Calorie deficit?

Eve53

I just finished reading this article, and I may be dumb but I'm still confused. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/173853-an-objective-look-at-eating-exercise-calories

My BMR is around 1900.
MFP recommends I get about 1800 a day.
Is a 100 calorie deficit really enough to get 2 pounds a week off? This doesn't seem right, please someone help me understand it!

h0taru

The BMR is the minimum you need to eat every day to respect your body's needs. It is very important to respect it. It corresponds to what your body will burn if you stay in your bed all time.

In real, your body will consume much more than that. For example, 3000 calories per day.

If MFP recommends 1800, you need to eat at least 1900 calories per day, and doing some exercice to loose at least 100 calories.

MikeM53082

Your BMR might be 1900, but you'll burn a lot of calories just doing everyday stuff, like walking around and lifting things. So keep that in mind too.

Eve53

I'm just having such a hard time getting even 1800 calories, and then to get even more than that when I work out seems impossible. I'm eating too much. Why am I eating so much more now that I'm trying to lose weight than I was when I was just fat?

wolfchild59

BMR is what your body would burn if you just lay in bed all day and never once got up. Just walking around and doing normal daily activities then increases the amount you burn in a day.

For example, my BMR is around 1450-1500. But on an average day of normal work, errands and evening TV watching, I burn about 1850-1900 calories.

When I workout, I then burn those additional calories as well.

So, trying to keep my deficit around 250-500, on non-workout days I eat around 1500-1600 calories and then on workout days I eat based on what I burn during my workout.

rustypust

Your BMR is calculated taking into consideration your age, weight and height for example I am 46 and 154lb so my BMR has been calculated at 1200 calories per day which I will burn doing nothing. I may burn 700 calories in the gym alone without my daily activities, I must eat the 1200 calories minimum to keep my body healthy as long as I get a deficit of minimum 500 per day taking into consideration the calories I have burned in the gym for example, I will lose a 1lb per week. Does that make a bit more sense? you need to take into consideration the amount of fat and sugar you eat as well.

wolfchild59

Oh, and it probably feels like you are eating more than you were before because you are eating healthier, lower calorie foods. Before MFP I would only eat one or two meals a day because I just simply didn't remember to eat. But those one or two meals were usually from a restaurant and/or fast food place so I was packing in 1,000-2,000 per meal. Plus mindless snacking through the day that I, again, just never consciously thought about.

Now I eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert/post workout protein rebuild plus typically three to four additional snacks through the day (prior to dinner). So I feel like I am constantly eating all day long. But yet I still often struggle with making sure I'm getting enough calories to keep my deficit where I want it to be.

agthorn

If your BMR is 1900, then your daily requirement to maintain your current weight is *at least* 2375 (if you put in sedentary as your activity level outside of exercise). So at 1800 you would have a 575 calorie/day deficit, or about 1.2 pounds a week.

SoCalSwimmerDude

Here's my real life example. I'm 6ft male. My BMR is 1790. I'm currently eating at maintenance which is 2220 cals. If I don't eat my exercise cals back, I lose about 1-2 pounds every 1-2 weeks.

I"ve been on here 120 days and have followed the MFP guidelines from when I was 1310 cals a day until now at 2220 cals a day. So far, it has worked perfectly as intended and I typically eat my exercise cals back (not always, but usually). Oh, and I know that it seems like alot of food, but good whole foods are typically calorific. So instead of eating "diet" foods, eat whole foods: avacado's, flax/olive oil, oatmeal (or any rolled oat variation), beans, yogurt, nuts, etc. It will be less overall food in terms of mass, but really really good for you and get you the cals you need. Feel free to get in a protein shake as well.

So give it a shot and see what happens. If it doesn't work, then adjust. Good luck!