Do I eat my BMR or below it?

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Alexstrasza
Alexstrasza Posts: 619 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am getting frustrated because according to my scale I gained weight. Do I eat my BMR or do I eat below it in order to lose weight?
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  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    BMR means Basal Metabolic Rate. This is the amount of calories just to keep your organs functioning if you laid in bed all day. You need that amount of calories to live, plus more calories to fuel any activity like getting out of bed and walking around and going to your desk job. TDEE is Total Daily Energy Expenditure. The amount you need to fuel you based on how active you are. Also called "Maintenance", the amount you need to stay the same weight and not gain or lose. Eat less than that number, but more than BMR.
  • fxst78
    fxst78 Posts: 221 Member
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    BMR means Basal Metabolic Rate. This is the amount of calories just to keep your organs functioning if you laid in bed all day. You need that amount of calories to live, plus more calories to fuel any activity like getting out of bed and walking around and going to your desk job. TDEE is Total Daily Energy Expenditure. The amount you need to fuel you based on how active you are. Also called "Maintenance", the amount you need to stay the same weight and not gain or lose. Eat less than that number, but more than BMR.

    ^^^^For The Win^^^^
  • sexforjaffacakes
    sexforjaffacakes Posts: 1,001 Member
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    eat what mfp tells you too.

    Also you can eat below your BMR if you're overweight, but you dont need to to lose weight, just need to eat below maintenance
  • lilyjay_
    lilyjay_ Posts: 86
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    Erm... how do you know what your BMR & TDEE are? :S
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    I think MFP should have this information in the tools because it is very confusing for people and they go around thinking BMR means TDEE. And then they choose "I want to lose 2 pounds a week" and they end up eating below their real BMR.
  • Stacyanne324
    Stacyanne324 Posts: 780 Member
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    I eat my BMR right now but I just started the Spike diet so that is part of my plan. I'll have one day a week where I eat twice BMR and the rest stay between 1200 and BMR (and not eat exercise calories back). I almost never stay at 1200 though...ok, I never do. :)
  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
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    Eat at it, or slightly above.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    eat what mfp tells you too.

    Also you can eat below your BMR if you're overweight, but you dont need to to lose weight, just need to eat below maintenance

    MFP set me to 1200 calories because I told it I wanted to lose 2 pounds a week. That was not enough because my REAL BMR is about 1400, the amount for my body to function properly without moving out of bed even. It is really distressing to me that people don't have all the information they need when setting up their goals to make informed choices unless they do some more research. Initially I did lose some weight eating 1200, but then it stopped.
    Erm... how do you know what your BMR & TDEE are? :S

    Google BMR and TDEE calculators. There are a lot of them out there.
  • Alexstrasza
    Alexstrasza Posts: 619 Member
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    My BMR is like 1900, how is it that I should eat more than that? That already seems like a lot.

    :( I'm just so frustrated.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    My BMR is like 1900, how is it that I should eat more than that? That already seems like a lot.

    :( I'm just so frustrated.

    Please go to Google and use a BMR calculator NOT on this site. Then look up TDEE calculator. I explained in the post above what BMR and TDEE means. This website uses the terms interchangeably and that is where a lot of people have trouble.
  • Alexstrasza
    Alexstrasza Posts: 619 Member
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    My BMR is like 1900, how is it that I should eat more than that? That already seems like a lot.

    :( I'm just so frustrated.

    Please go to Google and use a BMR calculator NOT on this site. Then look up TDEE calculator. I explained in the post above what BMR and TDEE means. This website uses the terms interchangeably and that is where a lot of people have trouble.

    So if I want to lose fat but gain lean muscle would I eat just below my TDEE?
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    For safe weight loss you should eat 20% less than TDEE.

    So if your TDEE is 2500, then you would want to eat 20 % which = 500 calories less than that.
  • Tweety1983
    Tweety1983 Posts: 100 Member
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    Im just as confussed!!!!
  • sexforjaffacakes
    sexforjaffacakes Posts: 1,001 Member
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    eat what mfp tells you to.

