BMR?!

NewMama221
NewMama221 Posts: 22
in Health and Weight Loss
I've seen alot of people talking about BMR. I googled it and realized there's a calculator associated with it.
BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT!!
According to the BMR calculator ... "You have a BMR of 1659.75." So what does this mean for my calorie intake? I've been aiming for approx 1200 calories/day. Does that mean I'm not eating enough?

HELP! (please)

Replies

  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    no, you aren't eating enough. eat at least your BMR.
  • toni_mmh
    toni_mmh Posts: 78 Member
    There is also TDEE to consider. google that.
  • born2drum
    born2drum Posts: 731 Member
    Your BMR is the absolute amount of energy your body needs to sustain life effectively. So, you should aim to eat between 1600-1700 calories a day.

    My BMR is 1945 and I cut at 1810-2000 per day depending on how strenous my workouts are
  • theoriginaljayne
    theoriginaljayne Posts: 559 Member
    You should eat more than your BMR and less than your TDEE (your total daily energy expenditure). Search "in place of a road map" on the forums for detailed information.
  • jmadams111
    jmadams111 Posts: 145 Member
    Eat your BMR, otherwise you will lose both fat and muscle and slow down your metabolism making it harder to lose anything.
  • NewMama221
    NewMama221 Posts: 22
    TDEE is approx 2100! I can't even imagine eating that many calories!!!
  • NewMama221
    NewMama221 Posts: 22
    1,880 is in the middle. That still seems like ALOT to me!!
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    TDEE is approx 2100! I can't even imagine eating that many calories!!!
    it's easy. Just eat real food. Not the "diet" versions. Almonds, avocado, beef, chicken, fish, veggies, breads.. etc.
  • leaellenj
    leaellenj Posts: 38
    The awesome thing is when you eat whole, natural, healthy food (and not boxed, process junk) it's really not an excessive amount of food.

    Our bodies want food, they love it, we need it to survive but what we've come to see as "food" doesn't nourish our bodies like they need to be.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    TDEE is approx 2100! I can't even imagine eating that many calories!!!
    it's easy. Just eat real food. Not the "diet" versions. Almonds, avocado, beef, chicken, fish, veggies, breads.. etc.

    This^^^^

    .
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Actually yes... it does mean that you aren't eating enough.

    The body regards stored fat as an essential organ. If it is forced to rely to excessively on stored fat, then it will draw upon other sources to diversify that demand and preserve the stored fat as much as possible.

    If you do this for an extended period of time, the body will retaliate by releasing hormones that will make you feel hungrier and cause you to burn calories more effeciently in an effort to compell you to provide it with more external energy sources (or in other words, to get you to eat more and use less).
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    1,880 is in the middle. That still seems like ALOT to me!!

    But it's not for your body. I would guess that you are probably tall for a woman.

    I am just under 6' tall and 230 lbs. My BMR is around 1860. My TDEE can be anywhere between 2100 and 2300 depending on how active I am motivated to be.
  • GardenGirlie
    GardenGirlie Posts: 241 Member
    If we should eat at least our BMR then why does MFP calculate for me to eat much less then that? I plunked in my stats with a goal of losing 2 pounds a week and it gave me calorie goal daily of 1710. I am currently quite heavy and have a lot of weight to lose. So I do want to keep my calories down at the number they gave me here, right?
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    If we should eat at least our BMR then why does MFP calculate for me to eat much less then that? I plunked in my stats with a goal of losing 2 pounds a week and it gave me calorie goal daily of 1710. I am currently quite heavy and have a lot of weight to lose. So I do want to keep my calories down at the number they gave me here, right?
    Because MFP is just another calculator. It's all based on estimations. If another website is giving you a different number, take an average and go from there.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    If we should eat at least our BMR then why does MFP calculate for me to eat much less then that? I plunked in my stats with a goal of losing 2 pounds a week and it gave me calorie goal daily of 1710. I am currently quite heavy and have a lot of weight to lose. So I do want to keep my calories down at the number they gave me here, right?

    Well first off... the "2 lbs a week" setting is not recommended by MFP. Only the "1 lbs a week" is recommended. When you set up your calorie goals, you were given the option between the two and selected 2 lbs a week for yourself which gave you a goal below BMR.

    Secondly, if you have a lot of weight to lose, you can eat below BMR for a period of time. The body does still recognize excessive stored fat. However, as I stated with my earlier post, the body is genetically predisposed to preserve body fat. Therefore, once you have lost a significant amount of weight eating below BMR, the body will switch gears and react by releasing the hormones cortisol and grehlin in an effort to avoid starvation.

    I lost a significant amount of weight (lbs) eating below BMR, but I did not really lose in inches until I changed direction. I lost 70 lbs eating below BMR, but only lost two dress sizes. Then, I manually programmed my calorie goals to give me a deficit at 20% below TDEE (this could be below BMR if you are completely sedentary), and I began lifting and focused on eating foods that would allow me to make the macro ratio of 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fats. When I did that, I only lost another 20 lbs but I lost another 5 dress sizes.

    MFP is flexible and designed to allow you to customize your weight loss plan. You have to decide for yourself where you are and what goals you are trying to obtain. But, without a doubt, if you eat below BMR, you will not lose as much actual fat as you would be eating above BMR.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    1,880 is in the middle. That still seems like ALOT to me!!

    I lose weight at 1800 calories. A typical day for me is:

    Breakfast: coffee w/ cream & sugar, greek yogurt, 2 cheese sticks.
    Lunch: A pita wrap with grilled chicken, and assorted veggies and tzatziki sauce.
    Dinner: Meat, steamed veggies or a salad and some other side dish like rice.
    Dessert: Ice cream

    If you can't "eat that much" you can add calorie dense foods like nuts, seeds, peanut butter, add hard boiled eggs and avocado to salads, etc.
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    BMR is basically the number of calories it would take to sustain life if you were in a coma. Since you're not in a coma, it takes even more calories than that for you to function. The actual number of calories you expend in a day is called your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Depending on how much weight you have to lose, you need to eat your TDEE minus 10-30% (the less you have to lose, the less you subtract).There's a good calculator for TDEE on www.fitnessfrog.com. You can also search topics on MFP for 'in place of a roadmap.' It has a much more detailed explanation that's easy to understand and follow.
  • NewMama221
    NewMama221 Posts: 22
    Thank you everyone!
  • Minnie_Moo
    Minnie_Moo Posts: 239 Member
    I've seen alot of people talking about BMR. I googled it and realized there's a calculator associated with it.
    BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT!!
    According to the BMR calculator ... "You have a BMR of 1659.75." So what does this mean for my calorie intake? I've been aiming for approx 1200 calories/day. Does that mean I'm not eating enough?

    HELP! (please)

    Here is a link to "In Place Of A Road Map" that will help out with the calculator, BMR, TDEE, etc.
    Interesting reading ;-) Good Luck !

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13
  • LassoOfTruth
    LassoOfTruth Posts: 735 Member
    I've seen alot of people talking about BMR. I googled it and realized there's a calculator associated with it.
    BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT!!
    According to the BMR calculator ... "You have a BMR of 1659.75." So what does this mean for my calorie intake? I've been aiming for approx 1200 calories/day. Does that mean I'm not eating enough?

    HELP! (please)

    From what I understand, you're supposed to eat over your BMR and under your TDEE.

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