MFP suggested I eat 1320 to loose weight.. BUT..

TaraTLC83

MFP also tells me my BMR is 1643.

I increased my original 1320 to 1470.. but is that enough?

I am now officially confused. If I have to eat 1643 to keep my heart beating/etc, then why does MFP tell me to eat 1320?

Should I eat 1320 to loose weight? Or 1643? I'm just all around confused.

Thanks!

elfranzen

My BMR is like 1800 and I eat 1470 cal a day so eat the 1320. you want to burn more then you take in.

Forensic

Go with the 1320.

The idea is to burn more than you intake.

If you're intaking 1320 and burning 1643 that means you're 323 down for the day, 2261 for the week (not counting any activity level you adding in on top). The calories your body needs it will take from metabolizing fat, which is the idea.

Eating 1643 would be no deficit, thus maintaining your weight (assuming you did NOTHING else).

hedleyrocks247

What is your goal per week set at?!?! If it's set to lose 2 pounds a week then mFP is taking 1000 calories off of your "calories to maintain" total - so this is probably what's going on.

psuLemon

MFP also tells me my BMR is 1643.

I increased my original 1320 to 1470.. but is that enough?

I am now officially confused. If I have to eat 1643 to keep my heart beating/etc, then why does MFP tell me to eat 1320?

Should I eat 1320 to loose weight? Or 1643? I'm just all around confused.

Thanks!

You can theoretically eat below your BMR if your aren't exercising. BMR isn't the amount of calories you need to survive, but rather the amount of calories you would burn if you slept for 24 hours. Keep in mind though, BMR is only a part of the equation. You need to multiply BMR by your total daily energy expended factor (the amount of calories you burn throughout the day, including lifestyle and exercise). TDEE is also considered your maintanence calories. To get weight loss, you then factor in a 250, 500 , 750 or 1000 calorie deficit based on your current weight. So if you BMR is 1643 and you work behind a desk and don't work out, your TDEE is 1643 x 1.2 (sedentary) = 1971. And if you were going for weight loss (less say a pound a week), your caloric needs is 1471.

DarkOctoberNight

What's BMR and how do you figure it out?

84jeepster

hey there...your body should burn 1643 without any exercise. To lose weight you need to consume less than that number. 1320 woul dgive you a deficit each day of 323cals or around 2100/week. This should give you a weight loss of about 1-2 pounds per week. Is that what you entered as your goal?

psuLemon

Go with the 1320.

The idea is to burn more than you intake.

If you're intaking 1320 and burning 1643 that means you're 323 down for the day, 2261 for the week (not counting any activity level you adding in on top). The calories your body needs it will take from metabolizing fat, which is the idea.

Eating 1643 would be no deficit, thus maintaining your weight (assuming you did NOTHING else).

Unfortunately, this isn't correct.. BMR doesn't include any type of enery expended throughout the day. Even if you work behind a desk, you still have to multiply your BMR by 1.2 to get your TDEE. Now if you doa lot of walking/housework, etc.. you need to be lightly active which makes your multiplier 1.375. And then you add in exercise calories, which makes it more. Then you take the deficit.

hedleyrocks247

What's BMR and how do you figure it out?

Click on Tools up in the tabs - my home, food, excersise, reports, tools, community - there is a BMR calculator in there

psuLemon

What's BMR and how do you figure it out?

here is some literature

http://www.shapefit.com/basal-metabolic-rate.html

Forensic

What's BMR and how do you figure it out?

BMR is the calories your body uses if you laid in bed and did absolutely nothing all day.

There's a calculator under 'Tools'

aippolito1

No no, your BMR is what you burn doing absolutely nothing. That's not taking into consideration your activity level or exercise. What MFP has you eating is fine. BMR is if you were to lay in bed all day... your TDEE (total daily expenditure something?) is what you burn day-to-day based on your activity level... so technically you should be eating 500 calories per day LESS than your TDEE to lose 1 lb per week.

healthyliving_girl

When I first started on MFP, I think it also suggested about 1300 calories. There was no way I could eat that little.

