I don't understand...BMR, Calorie intake/needed to lose weig

TrishD2

Hey, I'm obviously confused! :noway: lol I went and calculated the following:

You have a BMR of 1769.9.

If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55

1769.9.
* 1.55 =2743.345

Can anyone help me understand what this means and what do I need to do next to lose weight? I have never been very good at this stuff and could really use a few suggestions and friends to help me out. Would be greatly appreciated! Your friend, Trish

bluberrygoo

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/502409-bmr-higher-than-goal-am-i-missing-something

deekaydee

The general guideline is that you need to eat at a deficit of 3500 calories per week to lose a pound per week. (Essentially, one pound of fat = 3500 calories.)

So, to lose one pound a week, you need to consume 500 calories less than you burn each day. Do that for a week, 500*7 = 3500 and theoretically you will lose a pound that week.

Now, it never works *exactly* like that, but that's the guideline and what you are shooting for.

So take your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) of 2750, subtract 500 to lose one pound per week, and that means you should eat 2250 per day.

Subtract 1,000 to lose two pounds per week, and you should eat 1750 per day.

It sounds as though your 2750 TDEE includes the exercise you plan to do for a week, so that means you should not eat back exercise calories since your exercise was already figured into your energy expenditures.

In general, you don't want to subtract much more than that because it starts to get unsustainable and unhealthy. Drastically slashing calories generally isn't a good idea.

TrishD2

The general guideline is that you need to eat at a deficit of 3500 calories per week to lose a pound per week. (Essentially, one pound of fat = 3500 calories.)

So, to lose one pound a week, you need to consume 500 calories less than you burn each day. Do that for a week, 500*7 = 3500 and theoretically you will lose a pound that week.

Now, it never works *exactly* like that, but that's the guideline and what you are shooting for.

So take your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) of 2750, subtract 500 to lose one pound per week, and that means you should eat 2250 per day.

Subtract 1,000 to lose two pounds per week, and you should eat 1750 per day.

It sounds as though your 2750 TDEE includes the exercise you plan to do for a week, so that means you should not eat back exercise calories since your exercise was already figured into your energy expenditures.

In general, you don't want to subtract much more than that because it starts to get unsustainable and unhealthy. Drastically slashing calories generally isn't a good idea.

MFP has me on 1510 calories a day......Iv'e lost 12 pounds in 1 1/2 weeks and feel great, doing my workouts and eat up to 1510 calories a day as suggested, and can hardly eat that much! lol so what does this mean? In stupid terms, can someone explain! lol thank you

deekaydee

You've probably lost that amount that quickly due to a dramatic shift in lifestyle (eating habits or working out). Lots of times those first few weeks include quite a bit of water weight, which comes and goes quickly, and not all fat loss. So don't expect that rate of loss to continue and don't get discouraged when it slows down. But those are good results and keep it up, it seems to be working so far!

deekaydee

Oh and the reason why MFP's goal for you of 1510 differs from other calculators you may run is a) MFP doesn't assume you are doing exercise, even when you tell it you plan to, and b) all of those calculators are just guesses anyway.

TrishD2

Thank you! I want/need to lose a few pounds quickly due to health issues, and try to exercise everyday and eat the calories suggested. I'm tarted to understand a bit more, but its still confusing! lol

HollyAus

How do i calculate my TDEE? And should i put my exercise or whatever at nothing so that i can calculate my own calories burned? ThNks

Thank you for posting this it is very helpful to me! Im kind of like you, i dont know much about why/how our bodies lose weight except to eat right and exercise lol

deekaydee

MFP calculates your TDEE behind the scenes, and then uses it to calculate your deficit.

It figures your BMR, then takes your "activity level" that you enter and uses that to figure a multiplier for your BMR. For example, if you are generally sedentary (desk job), MFP will take your BMR * 1.20 (20%) to calculate your TDEE, and then will figure your calorie goal by subtracting calories from that amount based on the weight loss your goal you entered.

A couple things to remember:

a) MFP is set up so you set your activity level EXCLUDING exercise. For example, I work out 6 days a week, but I have a full-time desk job, so I set my activity level as sedentary. Then, I enter my exercise separately and earn additional calories.

b) There is a place in your MFP settings to tell MFP how much you plan to exercise (e.g., 3x per week for 30 minutes each time), but that doesn't figure into your calorie goals at all.

TrishD2

How do i calculate my TDEE? And should i put my exercise or whatever at nothing so that i can calculate my own calories burned? ThNks

Thank you for posting this it is very helpful to me! Im kind of like you, i dont know much about why/how our bodies lose weight except to eat right and exercise lol

haha at least I'm not alone! lol a friend suggested going here http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html :happy:

HollyAus

Just so i get this right... my bmr is 1614. I think i have a pretty active life, being a stay at home mom to three under 4 yrs, so i put the next one after sedentary. So 1614 * 1.55 = 2500. So if i didnt want to lose/gain any weight i should eat 2500 calories per day. But if i cut that to 1500 i would therefor creat a 7000 weekly calorie deficit and, theoreticaly, lose 2 pounds. Is all of that correct?
Also, since you seem to know what you are talking about. Should i be eating 1500 and still working out extra, or should i eat back those calories? Sorry for all the questions. I just dont reallyknow much about it. Thank you again sooo much

Oh and my stats. Not sure if this will help or not lol
Current weight 170
Goal weight 155
5'8"
23 yrs old

Thanks again

deekaydee

Theoretically...you have it right.

BUT, if you only have 15 lbs to lose, you likely will struggle to lose 2 lbs per week. That's doable for someone with, say 40+ lbs to lose, but as you get closer to goal, your body fights against that rate of weight loss.

With 15 lbs to go, you should be shooting for no more than 1 lb per week loss, or 500 deficit per day. In fact, when I got to within 15 lbs of my goal, I lowered it to only 1/2 lb per week, or 250 deficit. I think there may also be some benefit there because as you get closer to goal, you are slowly getting yourself closer to maintenance level with calories, so you're kind of "training" yourself how to maintain -- but that's just a theory on my part and probably mostly mental.

Yes, it's slower, but if you try to keep up a 2 lb per week weight loss when your body is fighting against it, you'll likely hit a plateau and get frustrated. Then you might fall into the trap of deciding that the only way to lose is to cut even MORE calories, and your body will fight even harder against it, and the cycle will continue.

As for exercise, yes you should eat back your exercise calories, since your activity level is set at lightly active not including exercise. So your deficit was calculated assuming no exercise. If you exercise, to keep your deficit at a modest level and not too dramatic, you need to eat those calories.

I am 5'7", started at 182, am now at 151 and about 6ish lbs from goal, and have always eaten my exercise calories - I eat between 1700-2000 per day.

HollyAus

Thank you so much this is so helpful.