BMR vs BMI

treasurep

Somewhere I was told that 1200 calories was a good amount for a day I'm not exercising. Then I read on here about BMR and I punched in my numbers and it said I needed 1675 calories a day. (not including my exercise calories)....That seems like a whole lot of calories. I'm new to this whole weight loss "stuff" and I have no clue what is right amount of calories. Can anyone help? Is there any help for me? ....LOL...Just kidding. Honestly, I'm now lost now that I see 1675 calories needed to be eaten to maintain my weight. Could this be why I've only lost 2 pounds in the last month and have been working out 4 days a week? HELP!!!

foxxybrown

1675 would be to maintain. You're trying to lose right? Then you need a deficit. MFP will only go as low as 1200.

jheller

what did you put in for your weight loss per week? and what did you say your activity level is? those will affect what it tells you on how many calories you should consume.

treasurep

I put 1 1/2 to 2 lbs a week as my goal. I've been going to the gym almost 4 times a week then bowling once a week and some walking. (My profile is open). I've always heard 1 to 2 pounds is a reasonable rate to loose, and I know it sometimes takes a while, but I'm afraid I'm sabatoging my progress by not eating enough.

jennylynn84

Your BMR is actually the calories your body would use just doing basic bodily functions if you stayed in bed all day. Your actual caloric needs are probably higher than that. Depending on what you entered in for your activity level, there is a different mathematic equation to figure out what you'd need to get through your typical day (including going to work, or doing whatever else would make you categorize your day as "sedentary," "active," or whatever).

One example for calculating caloric needs:

Harris Benedict Formula
To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9


It is from the final number here that MFP gets what you should eat per day. It builds in a deficit for you, based on how much you want to lose (I think it is 500 calories of deficit per day per pound you want to lose each week - so 500 calorie deficit for 1 lb a week loss) so that you are eating LESS than this number. Because this final number is roughly what you would need to eat to maintain.

Make sense?

That's why it is recommended to eat back your exercise calories because a deficit is built in.

I did discover at one point that I could no longer lose 2 lbs a week on this formula. Because MFP cut me off at a minimum of 1200 and I needed less than that to maintain a 1,000 calorie deficit. So I upped my calories and - BAM! - more weight loss. So it's something you can play around with a little to see what works best for you and your body.

stroutman81

Ditto the above post.

Also, you might consider checking out the article I wrote in my MFP blog titled, "The Importance (or lack of) of Pin-Pointing the Exact Calorie Intake."

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/stroutman81/view/the-importance-or-lack-of-of-pin-pointing-the-exact-caloric-intake-19622

jennylynn84

Ditto the above post.

Also, you might consider checking out the article I wrote in my MFP blog titled, "The Importance (or lack of) of Pin-Pointing the Exact Calorie Intake."

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/stroutman81/view/the-importance-or-lack-of-of-pin-pointing-the-exact-caloric-intake-19622

LOL. Didn't even read the blog yet, but the title itself is totally right. I went over on my calorie goal yesterday by 30 calories. Guess who weighed in at almost 1 lb lighter this morning? The BMR, exercise calorie burn, the math for your activity level (which is a general description anyway, because your lightly active might not be what I consider lightly active) are all guestimates anyway, because every body functions a little differently. Trying to pinpoint it exactly could make you completely barking mad.

As long as you're making healthy changes, like getting active, eating veggies, watching fat and other crap, your body will likely reward you. Whether or not you've crunched some EXACT numbers.