So, I found this website: http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calculators/calories-required/

And it had suggested a bit more calories for the day. Thank goodness.

So I logged in 1650 calories for the day.

Even with the amount of calories I eat (it seems like a lot), I have lost almost 16 lbs.

I'm not in a rush, so I'll take the extra 300 calories a day. hahaha.

I also eat back my exercise calories....and truth be told, I burn between 300-500 calories just so I can eat the 2000 calories a day. HAHAHAA.

mialsya

MFP also tells me my BMR is 1643.

I increased my original 1320 to 1470.. but is that enough?

I am now officially confused. If I have to eat 1643 to keep my heart beating/etc, then why does MFP tell me to eat 1320?

Should I eat 1320 to loose weight? Or 1643? I'm just all around confused.

Thanks!

I bought and started using a BodyMedia Fit and I'll tell you that, for me, the calorie counts on here are WAY off. My calculated BMR is somewhere in the 1800s and it told me to set my calories at 1520. I have a really low resting heart rate so I have to work harder to get a higher heart rate that's quoted as being fat-burning and cardio levels. Yesterday I burned 2750 calories and only did a half workout at the gym (30 minutes half-assed). The day before, I burned 3075 with doing my 5K training and walking around campus. I have been basing my calories consumed on my calories burned and trying to keep a minimum calorie deficit at 1,000. Having this information is invaluable to me. I was starting to get into a bit of a plateau and was working my butt off to lose weight and the scale was stalling. No website or calculator can tell you your true calorie output. We all burn calories differently.

lee3978

I'm confused. My BMR is 1340-1440 depending on which principle and MFP. Do I eat back any of my exercise calories? I've read conflicting info or always keep it my BMR? If I want to lose weight I need to subtract calories even if I'm working out???? Someone help lol. What is my FINAL number for the day?

TaraTLC83

Thanks for explaining it to me everyone, it's an awesome help. I will readjust the calories back down to 1320.


p.s. Don't look at my diary for today, I ate awful! LOL

alananicole1811

I don't know Tara, 1300 is too low for you. You're running around non stop all day. Your dr told you 1300 was far too few calories for you and told you to increase your caloric intake. I'd tend to listen to a physician.

84jeepster

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

psuLemon

I'm confused. My BMR is 1340-1440 depending on which principle and MFP. Do I eat back any of my exercise calories? I've read conflicting info or always keep it my BMR? If I want to lose weight I need to subtract calories even if I'm working out???? Someone help lol. What is my FINAL number for the day?

Well there are a couple of approaches you can take. First, you have to determine what your daily lifestyle is considered. Do you sit behind a desk or do you have a job where you are fairly active? If you sit behind a job, take 1400 and multiply that by 1.2. If you walk a lot then multiply it by 1.375 (lightly active).

Now, that is your baseline. Here are the two approaches from there. You can either increase your TDEE based upon your exercise schedule or you can just eat back your exercise calories. I am considered sedentary (as I worked behind a desk) but I workout 6 days a week. So instead of being sedentary, I am considered moderately active (multiply my BMR by 1.55). Using this strategy, I don't eat back my exercise calories as it's factored into my TDEE. The other option is use yoru baseline and eat back some of your exercise calories.

So if you have a sedentary lifestyle:

BMR = 1400
TDEE multiplier = 1.2
TDEE = 1680

This means, you should aim for 1680 calories if you don't want to lose weight. If you are 20-50 lbs to lose, then you can lose 1 lb per week as a goal. So what you do is subtract 500 calories. Which puts you at 1180 calories, but we want to round up to 1200 because that should be the minimal you ever eat.

now if you workout and burn 500 calories, you should actually increase your calories to 1700 to make up for the lose. By doing this, you still have a 500 calorie deficit and you are getting all the nutrients your body needs. Now if you workout 5 days a week for an hour, I find it easier to just increase your TDEE instead of worrying about exercise calories..

so I do:
BMR = 1400
TDEE =1.55
TDEE Calories = 2170
Deficit = (500)
Caloric needs = 1670

With the second method, you eat the same calories each day. Even on days you don't work out. It will net you the same results of the first one but you aren't scrambling to get calories post workout. I have done this to take my body fat from 18% to 12% (measurement as of 90 days ago, remeasuring tonight). It works. I kwow it does because I have used this with a lot of peopel with all the same success.

