Low BMR or underestimation of calories?

kalyandc

I rigorously logged my diet and weight for 130 days. MFP estimated 2200 as my maintenance calories and predicted a 0.7 kilo weight loss per week based on a 1500 calorie diet. But looking at the data from last 4 months I lost only 0.45 kilo per week. So what might be happening here, why such a difference of 250+ calories:

- Did MFP overestimate my BMR/maintenance calories?
- Did I underestimate the calories I was consuming?
- Was I gaining muscle?

Weight loss was quite linear over the 4 month period so it cant be due to non-linear weight loss. Some background info: starting weight 92 kg; BFP 30+; Height 172; Current weight 82 kg.

katnadreau

Are you using a digital food scale to weigh everything you put in your mouth? Pre packaged/individual serving foods as well. The serving size listed on the label is rarely the actual weight you are consuming. If not, start doing that right away. You can get food scales on Amazon for $10-$20 .

lynn_glenmont

kalyandc wrote: »

I rigorously logged my diet and weight for 130 days. MFP estimated 2200 as my maintenance calories and predicted a 0.7 kilo weight loss per week based on a 1500 calorie diet. But looking at the data from last 4 months I lost only 0.45 kilo per week. So what might be happening here, why such a difference of 250+ calories:

- Did MFP overestimate my BMR/maintenance calories?

This is a reasonable possibility, along with the possibility that you gave MFP misleading information in calculating your NEAT, such as saying you're active when you're only lightly active.

- Did I underestimate the calories I was consuming?

This is very common, and I would treat it as the most likely explanation, barring further information. Do you use a food scale for all of your solid food? Do you double check the entries you use to log your food against package labels and/or a database such as ndb.nal.usda.gov ?

- Was I gaining muscle?

Are you doing progressive resistance training? Are you a newbie lifter (or someone returning to lifting after a long time off)? Are you a young adult male? Are you obese? If so, you might be gaining some small amount of muscle, but I sincerely doubt that you've been consistently adding a quarter kilo (rough difference between predicted weight loss and actual loss) a week for four months at a deficit. Even if you are adding muscle, that would actually increase your energy deficit. (The energy deficit calculated to lose weight doesn't account for the extra energy used in adding muscle.) The likelihood of this accounting for any significant part of the discrepancy is extremely low. The likelihood of this accounting for all of the discrepancy is close to zero.

Weight loss was quite linear over the 4 month period so it cant be due to non-linear weight loss. Some background info: starting weight 92 kg; BFP 30+; Height 172; Current weight 82 kg.

sijomial

Your body is the best calculator and as you say you have linear weight loss then you have all the information you need - either to accept your current rate of loss or to manually adjust your calorie goal if you desire to.

I wouldn't be at all concerned where the discrepancy comes from and personally I wouldn't change anything such as food or exercise logging as you then lose all your valuable data and the resulting trend.

AnnPT77

You might want to read this, as background:

https://examine.com/nutrition/does-metabolism-vary-between-two-people/

Really. Read it. It's on point to your question, and insight producing.

Trust your results, especially since they're consistent results.

If you wish, you can probably move your daily calories-out by increasing your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), via the amount of movement in your daily life other than intentional exercise. Obviously, if you have time and inclination, you could also increase exercise.