My BMR is 1428--- SERIOUSLY. Know yours?

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  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    so why is it then if your bmr is always over 1200, why does mfp set so many at 1200 then?

    Many people get 1200 because they select the maximum weightloss available. If you select "lose 2 lbs/week", MFP will calculate your maintenance calories and subtract 1000, unless you are under 2200, in which case it will truncate at 1200 so you don't go below that.

    even at a 1 lbs loss a week for me it brings me to 1200. only if i choose .5 loss will it give me 1310. i have been on 1310 for a few weeks and i did loose 1 lbs within the 1st 2 weeks but since then i have put that back on and more in the last week. ( 1.5 this week alone)... and it's only been a month on 1310 calories... so i was going to put mine back down to 1200 but if my bmr is 1252, i didn't know what to do?
  • shalinimunjal
    shalinimunjal Posts: 192 Member
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    Your BMR is what you need to maintain life, basic functions. Basically in a coma or before you ever roll over or wake up in the bed. Growing hair, nails, etc etc. It is the minimum you should eat daily and does not take into account daily activity, job, chores, etc. much less daily exercise. You need to use your BMR to calculate your Maintenance based on activity level. But you should not eat below your BMR.

    Read this again. Do NOT eat below your BMR or you're doing more damage to your body.
  • MamaWannaRun
    MamaWannaRun Posts: 273 Member
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    Your BMR is the minimum your body needs to function without you doing anything at all (breathing, blinking, etc). You need to multiply the BMR number given to you according to the Harris Benedict Formula (below). So, let's say that you work in an office and sit most of the day, only getting up for the bathroom, commuting, to eat, etc., than you will burn 1713 calories. Therefore, if you want to lose 1 lb a week, you will need to eat around 1213 calories a day.


    To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

    •If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
    •If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
    •If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
    •If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
    •If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

    So, I'm going to be all set should I ever be in a coma! lol.. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
    This makes so much more sense!

    and
    You should read up more on this. Mine is 1350 so stop whining ;-).

    the whining shall now end... lol...

    thanks to everyone who responded... I think I would die if i tried to stay at 1000 calories but that was my backwards take on that.. I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!
  • Geeky_Girl
    Geeky_Girl Posts: 239 Member
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    Wait, I want to be sure I'm getting this correctly (see how ingrained it is in people that a drastic calorie reduction is what's needed to lose weight?): If my BMR is 1741 and the Harris Benedict Formula says my daily calorie need (I have a desk job) is 2089, then I need to keep my calories between 1741 and 2089 to lose weight?

    Sorry if I'm being dense :ohwell:
  • ravihira1892
    ravihira1892 Posts: 149 Member
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    Wait, I want to be sure I'm getting this correctly (see how ingrained it is in people that a drastic calorie reduction is what's needed to lose weight?): If my BMR is 1741 and the Harris Benedict Formula says my daily calorie need (I have a desk job) is 2089, then I need to keep my calories between 1741 and 2089 to lose weight?

    Sorry if I'm being dense :ohwell:

    1741 - 500 = your calorie intake for the day!
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    ok so if i am getting this straight... i should not eat under my 1252 bmr and with a maintenance of 1550,and it takes 3500 to loose 1 lb, correct? so my max will be a 2 lb loss a month, which is what i got when i was on a 1200 day diet when i fist started on mfp.... so basically it is impossible to have more then 2-2.5 lbs loss for me in a month ever!
  • Geeky_Girl
    Geeky_Girl Posts: 239 Member
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    Wait, I want to be sure I'm getting this correctly (see how ingrained it is in people that a drastic calorie reduction is what's needed to lose weight?): If my BMR is 1741 and the Harris Benedict Formula says my daily calorie need (I have a desk job) is 2089, then I need to keep my calories between 1741 and 2089 to lose weight?

    Sorry if I'm being dense :ohwell:

    1741 - 500 = your calorie intake for the day!

    Thank you!!! :happy:
  • MamaWannaRun
    MamaWannaRun Posts: 273 Member
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    ok so if i am getting this straight... i should not eat under my 1252 bmr and with a maintenance of 1550,and it takes 3500 to loose 1 lb, correct? so my max will be a 2 lb loss a month, which is what i got when i was on a 1200 day diet when i fist started on mfp.... so basically it is impossible to have more then 2-2.5 lbs loss for me in a month ever!

    I THINK that is why exercise is so important. BUT if you eat back your exercise calories??? Is this right???

