Basal Metabolic Rate?

pinksparklefairy

Hello, I have been on my diet for almost a month and am very gradually losing weight. I am 170 cm tall and currently weigh 84.5 kg. I currently have 1200 calories a day and eat back all exercise calories.

I have read online that you should not go below your basal metabolic weight as otherwise it will slow down your metabolism. Mine is apparently 1583.

So my question is: should I be eating 1200 or 1583 calories?

And should I eat back exercise calories?

Thank you!

TimothyFish

The metabolic rate has little to do with weight loss and there's no reason to think that eating below BMR will slow it down anyway. There is a point, however, where your body starts consuming lean muscle mass rather than fat, so your BMR is reduced. At your weight, you should aim to have a calorie deficit of no more than 900 calories. So, 1,200 plus eating your exercise calories would probably be okay, but you can expect to be hungry doing that.

pinksparklefairy

Hi Timothy, thanks for your reply.

If metabolism has little to do with losing weight, why does this happen?

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/05/03/contestants-on-biggest-loser-regain-weight-due-to-damaged-metabolism-study-finds.html

jemhh

pinksparklefairy wrote: »

Hi Timothy, thanks for your reply.

If metabolism has little to do with losing weight, why does this happen?

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/05/03/contestants-on-biggest-loser-regain-weight-due-to-damaged-metabolism-study-finds.html

I would encourage you to lose weight in a healthy manner, as suggested by TimothyFish, and not get overly concerned about people who lost their weight in an extreme way.

kshama2001

pinksparklefairy wrote: »

Hello, I have been on my diet for almost a month and am very gradually losing weight. I am 170 cm tall and currently weigh 84.5 kg. I currently have 1200 calories a day and eat back all exercise calories.

I have read online that you should not go below your basal metabolic weight as otherwise it will slow down your metabolism. Mine is apparently 1583.

So my question is: should I be eating 1200 or 1583 calories?

And should I eat back exercise calories?

Thank you!

You're 186 pounds and 5'7"? You should definitely be eating more than 1200 calories - that's for women who are very short or old. You're only 38. You got 1200 calories because your weekly weight loss goal is too aggressive. Change it to a half pound per week or a pound a week and enjoy those extra calories.

Azdak

kshama2001 wrote: »

pinksparklefairy wrote: »

Hello, I have been on my diet for almost a month and am very gradually losing weight. I am 170 cm tall and currently weigh 84.5 kg. I currently have 1200 calories a day and eat back all exercise calories.

I have read online that you should not go below your basal metabolic weight as otherwise it will slow down your metabolism. Mine is apparently 1583.

So my question is: should I be eating 1200 or 1583 calories?

And should I eat back exercise calories?

Thank you!

You're 186 pounds and 5'7"? You should definitely be eating more than 1200 calories - that's for women who are very short or old. You're only 38. You got 1200 calories because your weekly weight loss goal is too aggressive. Change it to a half pound per week or a pound a week and enjoy those extra calories.

OP stated she is eating back all exercise calories--so she is eating more than 1200 calories/day. I suspect she is ending up in the 1500-1600 range, which is appropriate.

pinksparklefairy

I do not eat 1500 every day. Some days I do no exercise, so I stick to 1200 calories.

My weight loss goal on FP is 2.2 lbs a week. If this is "aggressive", shouldn't I be losing weight faster? I am not losing 2.2 lbs a week, this week my weight has not gone down at all. I am not feeling all that hungry either.

I am quite confused!

TimothyFish

pinksparklefairy wrote: »

Hi Timothy, thanks for your reply.

If metabolism has little to do with losing weight, why does this happen?

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/05/03/contestants-on-biggest-loser-regain-weight-due-to-damaged-metabolism-study-finds.html

A low BMR is the result of having less muscle than what is considered normal for a person of that weight. This happens when weight loss is too aggressive, but even with a low BMR a person who is eating at calorie deficit will lose weight the same as a person with a high BMR eating at a deficit. Either way, a person's metabolic rate is increased with exercise and a person's BMR can be increased with muscle building activities.