BMR vs. Suggested Cal Intake?

theperfectratio

Hi! Quick questions concerning BMR vs Actual Calorie Intake.

My BMR = 1525
MFP Suggested Net Cal Intake = 1200

Questions:

1) Hypothetically if I don't exercise and just eat 1200 cals/day, is this screwing over my body by consuming less than my BMR?

2) If I am working out, if I'm burning 200-400 cals per day and eating ~1400-1600 consistently, again is this screwing over my body because my NET cals are 1200 and thus under my BMR?

HowardRose

The difference between your BMR and you intake is the deficit you need to loose weight.

willimh

Very good question. Should we be eating our BMR?

papa5280

So, if you consume at your BMR, and don't exercise, you theoretically will maintain your weight.

The 1200 target is to lose. Exercise increases the net calories that you burn.

xxrouguexx

i wouldn't pay any mind to the bmr calories unless all you do is loaf around the house all day. And if your exercising, you don't have to eat the calories you burned, if you do that, you won't gain weight but you won't lose any either. Just follow your daily calorie goal for best results.

lausa22

So, if you consume at your BMR, and don't exercise, you theoretically will maintain your weight.

The 1200 target is to lose. Exercise increases the net calories that you burn.

This

papa5280

Very good question. Should we be eating our BMR?

Yes, if your goal is to maintain your weight. if you want to lose, you need to eat below your BMR. Every 3500 calories below your BMR = 1 pound. So, 500 cals per day below your BMR = 1 pound per week.

girlinahat

So, if you consume at your BMR, and don't exercise, you theoretically will maintain your weight.

The 1200 target is to lose. Exercise increases the net calories that you burn.

No. If you eat your BMR and do no exercise except normal living you will lose weight because you are still eating below the amount your body needs to maintain you.

Only eat LESS than your BMR if you are very obese.

girlinahat

Very good question. Should we be eating our BMR?

Yes. Unless you are seriously obese in which case it may be okay.

theperfectratio

Ahhhhhh conflicting opinions! So which is it...eating BMR = maintaining, or eating BMR = healthy weight loss (combined w/exercise)?

For context, I'm on the lower end of 'overweight' according to the BMI count (~25.3), so I'm not obese. I work out ~3-5 times a week and I HAVE been losing but I've also been eating sort of erratically (one day 1200, one day 1500, etc etc). I'm trying to figure out EXACTLY where I should be targeting in terms of intake...I dont' want to overeat, but I don't want to undereat either! >_<

girlinahat

BMR = what your body needs to survive if you are say, sleeping and bedridden all day. You need to multiply that by an activity level to find out your TDEE - ie the amount your body needs for you to get through a normal day, so for me, being mostly sedentary, I multiply my BMR (1252) by 1.2 to get my daily maintenance cals (1502). to lose weight I need to eat less than 1502, but no less that 1252.

It sounds like you should do something similar. Oh, and that should really be net calories.

girlinahat

Ps. I'm constantly amazed how people fail to know the difference between BMR and maintenance

SRH7

This website is posted on another forum: http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

Shows you your BMR and what you actually burn off by your usual daily activity. Anything less than the higher amount puts you in deficit.

It has persuaded me to increase my calories up to my BMR (1500). Haven't lost anything for ages despite staying at the MFP recommendation of 1200 calories. Will see in a week's time if my lack of weight loss is due to my body going into a bit of a panic and starvation mode.

theperfectratio

BMR = what your body needs to survive if you are say, sleeping and bedridden all day. You need to multiply that by an activity level to find out your TDEE - ie the amount your body needs for you to get through a normal day, so for me, being mostly sedentary, I multiply my BMR (1252) by 1.2 to get my daily maintenance cals (1502). to lose weight I need to eat less than 1502, but no less that 1252.

It sounds like you should do something similar. Oh, and that should really be net calories.

Damnit pressed enter before I even typed anything...

Anyway, let me see if I have this right. So to calculate how much I need to MAINTAIN, I take 1525 * 1.2 (I'm also sedentary). Then I want to make sure I eat LESS than that in NET calories every day. So 1200 net cals is perfectly fine....yay!

tigersword

There is no actual scientific study that shows eating under your BMR is harmful.

Your BMR (actually what most online sites, including this one, calculate is RMR, not BMR, but that's mostly semantics) is the amount of calories your body burns in 24 hours of being comatose, or laying in bed and not moving. As soon as you get out of bed and start moving, you are burning more calories than your BMR (it's called your TDEE, Total Daily Energy Expenditure.) To maintain weight, you need to eat or TDEE, or "maintenance calories." Eating your BMR will cause you to lose weight. Eating below your BMR is fine and depending on how much weight you have to lose, you probably will be for quite a while. Keep in mind also that BMR and TDEE are not static numbers, they change as you lose weight. Your BMR and TDEE constantly drop, since you have less weight to support, you need to eat less calories.

theperfectratio

Okay great, this is really helpful as well. It also helps make the MFP suggested net intake more logical (I was wondering why they would tell me to eat under my BMR if it was unhealthy to do). Thanks everyone!

_GlaDOS_

1) Hypothetically if I don't exercise and just eat 1200 cals/day, is this screwing over my body by consuming less than my BMR?

Yes. You will "screw over your body". Been there. Your BMR is the amount of calories you would need to basically lay in bed all day and do nothing. You should eat this amount, but probably more, since I assume you at least get up and move around during the day-- go to work, school, etc.