    Not sure about the numbers... 1252brm x 1.2 for sedentary = 1502. If you keep your calories to 1252 a day, you still have a deficit of 250 calories a day. 250 x 30 days = 7,512 calories = a little more than 2 pounds in 30 days. (assuming 3500 = 1 lb)...

    EXPERTS???
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
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    Wait, I want to be sure I'm getting this correctly (see how ingrained it is in people that a drastic calorie reduction is what's needed to lose weight?): If my BMR is 1741 and the Harris Benedict Formula says my daily calorie need (I have a desk job) is 2089, then I need to keep my calories between 1741 and 2089 to lose weight?

    Sorry if I'm being dense :ohwell:

    1741 - 500 = your calorie intake for the day!

    That is wrong. 2089 - 500 would be closer to the right number, assuming you don't factor in exercise calories. There's also a fair bit of advice going around that you shouldn't eat less than your BMR, but I can't say whether that is necessary or not (if so, it would mean GG was spot on in her first comment; between 1741 and 2089 should cause some slow but constant weight loss)
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    mamawannarun: yes that is what i figured out too, so it looks like i just can't loose more then 2-2.5 lbs a month! max..... to be doing it the healthy way... so when i had my calories set to 1200 that is what i was loosing before x-mas, it was under my bmi but then i did go over a few days a week, so it equaled out. since i upped my calories at the beginning of the month, i am gaining... up 3.6 lbs.... so i will drop them back down and do what i was doing before...
  • barefoot76
    barefoot76 Posts: 314 Member
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    Yeah, I'm confused, too. We aren't supposed to multiply our BMR by our activity level AND add our exercise calories, right? The activity level multiplier is supposed to assume our exercise calories?

    My BMR is 1158 (I'm under 5 feet tall). If I add exercise calories or use the TDEE calculator for moderate exercise (1.55), I get around 1800 calories as my total daily used calories. Therefore, if wanted to lose weight, my understanding is that I need to eat 1800 less 500 calories a day (roughly) meaning I would eat, on average, 1300 calories a day, right?

    The way I do things now, to keep leptin levels in check, is to average this on a weekly basis. I want to lose 1lb per week, that's 3500 calories. If I use 12600 calories a week, I need to eat only 9500. M-F, I eat around 1000 calories a day. That gives me up to 2250 calories a day on the weekends. Let me know if I have something incorrect :-)
  • creative1981
    creative1981 Posts: 182 Member
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    Your BMR is what you need to maintain life, basic functions. Basically in a coma or before you ever roll over or wake up in the bed. Growing hair, nails, etc etc. It is the minimum you should eat daily and does not take into account daily activity, job, chores, etc. much less daily exercise. You need to use your BMR to calculate your Maintenance based on activity level. But you should not eat below your BMR.

    OKay so now I'm confused too! My BMR is 1500 and something, my MFP suggested calorie goal is 1200. So if I eat 1200 I'm not eating enough for even basic functions?

    Sorry if I sound thick - I thought I understood this!
  • MamaWannaRun
    MamaWannaRun Posts: 273 Member
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    bump please ,we need help!
  • janehen12
    janehen12 Posts: 162 Member
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    wait, so that website said i should be eating 2000 to lose weight?! that just feels waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much
  • PlunderBunneh
    PlunderBunneh Posts: 1,705 Member
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    I had mine checked as well, mine was right about 1465. I cut my calories down to 1300 and haven't had any issue losing when I behave myself. I am planning on having mine checked again, after working out, losing weight, and starting to lift on a regular basis I'm hoping that mine has gone up a bit. Don't stress, but please don't cut your calories down to 1,000, there is no need! The biggest factor for me was just realizing that since my bmr was low, I don't burn calories as fast. Which means that even though MFP and the machines tell me that I burned 708 calories in 70 minutes of exercise today, realistically I only account for 200 for every 30 minutes, so that's what I eat back.
    I would seriously recommend that you make an appointment with a nutritionist to go over this information :)

    Edit - I had mine checked about 6 months ago. I want to have it checked again, because I notice that on the days that I eat closer to 1400, I see a bigger loss. Not really sure what other information is going on in the other replies, so best of luck with that.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Wait, I want to be sure I'm getting this correctly (see how ingrained it is in people that a drastic calorie reduction is what's needed to lose weight?): If my BMR is 1741 and the Harris Benedict Formula says my daily calorie need (I have a desk job) is 2089, then I need to keep my calories between 1741 and 2089 to lose weight?

