Why does my doctor care more about BMR than weight?

nancy10272004
nancy10272004 Posts: 277 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I see my doctor every month to check in on my general health and weight. This past month I lost 10 pounds (which he thinks is too much) but he was happier to see that my BMR went from 1598 to 1577. I was rushed and will probably send him an email asking him to explain why he is so completely fixated on this one number but to me, it doesn't mean anything.

I've read the posts here about BMR and I know what it is. I don't know why my doctor cares so much and made no recommendation about doing anything to change it except following MFP (which is dropping my calories for the day as I lose weight and exercise more).

Back to my original question: why does he care about this more than any other measurement?

Replies

  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Not sure about the US but here (uk) that's just what doctors and nurses use. My mum is obsessed with it :/

    IMO bf% is a better guide.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    he talked about your metabolic rate - from a prediction or measurement ?

    usually they talk about BMI perhaps he skipped that class.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Just curious, how is he measuring your BMR?

    Maybe he is using that number so that people don't become so fixated on the weight on the scale?
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    Yes, focusing on BMR makes no sense. And, while it's normal for your BMR to drop when you lose weight, a higher BMR is a good thing so not sure why he cares. It's very odd.
  • districtsoul
    districtsoul Posts: 6
    I think fat% is a much better thing to measure than weight let alone BMR. As you know, BMR is simply a result of your age, sex, and weight. So obviously as you lose weight, your BMR goes down. That's why in the MFP calorie tracker, your daily allowance of calories goes down as your weight goes down.

    What your doctor is doing doesn't make much sense to me.
  • nancy10272004
    nancy10272004 Posts: 277 Member
    He checks everything - weight, lean body mass, body fat mass, weight and BMR. We both agree that BMI isn't a measure we want to use because it's not reliable.

    He measures all of these using super fancy machines to I trust the results. I think that he's trying to get me to stop looking at weight and BMI because I'm in recovery from binge eating disorder. Maybe he's trying to distract me with a measure I'm less likely to fixate on.

    In any event, I'm losing weight and as long as I do, he can say whatever he wants and I'll take it or leave it.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Maybe he's trying to distract me with a measure I'm less likely to fixate on.

    In any event, I'm losing weight and as long as I do, he can say whatever he wants and I'll take it or leave it.

    That is what I thought might be going on.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    I see my doctor every month to check in on my general health and weight. This past month I lost 10 pounds (which he thinks is too much) but he was happier to see that my BMR went from 1598 to 1577. I was rushed and will probably send him an email asking him to explain why he is so completely fixated on this one number but to me, it doesn't mean anything.

    I've read the posts here about BMR and I know what it is. I don't know why my doctor cares so much and made no recommendation about doing anything to change it except following MFP (which is dropping my calories for the day as I lose weight and exercise more).

    Back to my original question: why does he care about this more than any other measurement?
    BMR is directly related to someone's weight, lean mass and physical activity level. At the same height, a person with more lean mass who weighs exactly as someone who has more fat mass and is sedentary, will have a higher BMR.
    If he's comparing your previous BMR to your current BMR, the lower number indicates that you're more than likely losing mass from your body. Don't know why the doctor is focusing on BMR though. Body fat % would be a much better indicator.

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