I eat above my BMR but my net is below BMR is that ok?

leia_ophelia

I am eating around 1200 cal/day which is my BMR. My daily calories with normal activity is 1500 cal/day. But i started exercising and burn 300 calories a day from exercise and still stick to a 1200 cal/day diet. This gives me a net of 900 cal/day. is this safe?
MFP only gives me warning when my intake is less than 1200 calories, and not when my net is less than 1200 calories
Does that mean it is OK to have a net calorie per day less than your BMR?

joehempel

I'm of the distinct thought that if you want to lose weight, you need to burn more than you take in...as long as you are eating every couple hours, I don't think it'll matter.

I'm ALWAYS below, and I've always lost weight, and had energy, etc...as long as you eat every couple hours, you will continue to fuel your body throughout the day...think of it like a gas tank....you fill it up in the morning with breakfast...you go throughout the day, the tank gets lower, so you eat, putting more gas in your body, giving you more energy etc.

It's worked for me, I'm a pretty firm believer that starvation mode is a myth if you are eating right.

lovelyiskey

Being under is fine, but not eating 500 calories is a lot to miss out on in a day. Remember your body needs fuel. If you want to burn fat, you need to build muscle and to do that you need to eat after a hard workout and throughout the day because it is feeding those muscles. listen to your body, if it's crying out for food(not "cravings") you probably need to feed it.

rileysowner

Since your BMR is quite low, I would think it is ok. 1200 as a minimum for women, while it is generally true, will in some cases not be the minimum for some due to their small size. Having said that 900 a day Net still seems quite small. The key to long term maintainable weight loss is a moderate deficit. At this point, based on the numbers you have given, you are running a 600 calorie a day deficit. That is not a huge deficit, especially if you have a lot to lose. It translates into about 1.2 pounds lost a week. In the long run you may have to increase the amount you eat to keep losing and to provide the fuel your body needs. At this point, I am guessing you are fine especially if you are eating nutritious vitamin rich food. Whether you eat that 3 times a day or 6 makes no difference by the way except in so far as for some people it helps them control their appetite. For me 6 times a day eating leaves me constantly hungry and I will end up eating more than my calorie budget. I only feel satisfied if I can have a nice big meal. So I do that in 3 meals that fit within my calories.