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Should You Eat At Your BMR?

Dexy_
Dexy_ Posts: 593 Member
edited October 2024 in Food and Nutrition
At the moment my cals are set to 1400. I am 77kgs and 160cms tall. My BMR is 1600. I've heard a few people say you should eat at your BMR and others say you should eat below it. Opinions?

Replies

  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    I wouldn't drop below. Considering that your BMR is how much energy is required to support life in a coma, why go below that? Don't you have plenty of room to apply a calorie deficit yet stay above your BMR?
  • HonkyTonks
    HonkyTonks Posts: 1,193 Member
    My understanding has always been that to lose weight you need to eat at a deficit of 3500 to lose half a kilo or 7000 to lose a kilo.. so I have been working on the theory that since my activity level is sedentary and my BMR is about 1600 (and about 2100 with activity level factored in) that I should be eating 1000 less calories than that in order to lose 1kg. If I ate at my BMR wouldn't I just mostly be maintaining, or losing very very slowly?
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    My understanding has always been that to lose weight you need to eat at a deficit of 3500 to lose half a kilo or 7000 to lose a kilo.. so I have been working on the theory that since my activity level is sedentary and my BMR is about 1600 (and about 2100 with activity level factored in) that I should be eating 1000 less calories than that in order to lose 1kg. If I ate at my BMR wouldn't I just mostly be maintaining, or losing very very slowly?

    that would be 500 calories less and a steady pace
  • KarmaxKitty
    KarmaxKitty Posts: 901 Member
    500 calories less every day of the week equals 3500 calorie deficit equals loss of a pound...
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    My understanding has always been that to lose weight you need to eat at a deficit of 3500 to lose half a kilo or 7000 to lose a kilo.. so I have been working on the theory that since my activity level is sedentary and my BMR is about 1600 (and about 2100 with activity level factored in) that I should be eating 1000 less calories than that in order to lose 1kg. If I ate at my BMR wouldn't I just mostly be maintaining, or losing very very slowly?

    If you ate at your TDEE (which is about 2100), then you would maintain. Anything less and you'd lose. So for example you could eat your BMR of 1600 and lose 1 lb per week.
  • PBJunky
    PBJunky Posts: 737 Member
    My understanding has always been that to lose weight you need to eat at a deficit of 3500 to lose half a kilo or 7000 to lose a kilo.. so I have been working on the theory that since my activity level is sedentary and my BMR is about 1600 (and about 2100 with activity level factored in) that I should be eating 1000 less calories than that in order to lose 1kg. If I ate at my BMR wouldn't I just mostly be maintaining, or losing very very slowly?

    If you ate at your TDEE (which is about 2100), then you would maintain. Anything less and you'd lose. So for example you could eat your BMR of 1600 and lose 1 lb per week.

    Spot on!
  • HonkyTonks
    HonkyTonks Posts: 1,193 Member
    But if I were going for 2 lbs a week I would need to have a deficit of 1000?
    Sorry - pounds are confusing, I should say that I aim for 1kg a week or 2.2 lbs I believe
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    But if I were going for 2 lbs a week I would need to have a deficit of 1000?
    Sorry - pounds are confusing, I should say that I aim for 1kg a week or 2.2 lbs I believe

    Yup!

    but 500 calories and you will still lose, not maintain :]
  • PBJunky
    PBJunky Posts: 737 Member
    But if I were going for 2 lbs a week I would need to have a deficit of 1000?
    Sorry - pounds are confusing, I should say that I aim for 1kg a week or 2.2 lbs I believe

    Yes a deficit of a 1000 calories a day would equate to a loss of 2lbs a week, but not recommended as you will be very prone to catabolism.
  • AdAstra47
    AdAstra47 Posts: 823 Member
    Also remember that BMR is an *extremely* rough estimate. It varies a LOT from person to person. For example, a person with a lot of muscle will burn more calories while resting than a person who's exactly the same size but has less muscle. It can depend on everything from your genetics & ancestry to your childhood illnesses to the altitude where you live to whether you're under stress or getting enough sleep. If you have a naturally very fast or very slow metabolism, your BMR number as calculated by this site will not be very accurate.

    As with *any* guidelines like this, you have to adjust it to what works for YOUR body. If you're tired all the time, if your hair & nails are becoming less healthy / losing strength, if you feel weak instead of energized, then you're probably not getting enough calories. Listen to your body. A healthy weight loss will be one where you feel more energetic, not less; where you are only losing fat, not muscle; and where you are sustaining all your body's systems & giving yourself the correct nutrients.

    I know that people want a strict set of rules & regulations, 'cause that's easy: you follow the rules and it works. Except that our bodies are more complex than that. Ultimately it comes down to trial and error and figuring out, on your own, what will work for your particular metabolism. They key is to not get frustrated: expect that you will have to tweak the process as you go. Good luck to you!
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