MFP warning about eating under BMR

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  • nannabannana
    nannabannana Posts: 780
    bump for later tks
  • secretiive
    secretiive Posts: 121 Member
    BUMP!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • aj_31
    aj_31 Posts: 994 Member
    bump
  • Fit_Canuck
    Fit_Canuck Posts: 788 Member
    The danger with MFP I've found so far is that it attract people like myself who aren't quite knowledgeable about eating habits and caloric needs/intake and follow the recommended settings. In my case my BMR according to the site was roughly 1750calories per day and with a deficit it was putting me around 1500 calories a day!

    After professional testing I found out my true BMR is 2299! A far cry from the basics this site provides and I was grossly under-eating. The site uses basic values to determine your rough BMR but without knowing your true fat % and lean body mass it's just that, an estimate. The fact that the site is recommending that you eat below your BMR is plain wrong and if you ask any dietitian who is versed in the field they will confirm it's completely wrong and unhealthy.

    I use the site to track my calories from food and my macro-nutrients. Also I have made wonderful friends who guide and motivate me but that's all I use this site for, I don't follow the recommendations for calorie intake as I know for a fact they are totally false in my case.

    I don't use WebMD to diagnose a mole on my back and in turn I don't use MFP to determine healthy eating habits, I use it as a tracking and collaboration tool only.
  • obsidianwings
    obsidianwings Posts: 1,237 Member
    The low 1200 numbers are given to people who choose "Sedentary" and "Lose two pounds a week." Almost no one is Sedentary. And unless they have 50 or more pounds to lose, they shouldn't be set at two pounds. The site will prompt you to choose more reasonably, but people override the tool.


    Not necessarily, I am on 1200, my settings are lightly active, lose 1 pound a week, and I didn't have to override any warnings.
    This makes me feel much better about the really naughty long weekend I just had though LOL
  • mrs_zilla
    mrs_zilla Posts: 34 Member
    If I follow any BMR calculator I get something like this

    There are a few different methods to calculating yourbasal metabolic rate (BMR). One of the most popular, developed in the early 1900's is called the Harris-Benedict formula. Based on this formula, your current BMR is 1221 calories.

    Now what? What do you people recommend me to lose just that tiny little bit of weight that I've gained last year?
    Yes, I am short.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    If I follow any BMR calculator I get something like this

    There are a few different methods to calculating yourbasal metabolic rate (BMR). One of the most popular, developed in the early 1900's is called the Harris-Benedict formula. Based on this formula, your current BMR is 1221 calories.

    Now what? What do you people recommend me to lose just that tiny little bit of weight that I've gained last year?
    Yes, I am short.
    And your TDEE? You need that number too.
  • mrs_zilla
    mrs_zilla Posts: 34 Member
    TDDE 1465. Exciting. I need to jump to "Heavy exercise" to be able to spend 2000kcal a day.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    TDDE 1465. Exciting. I need to jump to "Heavy exercise" to be able to spend 2000kcal a day.

    Eating anything below 1465 will give you weightloss. Which is good news :D
  • Microfiber_wechange
    Microfiber_wechange Posts: 640
    are eating 1200 calories because this is what they think is right because this site tells them to do it despite the fact it's well under their BMR.

    It's what I thought was right until I was put straight by some nice peeps on 'ere :wink:
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Agreed
  • Tamstar1985
    Tamstar1985 Posts: 334 Member
    this idea had never occured to me! it really is a good idea. i was eating at BMR when i first joined MFP, and although i lost weight pretty quickly, i also burned out very quickly. i was sluggish and i got sick more often, despite healthy foods and exercise.

    i've since switched to maintenance, i eat 2000+ calories per day when i exercise, and i'm still losing bodyfat :D
  • Brianabomb
    Brianabomb Posts: 87 Member
    bump
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    this idea had never occured to me! it really is a good idea. i was eating at BMR when i first joined MFP, and although i lost weight pretty quickly, i also burned out very quickly. i was sluggish and i got sick more often, despite healthy foods and exercise.

    i've since switched to maintenance, i eat 2000+ calories per day when i exercise, and i'm still losing bodyfat :D

