Confused about BMR

elephant2mouse
elephant2mouse Posts: 906 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Via MFP calculator:
Your estimated BMR is: 1,733 calories/day*

But it wants me to eat 1450 cals/day
I upped it manually to 1690 so it's closer to my BMR last night... but I don't want to screw things up...

Ideally I'd like to lose 2lbs/week as I still have about 80 lbs to go.
I'm pretty sedentary. I'm a stay at home mom, so I rarely leave my house. I try to get in 20-30 minutes of exercise a day, usually my stationary bike or a hasfit low impact youtube video.


Okay my question ... Am I supposed to eat around 1700 cals a day to lose weight or the recommended 1450 by mfp? I don't want my metabolism to slow down on me, and I haven't dropped any weight in about a month. I'll drop for like one day then gain it all back again the next day. I know it's not a true loss (probably water weight) but it's frustrating...

I've also read that the BMR can be off by as much as 800 cals. :/

I'm just confused...

Replies

  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    Okay my question ... Am I supposed to eat around 1700 cals a day to lose weight or the recommended 1450 by mfp?

    It depends
  • elephant2mouse
    elephant2mouse Posts: 906 Member
    Okay my question ... Am I supposed to eat around 1700 cals a day to lose weight or the recommended 1450 by mfp?

    It depends

    Depends on what? Lol
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    MFP gave you the calories to eat based on your data entered...weekly weight loss goal and activity level.

    With 80lbs to lose you maybe should change that weekly goal to 1.5lbs...as 2lbs is the rate for those with 100lbs or more.

    To lose weight eat the recommened amount given by MFP...it has a built in deficet based on goals.

    If you exercise eat 50-75% of those calories back.
  • wjstoj
    wjstoj Posts: 884 Member
    BMR approximates the amount of calories you burn just through living and assumes you are sedentary.

    To lose weight you have to eat less than you burn,and by doing NOTHING you burn approx. 1733 (changes as your body changes)

    To lose 2 pound a week you need to have a deficit of about 1,000 calorie/day. Therefore, if you are sedentary and burn 1733, you'd consume only 733/day...not easy for any period of time.

    However, one hour of moderate exercise a day should give you about 600 "extra" calories to work with, and gets you closer to the 1450 recommended by MFP.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    BMR approximates the amount of calories you burn just through living and assumes you are sedentary.

    To lose weight you have to eat less than you burn,and by doing NOTHING you burn approx. 1733 (changes as your body changes)

    To lose 2 pound a week you need to have a deficit of about 1,000 calorie/day. Therefore, if you are sedentary and burn 1733, you'd consume only 733/day...not easy for any period of time.

    However, one hour of moderate exercise a day should give you about 600 "extra" calories to work with, and gets you closer to the 1450 recommended by MFP.

    You're completely neglecting the fact that you burn calories just living your daily life with no exercise whatsoever. Your basal calories aren't for sedentary...they are the calories you would burn in a coma just being alive. Even truly sedentary individuals will burn a few hundred more calories than BMR.

    As to the OP, the only way your BMR calories are 800 calories off is if yo have some kind of medical condition. They are going to be in the ball park with any of these calculators if you fall into the statistical averages of your stats. MFP is giving you your calorie goal based on your activity level, age, stats, lot race goals, etc...you are still required to use your brain...there is not warning siren that goes off on MFP when you dip below BMR.

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