carey, it gives you a calculation based on the weight loss goal you entered. 1. depending on your height and weight and activity level, it calculates the basic metabolic energy expenditure. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator if you eat that calories everyday, you will maintain your weight. 2. then depending on the weight loss goal, it will calculate how much less calories you need to eat (without exercise) to loose weight. for every pound weight loss, you need to be 3500 calories less that your BMR. so if it calculated your BMR to be 1400 calories, you spend 1400 x 7 = 9800 cals/week. if you want to loose 1 pound per week, you will have to eat 9800 -3500 = 6300 cals /week or 900 cals/day. but mfp will give you a calorie goal of 1200 as anything less than that is considered unhealthy and catabolic. best thing to do i suppose is to calculate your BMR and then stay withing that calories and then exercise (cardio) to burn some calories for weight loss. hope this helps
So its telling me to eat 1200 calories/day is this right...Ive read different post that its not enough..Im soo confused. Im 184lbs..5'5" and my goal weight for now is 160. And this whole BMR TDEE Im lost!! Help!
I always tell people to eat as much as they can while still losing weight/body fat. Everyone has their own bio-individuality, so the # is different for everyone. If you can eat more, please do so. This will also help down the road by giving you more room to make adjustments down the road if you hit a plateau. Allan
carey, it gives you a calculation based on the weight loss goal you entered. 1. depending on your height and weight and activity level, it calculates the basic metabolic energy expenditure. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator if you eat that calories everyday, you will maintain your weight. 2. then depending on the weight loss goal, it will calculate how much less calories you need to eat (without exercise) to loose weight. for every pound weight loss, you need to be 3500 calories less that your BMR. so if it calculated your BMR to be 1400 calories, you spend 1400 x 7 = 9800 cals/week. if you want to loose 1 pound per week, you will have to eat 9800 -3500 = 6300 cals /week or 900 cals/day. but mfp will give you a calorie goal of 1200 as anything less than that is considered unhealthy and catabolic. best thing to do i suppose is to calculate your BMR and then stay withing that calories and then exercise (cardio) to burn some calories for weight loss. hope this helps You are confusing BMR with TDEE. Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is your maintenance number - it's the number of calories you burn in an average day, at your current weight, going about your normal business. Your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the amount of calories your body requires to optimally support your vital organs and basic functions at your current weight if you were in a coma or otherwise incapacitated or physically inactive. Particularly if you have a small amount of weight to lose, you should eat between your BMR and TDEE to lose fat and maintain muscle mass. But you are correct that MFP simply assigns a calorie goal based on the information you give it. It will never assign a calorie goal fewer than 1200 calories for liability reasons. If you want to lose 20 - 25 pounds, you should only aim to lose about 1 lb a week. If you currently have your weekly weight loss goal set higher than 1 lb, lowering it may change your daily calorie goal to a higher number. Keep in mind that if you've added exercise to your normal daily life, you are meant to eat those exercise calories back as well.
Trooty, if all you need to lose is 1 stone, set your goal to 0.5 lb per week. You simply don't have enough fat mass to lose 2 lbs per week-that's for persons with 80+ lbs to lose.