Hope this helps.

psuLemon

Thanks for explaining it to me everyone, it's an awesome help. I will readjust the calories back down to 1320.


p.s. Don't look at my diary for today, I ate awful! LOL

You aren't supposed to set your profile based on your BMR. You need to factor in your TDEE multiplier and a calorie deficit. If you want, send me a message and I can figure this out for you.

lee3978

THANK YOU PSULEMON! You get the MFP good deeder award of the day! I've been trying to figure this out for the last few weeks. I was on BBdotcom and couldn't even get it figured out there. I felt I needed a science class.

I'm confused. My BMR is 1340-1440 depending on which principle and MFP. Do I eat back any of my exercise calories? I've read conflicting info or always keep it my BMR? If I want to lose weight I need to subtract calories even if I'm working out???? Someone help lol. What is my FINAL number for the day?

Well there are a couple of approaches you can take. First, you have to determine what your daily lifestyle is considered. Do you sit behind a desk or do you have a job where you are fairly active? If you sit behind a job, take 1400 and multiply that by 1.2. If you walk a lot then multiply it by 1.375 (lightly active).

**************ME: I do event marketing. On average I'm on my feet 6-8hours outside bending and lifting. The heaviest items I lift are sandbags and steel flag bases. When I leave work my feet are burning! Also, in the summer (even know in AZ) I sweat and sweat outside in 90+ heat. So should I multiply my BMR x 1.5? That's what I did so far.

Now, that is your baseline. Here are the two approaches from there. You can either increase your TDEE based upon your exercise schedule or you can just eat back your exercise calories. I am considered sedentary (as I worked behind a desk) but I workout 6 days a week. So instead of being sedentary, I am considered moderately active (multiply my BMR by 1.55). Using this strategy, I don't eat back my exercise calories as it's factored into my TDEE. The other option is use yoru baseline and eat back some of your exercise calories.

So if you have a sedentary lifestyle:

BMR = 1400
TDEE multiplier = 1.2
TDEE = 1680

This means, you should aim for 1680 calories if you don't want to lose weight. If you are 20-50 lbs to lose, then you can lose 1 lb per week as a goal. So what you do is subtract 500 calories. Which puts you at 1180 calories, but we want to round up to 1200 because that should be the minimal you ever eat.


now if you workout and burn 500 calories, you should actually increase your calories to 1700 to make up for the lose. By doing this, you still have a 500 calorie deficit and you are getting all the nutrients your body needs. Now if you workout 5 days a week for an hour, I find it easier to just increase your TDEE instead of worrying about exercise calories..

**********ME= Should I adopt the 1200 calories TDEE for when I'm not working, sedentary and took the day off from the gym?
And if I work out say 100-500 calories burned not bother eating back but once I exceed 500 calories then start to eat those back? Because now doesn't my TDEE multiplier drop down to 1.2?


so I do:
BMR = 1400
TDEE =1.55
TDEE Calories = 2170
Deficit = (500)
Caloric needs = 1670

With the second method, you eat the same calories each day. Even on days you don't work out. It will net you the same results of the first one but you aren't scrambling to get calories post workout. I have done this to take my body fat from 18% to 12% (measurement as of 90 days ago, remeasuring tonight). It works. I kwow it does because I have used this with a lot of peopel with all the same success.

*************hmm do you think around 1600 will still be too high for me even on the days I don't work out? What do you suggest? I was trying to follow Jamie Easton's plan of 1450 calories/169gprotein/38gfat that I plugged in a few numbers and that's what was suggested.

On my highly intense days when I work 10+ hours I figured out I burn over a 1,000 calories.

Hope this helps.

*********YES HELPS VERY MUCH!! I GET THE FORMULA BETTER NOW. Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Lee