    Also you can eat below your BMR if you're overweight, but you dont need to to lose weight, just need to eat below maintenance

    MFP set me to 1200 calories because I told it I wanted to lose 2 pounds a week. That was not enough because my REAL BMR is about 1400, the amount for my body to function properly without moving out of bed even. It is really distressing to me that people don't have all the information they need when setting up their goals to make informed choices unless they do some more research. Initially I did lose some weight eating 1200, but then it stopped.

    You can eat below your BMR! You're not going to die eating below your BMR, your body makes up the calories by burning fat for fuel, just as it does for other activities. The whole point is to create a deficit, and that is one way to do that. When i weighed over 200 lb, it was perfectly safe for me to aim for 2lb a week loss, if I'd only eaten at my BMR I would have lost less than 1lb a week...
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    Erm... how do you know what your BMR & TDEE are? :S

    Try this

    Have a look at the spreadsheet posted yesterday - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/491087-my-gift-excel-spreadsheet-for-bmr-tdee-cut-build-and-ma
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Then you will hear around here the debate about "should I eat my exercise calories back".

    If you use MFP settings, then YES because MFP calculates you for the calorie deficit so that you will lose weight without exercising. You will end up with too large of a calorie deficit than is healthy if you don't eat them back.

    If you do your own calculations and eat 20% less than TDEE, then NO if you do moderate exercise, but perhaps eat back some on heavy exercise days.

    Your body needs fuel in order to not lose muscle mass.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    You can eat below your BMR! You're not going to die eating below your BMR, your body makes up the calories by burning fat for fuel, just as it does for other activities. The whole point is to create a deficit, and that is one way to do that. When i weighed over 200 lb, it was perfectly safe for me to aim for 2lb a week loss, if I'd only eaten at my BMR I would have lost less than 1lb a week...

    BMR is the amount they feed you in a coma, through a tube. You shouldn't eat less than this unless directed by a doctor.

    If I only eat BMR or below, AND I exercise, then I am going to be burning up my lean body mass.

    My weight loss stopped when I was eating 200 calories below my BMR.

    My point here is for people to do the research and really understand this. People go around talking about BMR and TDEE interchangeably and there is a crucial difference. Not understanding it can be harmful to your health.
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    Then you will hear around here the debate about "should I eat my exercise calories back".

    If you use MFP settings, then YES because MFP calculates you for the calorie deficit so that you will lose weight without exercising. You will end up with too large of a calorie deficit than is healthy if you don't eat them back.

    If you do your own calculations and eat 20% less than TDEE, then NO if you do moderate exercise, but perhaps eat back some on heavy exercise days.

    Your body needs fuel in order to not lose muscle mass.

    My BMR is around 1500, MFP was setting me at 1200 just to lose a lb, (I am short).

    Waaaay too low.

    So I have switched to eating between BMR and TDEE, only just started so won't know results for a bit.
    I epect a gain the first week as my body gets used to the extra, but at least I won't feel lightheaded anymore.
  • Lauracork2005
    Lauracork2005 Posts: 14 Member
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    OK so when I'm tracking my daily intake on here how do i change my 'limit' from 1200 to what it should be. I dont want it to read as a deficit every day/

    P.S Hello, I'm Laura from London and I've recently signed up.
  • squishycow7
    squishycow7 Posts: 820 Member
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    Then you will hear around here the debate about "should I eat my exercise calories back".

    If you use MFP settings, then YES because MFP calculates you for the calorie deficit so that you will lose weight without exercising. You will end up with too large of a calorie deficit than is healthy if you don't eat them back.

    If you do your own calculations and eat 20% less than TDEE, then NO if you do moderate exercise, but perhaps eat back some on heavy exercise days.

    Your body needs fuel in order to not lose muscle mass.

    ahhh thank you. this is what I've been trying to find an answer for - it's what I THOUGHT but I just wanted someone else to say it :D

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