Question regarding BMR

Jonesie1984
Jonesie1984 Posts: 612 Member
edited September 26 in Food and Nutrition
Without starting controversy if MFP gives me a BMR of 1509 does that mean that I should set my caloric intake no lower than 1509? I want to make sure that I'm achieving adequate nutrition and not putting my body in the dreaded starvation mode we hear so much about. Yes, I eat my exercise calories. Taso is my friend =)

Thanks in advance for your endless knowledge

Replies

  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    No, if you're trying to maintain, you would eat no lower than your BMR. To lose weight, you would eat 500 calories less than your BMR per day to lose 1 lb in a week. 500 x 7 = 3500 which is 1 lb. Make sense?
  • Jonesie1984
    Jonesie1984 Posts: 612 Member
    so basically I can't lose a pound a week cause I can't be less 500 cals without coming under 1200. Guess I just gotta learn patience. Thanks.
  • Andi_Mo
    Andi_Mo Posts: 243
    Hi my beautiful friend! I just recently went to a nutritionist who has been practicing for 25 years and she told me to stick with my BMR. I did a 'Bod Pod' body fat test and it gave me a BMR of 1800 (I'm tall and do Strength work) . She said don't go below or above that even if I exercise. There are so many different theories on this but I've been losing weight since then. Good luck and hope that helps :)
  • goddessofmath
    goddessofmath Posts: 39 Member
    Wait, my BMR is 1683, so to take off 500 a day would be below 1200 (as would 1000 per day to lose 2 per week), and I am plenty overweight, so how in the world does MFP use that to calculate what I should eat? *confused*
  • oddyogi
    oddyogi Posts: 1,816 Member
    No, if you're trying to maintain, you would eat no lower than your BMR. To lose weight, you would eat 500 calories less than your BMR per day to lose 1 lb in a week. 500 x 7 = 3500 which is 1 lb. Make sense?

    Wrong-- BMR is Basal Metabolic Rate, which means this is the amount of calories you would burn if you laid in bed all day. Normal people walk around and partake in other activities, so most people actually burn around 2000 everyday not including exercise (depends on your weight). 1509 would be a great calorie goal to have!
  • Naomi91
    Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
    No, if you're trying to maintain, you would eat no lower than your BMR. To lose weight, you would eat 500 calories less than your BMR per day to lose 1 lb in a week. 500 x 7 = 3500 which is 1 lb. Make sense?

    This is wrong. Dont listen to this.

    Your BMR is how much you burn in bed ALL DAY. No one does this :p you have to eat 500 less then your daily activity.

    Jonesie, It is safe to eat under your BMR :] you will not be going into starvation mode, your body will get the extra calories from your fat stores :] No worries and keep up the great work!
  • foxxybrown
    foxxybrown Posts: 838 Member
    MFP doesn't use your BMR to calculate your goals, it uses your caloric needs based on your activity level or your maintenance calories which is higher than your BMR.
  • Naomi91
    Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
    Wait, my BMR is 1683, so to take off 500 a day would be below 1200 (as would 1000 per day to lose 2 per week), and I am plenty overweight, so how in the world does MFP use that to calculate what I should eat? *confused*

    Nope its not from your BMR! Many people just spout out wrong information :p listen to what mfp says and you will get there :] Like i said in my above post, you go off of how many calories you burn from daily activity and BMR
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    No, if you're trying to maintain, you would eat no lower than your BMR. To lose weight, you would eat 500 calories less than your BMR per day to lose 1 lb in a week. 500 x 7 = 3500 which is 1 lb. Make sense?

    wrong wrong wrong, you will lose weight eating BMR calories. Maintenance and BMR is not the same. If you don't have much to lose you should not eat below BMR, if you have a lot to lose you can afford to eat below BMR
  • breezymom81
    breezymom81 Posts: 499 Member
    No, if you're trying to maintain, you would eat no lower than your BMR. To lose weight, you would eat 500 calories less than your BMR per day to lose 1 lb in a week. 500 x 7 = 3500 which is 1 lb. Make sense?

    Wrong-- BMR is Basal Metabolic Rate, which means this is the amount of calories you would burn if you laid in bed all day. Normal people walk around and partake in other activities, so most people actually burn around 2000 everyday not including exercise (depends on your weight). 1509 would be a great calorie goal to have!

    When we set our BMR on here it asked about your activity level. If you want more calories, be more active! If I want a big meal I work out extra hard. Make sure that you have your activity level right and play around some, make sure you eat what works for you!
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    Without starting controversy if MFP gives me a BMR of 1509 does that mean that I should set my caloric intake no lower than 1509? I want to make sure that I'm achieving adequate nutrition and not putting my body in the dreaded starvation mode we hear so much about. Yes, I eat my exercise calories. Taso is my friend =)

    Thanks in advance for your endless knowledge

    I haven't read the other responses - but you're probably going to get a lot of different answers to this question.

    My BMR is 1450ish. That is the amount my body would use if all I did was lay in bed all day. Since most people don't just lay in bed all day, you need more than that in order to continue with basic bodily functions, exercise and such.

    Eating below your BMR can send you into starvation mode because you aren't eating enough calories for your body to function properly. You need to eat enough that your body isn't going to worry about starving to death which makes it want to hold onto fat stores - just in case.

    I use my BMR as a starting point and go up from there. I found that MFP's recommendation in the 1700 range wasn't enough, so I upp'ed it to 1800 - which wasn't enough as I wasn't losing any weight. So, I upp'ed it again to 2000. I seem to be doing well at 2000, but according to the calculators I've found I SHOULD be eating closer to 2300 to maintain my weight. There are websites out there that will give you the formula based on your activity level as to what you need to lose, maintain or gain weight.
  • goddessofmath
    goddessofmath Posts: 39 Member
    Thanks for all the info. :) I think at one point i knew my BMR was if I laid in bed all day, and then I lost my mind somewhere along the way. ;-)
  • TerraGirl17
    TerraGirl17 Posts: 275 Member
    I agree with Andi_Mo, I would eat your BMR calories, I don't agree with eating 500 cals under your BMR for a couple of reasons. 1-my BMR is set at 1485/day if I were to eat 500 cals under this I would be eating 985 cals a day, a person my height and weight can not survive on 985 cals a day. and 2- I am working with a personal trainer and have seen great results (20lbs since Jan 1st 2011) and he has me set at 1800 calories a day whether I exercise or not. What does MFP want you to eat for calories?
  • Jonesie1984
    Jonesie1984 Posts: 612 Member
    @ Breezymom I am very active and it's not that I just want to eat more calories--I exercise upwards of five times a week and am comfortable with my caloric intact currently. My goal is for fitness and to achieve a healthy lifestyle. I am interested in doing what is best for me nutritionally.

    @MrsToes 1200 cals a day for 1.5 lb loss a week. I think I'll probably just settle at a happy medium around 1400 cals net for a couple of weeks to pilot
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