Accurate BMR

mmmichaelidis

I need To get an accurate BMR, I keep Getting different numbers to see what will my daily calories be but I don’t Know which BMR calculator is accurate.

psuLemon

Unless you get a metabolic test, you will only get an estimate. The ones that provide the closest estimate are the ones that include lean body mass.

wilson10102018

Every body is different. Get a number, count calories for gain, loss or maintenance and plot the results. That is the only way you will know. Unless of course, you want to get into some multi-million dollar lab equipment for a plethora of uninsured procedures.

AnnPT77

I'm hoping you know BMR (basal metabolic rate) estimates are just a starting point, and that we need activity calories for daily life and intentional exercise on top of that? Eating somewhat fewer than that total number of needed calories creates weight loss.

BMR becomes NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) once daily life (work, chores, etc.) calories are added, and TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) once intentional exercise calories are added on top of that. One set of differences in so-called "calculators" (really "estimators" ), is that some estimate NEAT, and others estimate TDEE. (MFP estimates NEAT, BTW.) Even the ones that estimate TDEE use different research-based estimating methods, so they'll vary a little in the estimates they give you.

Thing is, it doesn't matter that much, other than knowing whether you're working with a NEAT estimate (so need to estimate exercise separately and add it) or a TDEE estimate (includes exercise averaged over a normal week).

Whaaat??!!

Yup, doesn't really matter. You use the estimate as a starting point, log your eating carefully for 4-6 weeks (a full menstrual cycle at minimum for premenopausal women, so they can compare the same point in at least two different monthly cycles), and monitor your scale weight.

At the end of that time period, you look at your results. If the first week or two are wildly different from the later part of the time period, ignore the whacky weeks. (Sometimes water weight shifts in the early weeks produce weird results that aren't about fat loss.) Then, average the other weeks' loss. If you're losing as planned/expected, you're golden.

If you're losing slower than you'd like (but you still have room to lose faster and still get healthy, sustainable calories/nutrition), eat a little less. If you're losing too fast (which can increase health risks), then eat a little more. Keep monitoring and adjusting.

It shouldn't take most people much more than a couple of rounds of this "monitor and adjust" process to dial in their own personalized calorie-needs estimate.

Best wishes!

cwolfman13

mmmichaelidis wrote: »

I need To get an accurate BMR, I keep Getting different numbers to see what will my daily calories be but I don’t Know which BMR calculator is accurate.

Outside of getting a metabolic test done, everything is going to be an estimate. Keep in mind, your BMR is just the calories required to merely exist. You don't cut calories from BMR, you cut calories from TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). Even if you're sedentary, you are still doing more than merely existing.