    I know what you mean! I'm one of those people who wanted to be my college weight. I figured my metabolism had slowed down and that that was no longer possible. Meanwhile I'm squatting into shirts and pants I packed up because it was *impossible* for me to ever fit into them again while nibbling chocolate bars. Today was chips...it was a 2400 calorie day today :P
  • PunkRockDad
    PunkRockDad Posts: 76
    A good rule of thumb is to subtract 15-20% off your TDEE to find your daily calories for weight loss. This will keep you above your BMR and keep you below your TDEE, which will result in HEALTHY weight loss.
  • groog
    groog Posts: 5 Member
    I agree
  • betholiver
    betholiver Posts: 70
    bump
  • estitom
    estitom Posts: 205 Member
    I support the idea!
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    A good rule of thumb is to subtract 15-20% off your TDEE to find your daily calories for weight loss. This will keep you above your BMR and keep you below your TDEE, which will result in HEALTHY weight loss.

    Anything above BMR is better then anything below it. Unless you know, you move less then someone in a coma. I personally like the idea of eating at TDEE. The calories are all averages, I've found that you still loose weight eating at TDEE.
  • stephie4111
    stephie4111 Posts: 118
    so my problem is im not sure how accurate the calories burned are on mfp. like today i did 70 minutes of brazil butt lift and it says on mfp I burned 430 so i should eat over 1900 calories. i have been eating 1400 maybe 1500 somedays
  • Corannie
    Corannie Posts: 1 Member
    Is it possible for MFP to give warning to people eating under their BMR instead of capping out at 1200 calories?
    Or to state somewhere (like under Tools>BMR) that eating under that amount is not sustainable?
    There's a lot of people out there who are unaware of this so you get cases where 5'9 women are eating 1200 calories because this is what they think is right because this site tells them to do it despite the fact it's well under their BMR.

    And how are they suppose to know this isn't healthy if the site doesn't warn them?

    I even seen a case where a 19 year old man of average height was eating 1200 calories a day which just doesn't seem right to me.


    This is a very interesting post, and replies to it!!! Thanks for sharing..
  • Elizabeth0913
    Elizabeth0913 Posts: 61
    bump
  • Shweedog
    Shweedog Posts: 883 Member
    I cannot remember where I read this but I was under the impression that for obese or severely obese individuals it is ok to eat under BMR due to much lower meabolisms and a high fat storage %.
  • Init_to_winit
    Init_to_winit Posts: 258 Member
    Here is my issue. I have good days and bad days. So if I eat really healthy all day and only get around 1200 calories and then I eat more like 2000 the next day wouldn't it all average out? No one can take in the exact same amount of calories everyday unless they at the same things everyday. Maybe setting the goal at 1200 isn't a bad thing because you will have days where you eat more.
  • reddi2roll
    reddi2roll Posts: 356 Member
    Bump
  • StephySands
    StephySands Posts: 53
    :happy: [/quote]

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/ is a good one.

    MFP uses good calculations (Mifflin St Jeor, if I'm not mistaken), it just takes out the activity factor and gives you back "exercise calories"... which can be misunderstood, misused, abused, etc.
    [/quote]

    ^^^^^ Thanks for posting this information :happy:
  • aekaya
    aekaya Posts: 163 Member
    Ia.

    And speaking of eating more than your BMR, I find it weird that "official" weight loss organizations don't do the same thing. Like, I know people on Jenny Craig who eat 1200 calories a day, and you'd think that a huge organization like that would know better, considering that this information is so easy to find on the internet.
  • reddi2roll
    reddi2roll Posts: 356 Member
    I think part of the confusion for those of us that are not math inclined is that MFP does not list calories the same way that is discussed on the boards. If you go to your goal page it shows "Normal Daily Activity" calories burned which I assume to be the same as TDE and it does not show your BMR calories. When I use the BMR calculator on MFP it shows my BMR as 1208 but other sites show it to be 1315 so until the terminology is the same and calculations are the same it is hard for everyone to grasp the concepts presented on the boards. I would like to see MFP use the terms that everyone else is citing.
  • charming72
    charming72 Posts: 37 Member
    Bump
  • Rowell29s
    Rowell29s Posts: 32
    What is TDEE?

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