    Sorry if I'm being dense :ohwell:

    1741 - 500 = your calorie intake for the day!

    Thank you!!! :happy:

    No he is wrong to lose 1 lb/week you would need to eat 1589 (2089-500), but by following the advice that you should not eat below BMR then your goal should be between 1741 and 2089 @ 1741 as your net intake you could expect to lose 0.7 lbs/week as your deficit would be 348/day and it takes 3500 cals to lose 1 lb so you would expect to lose 1 lb every 10 or so days.

    If you have a lot to lose you would be able to sustain an intake below BMR, but if you don't have a lot to lose Less than 40 or so lbs then you should not eat below your BMR in net calories.
  • CarrieAnne22
    CarrieAnne22 Posts: 231 Member
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    Your BMR is the minimum your body needs to function without you doing anything at all (breathing, blinking, etc). You need to multiply the BMR number given to you according to the Harris Benedict Formula (below). So, let's say that you work in an office and sit most of the day, only getting up for the bathroom, commuting, to eat, etc., than you will burn 1713 calories. Therefore, if you want to lose 1 lb a week, you will need to eat around 1213 calories a day.


    To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

    •If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
    •If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
    •If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
    •If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
    •If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

    bump
  • jeccalou
    jeccalou Posts: 92 Member
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    ok so if i am getting this straight... i should not eat under my 1252 bmr and with a maintenance of 1550,and it takes 3500 to loose 1 lb, correct? so my max will be a 2 lb loss a month, which is what i got when i was on a 1200 day diet when i fist started on mfp.... so basically it is impossible to have more then 2-2.5 lbs loss for me in a month ever!

    I THINK that is why exercise is so important. BUT if you eat back your exercise calories??? Is this right???

    Not sure about the numbers... 1252brm x 1.2 for sedentary = 1502. If you keep your calories to 1252 a day, you still have a deficit of 250 calories a day. 250 x 30 days = 7,512 calories = a little more than 2 pounds in 30 days. (assuming 3500 = 1 lb)...

    EXPERTS???

    I am in no way an expert but,

    I am a firm believer in not eating (or netting) below your bmr. So yes, with no added exercise you will lose fairly slowly, if you are sedentary. But add in exercise to burn more and eat more (yay!)
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Yeah, I'm confused, too. We aren't supposed to multiply our BMR by our activity level AND add our exercise calories, right? The activity level multiplier is supposed to assume our exercise calories?

    My BMR is 1158 (I'm under 5 feet tall). If I add exercise calories or use the TDEE calculator for moderate exercise (1.55), I get around 1800 calories as my total daily used calories. Therefore, if wanted to lose weight, my understanding is that I need to eat 1800 less 500 calories a day (roughly) meaning I would eat, on average, 1300 calories a day, right?

    The way I do things now, to keep leptin levels in check, is to average this on a weekly basis. I want to lose 1lb per week, that's 3500 calories. If I use 12600 calories a week, I need to eat only 9500. M-F, I eat around 1000 calories a day. That gives me up to 2250 calories a day on the weekends. Let me know if I have something incorrect :-)

    MFP ignores your planned exercise when giving your your TDEE, which is why it is important to eat back the cals burned from exercise.

    Now if you used the higher activity level it may account for some, but with the amount you have to lose your weekly weight loss goal should be no more than 0.5lbs/week which is a daily deficit of 250 cals. So if your TDEE is 1800 you should eat 1550 everyday to hit your weekly weight loss goal.
  • DixiedoesMFP
    DixiedoesMFP Posts: 935 Member
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    Your BMR is the amount of calories that you need simply to stay alive. It is based on age, height, weight and gender.

    Your TDEE is the amount of calories that you burn in a day with activity. Any activity. If you get up out of bed to pee and go back to bed until you get up to pee again, then your TDEE is always more than your BMR. If you exercise, play with your kids, walk around the store, go get the mail, mop the kitchen, etc. then your TDEE will be even higher.

    You should aim your calorie goal around 80 - 90% of your TDEE for slow, steady but sustainable weight loss. You could probably do more if you are very obese. The smaller you get, the less wiggle room you have.

    The point to this is that practically any activity outside of breathing increases your TDEE and allows you to eat MORE! Move, move, move all day long and eat more food people!

    My BMR is 1436. My TDEE without exercise is around 1900. With exercise, its around 2400 - 2500. I eat between 1600 and 1900 calories a day.

    I hope this helps!

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