2) If I am working out, if I'm burning 200-400 cals per day and eating ~1400-1600 consistently, again is this screwing over my body because my NET cals are 1200 and thus under my BMR?

Yes. If you want to just try initially eating your BMR amount, make this number your net. Then increase gradually. If you exercise and start eating more, as well as more often, you will start to feel hungrier and will be able to eat more, as you should.

theperfectratio

Hmmmmm...took a look at a link someone else posted earlier (http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced) and the site says this:

This can be a helpful tool for weight loss as it allows you to estimate the amount of calories that represents your energy balance. If you eat less than this, you will lose weight.

It seems to suggest that eating BELOW your BMR is the way to go.

brandy1castillo

bump

_GlaDOS_

Hmmmmm...took a look at a link someone else posted earlier (http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced) and the site says this:

This can be a helpful tool for weight loss as it allows you to estimate the amount of calories that represents your energy balance. If you eat less than this, you will lose weight.

It seems to suggest that eating BELOW your BMR is the way to go.

No, eating less than your total energy expenditure (the second and higher number) is the way to go.

SRH7

Hmmmmm...took a look at a link someone else posted earlier (http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced) and the site says this:

This can be a helpful tool for weight loss as it allows you to estimate the amount of calories that represents your energy balance. If you eat less than this, you will lose weight.

It seems to suggest that eating BELOW your BMR is the way to go.

The website isn't very clear but I'm pretty certain it means if you eat less than your total energy expenditure (the higher figure on the calculation) rather than the lower figure (your BMR).

theperfectratio

No, eating less than your total energy expenditure (the second and higher number) is the way to go.

Ooohhhhh. Hm. So then is the website's suggested weight loss cal target BETWEEN the BMR # and the # under it?

tigersword

Hmmmmm...took a look at a link someone else posted earlier (http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced) and the site says this:

This can be a helpful tool for weight loss as it allows you to estimate the amount of calories that represents your energy balance. If you eat less than this, you will lose weight.

It seems to suggest that eating BELOW your BMR is the way to go.

No, eating less than your total energy expenditure (the second and higher number) is the way to go.

Depending on how much weight you have to lose, you will probably start out eating under both. Losing 2 pounds a week is a 1000 calorie a day deficit, and I know very few people who have a 1000 calorie or more difference between their BMR and TDEE (more active people will, but that's not a majority of people who have a large amount of weight to lose.) Again, there is no scientific study I've found that has shown eating under your BMR to be harmful. Eating under 1050 calories is harmful, but eating under your BMR is not.

_GlaDOS_

No, eating less than your total energy expenditure (the second and higher number) is the way to go.

Ooohhhhh. Hm. So then is the website's suggested weight loss cal target BETWEEN the BMR # and the # under it?

Yes, and a 500 calorie deficit is what is generally recommended, but depends I suppose on the difference between your BMR and TEE. It could also depend on the intensity and type of exercise you do. I would start out with a 500 calorie deficit for a few weeks if your numbers allow you to, and then adjust as you go.

bentobee

You should never eat below your BMR. A good rule of thumb is to multiply your BMR by 1.2 (that's 20% over BMR) for the minimum number or calories to eat.

Take a listen to the fat2fitradio podcasts. Very good, solid, info on losing weight and keeping it off.

_Sally_

No, eating less than your total energy expenditure (the second and higher number) is the way to go.

Ooohhhhh. Hm. So then is the website's suggested weight loss cal target BETWEEN the BMR # and the # under it?

Here, I'll make it simple for you.

Go to www.fat2fitradio.com. Use their free BMR tool. This will calculate the calories you should eat to reach your target weight goal.

They recommend losing weight slowly and permanently by eating a moderate calorie deficit and their calculators will guide you to eat the maintenance calories of your target weight (that way, once you lose the weight, there is not big transition from significant calorie deficit to maintenance)

I believe the calorie minimimum they recommend is BMR * 1.2.

(note - I've used this calculator and use the "sedentary" activity level and add back in my exercise calories and eat them back, since I use a HRM which I think is pretty reliable).

Good luck!

theperfectratio

Here, I'll make it simple for you.

Go to www.fat2fitradio.com. Use their free BMR tool. This will calculate the calories you should eat to reach your target weight goal.

They recommend losing weight slowly and permanently by eating a moderate calorie deficit and their calculators will guide you to eat the maintenance calories of your target weight (that way, once you lose the weight, there is not big transition from significant calorie deficit to maintenance)

I believe the calorie minimimum they recommend is BMR * 1.2.

(note - I've used this calculator and use the "sedentary" activity level and add back in my exercise calories and eat them back, since I use a HRM which I think is pretty reliable).

Good luck!

Thanks for the info. I'm only really confused because there seems to be a huge amount of dissent on these forums--50/50 on people saying 'eat at BMR' and those saying 'eat under BMR'. I'm also curious as to why MFP would tell me to eat a net of 1200 cals a day if my BMR is 1525 (and thus I should be eating 1525*1.2 to lose healthily, according to your train of thought). It seems a little strange, given that MFP is pretty 'lose it healthily' focused. I'll check out the calculator though. Thank you!

Riverofbeauty

Bump

Useful post, with a lot of interesting links/info!

reddcat

Bump

theperfectratio

the fat2fit calculator is telling me to eat 2000-2250 calories per day if I exercise 1-3 or 3-5 days a week? That seems high...Am I just succumbing to the "eat less, weigh less" mentality? >_<

smilebhappy

Bump

Useful post, with a lot of interesting links/info!