.

    You are right. "TDEE, total daily energy expenditure, is the amount of energy in calories you burn per day. TDEE is best calculated by factoring in your BMR, or basal metabolic rate, and your activity level. BMR is the amount of calories you would burn per day at rest."

    From google
  • Justme_1
    Justme_1 Posts: 104 Member
    TDEE Calculatorhttps://content.tigerfitness.com/tdee-calculator-total-daily-energy-expenditure/
  • jhmomofmany
    jhmomofmany Posts: 571 Member
    So, what's the difference between TDEE and NEAT, then? Or are those two terms for the same thing?
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited August 2016
    jhmomofmany wrote: »
    So, what's the difference between TDEE and NEAT, then? Or are those two terms for the same thing?

    NEAT Is BMR + TEF (thermic effect of food) + activity and excludes purposeful exercise

    TDEE Is NEAT + exercise
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    beatyfamily1 wrote: »
    The way I understand it is BMR is basically the calories you need to maintain your current weight, but the explanations I've read don't say it like that. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. So you would need to go lower, but not lower than 1200. If you exercise to burn off more calories then you can eat back some of those calories. My BMR is 1729 and I can't lose any weight if I eat at my BMR.

    Incorrect. Your BMR is what your body needs to maintain basic survival functions like breathing.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    Djlapri67 wrote: »
    My BMR is 1529 calories a day. Do you think that would be a good calorie goal each day?
    I have a sedentary lifestyle with a desk job.
    Activities burning calories above and beyond would create a deficit. Opinions?

    You haven't given us enough information to form a valid opinion. Assuming 1529 is your BMR, and you consume 1529 calories a day, you'll be starting with a deficit of roughly 300 calories from your sedentary NEAT, which would allow you to lose about a half-pound a week, which is a conservative weight loss rate. Without information about your weight and height, we have no way of judging if you could reasonably aim for a faster rate of weight loss ("reasonably" here mostly means muscle-sparing). Without information about what you intend to do by way of "activities burning calories above and beyond" your sedentary lifestyle, we have no way of judging if you will be creating too large a deficit ("too large" meaning not-muscle-sparing, or likely to cause other issues such as loss of energy for your workouts, sleeping problems, reduced immune response, damage to skin, hair and nails, etc.).
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Djlapri67 wrote: »
    My BMR is 1529 calories a day. Do you think that would be a good calorie goal each day?
    I have a sedentary lifestyle with a desk job.
    Activities burning calories above and beyond would create a deficit. Opinions?

    Yes. Eating BMR gives a deficit if sedentary and it gets bigger if you move more.

    If you are truly sedentary the deficit is modest.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    jhmomofmany wrote: »
    So, what's the difference between TDEE and NEAT, then? Or are those two terms for the same thing?

    NEAT Is BMR + TEF (thermic effect of food) + activity and excludes purposeful exercise

    TDEE Is NEAT + exercise

    It isn't. Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis is things like fidgeting that are activity but not exercise.

    TDEE = BMR + TEF + NEAT + EAT (where EAT is exercise).
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    yarwell wrote: »
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    jhmomofmany wrote: »
    So, what's the difference between TDEE and NEAT, then? Or are those two terms for the same thing?

    NEAT Is BMR + TEF (thermic effect of food) + activity and excludes purposeful exercise

    TDEE Is NEAT + exercise

    It isn't. Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis is things like fidgeting that are activity but not exercise.

    TDEE = BMR + TEF + NEAT + EAT (where EAT is exercise).

    Yeah ...that's right

    Sorry ..brain is getting old
  • jhmomofmany
    jhmomofmany Posts: 571 Member
    Ok thanks! Now I don't feel so bad for getting mixed up- it's a bit confusing!

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