To add to the confusion of BMR (PCOS related)

TXBelle1174

I was on a different website and saw this link. Most of it is gibberish except the "CONCLUSION". So for those of you that count calories and carbs - do you take your BMR into consideration or have you found that you need to stay well below it? I actually went from 1500 cal to 1650 thinking that I wasnt eating enough calories (my BMR is 1787) but according to this I should be eating around 1000 cal a day to lose weight??
What are your experiences with BMR/Calorie count when trying to lose weight

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18678372

sandywerks

Bump. I have PCOS too coupled with adreanal fatigue issues and am stalled in a plateau for the past 2 months. Have upped my calories for the past several weeks and bumped up to 2lbs heavier. I am netting between 1300 - 1400 per day with a BMR of 1469. Since Jan. 2 for exercise i have completed 1 round of Insanilty (lost 6 lbs) and am in month 2 of a Chalean Exreme/TurboFire hybrid. I also walk up to 4 miles per day.

I am interested in what others think about this study.

Celeigh12

I eat my BMR plus exercise calories (1700-2100 calories a day) and I've lost 11 pounds so far this month after losing almost nothing in March eating 1200-1400. I gained a few pounds at first, but hung in there and I'm so glad I did!!!

So for me I wasn't losing as easily below my BMR and am losing better slightly over it. I was first diagnosed with PCOS 22 years ago and was pre-diabetic and insulin resistant at my start weight, but much improved now (no longer pre-diabetic. I haven't had a fasting glucose since then, so not sure about the insulin resistance, but I eat very little sugar and keep my carbs around 100g a day).

ThisisMiss

I would like to read the whole study. From what they've said in the abstract, however, leaves much to be desired in terms of a concrete and valid conclusion (I have actually written a lot of academic research papers like this so have a pretty good understanding of what they were trying to do.) My main concern lies within their test subjects. I wouldn't really be too concerned about their conclusion thus far until more research is done on the subject

row_rivers

interesting study. BMR calculators are already almost arbitrary considering they are estimates that do not take a lot of factors into account. now we have to worry about PCOS messing up the numbers too?? BOO....

nevertheless, to raise BMR we still have to follow the same rules...

gain muscle, drink green tea, HIIT, amp up the protein intake etc etc..

maybe we all need to find out which numbers work for us for weight loss then report it here? a sort of...PCOS calibration if you will?

cressievargo

You need to eat at least your BMR, because you want your metabolism to INCREASE. If you further reduce your calories and lower your metabolism, you're basically shooting yourself in the foot.

Basically what this study showed is that those with PCOS had lower BMRs...which is why many women with PCOS gain weight!

Check out the group "Eat More to Weigh Less" on here. Lots of tips / information / advice, including links to sites to calculate both your TDEE & BMR and how to work with them.

Also - when increasing your calories after a period of them being low / too low - initial weight loss is normal - you have to give it more time for your body to adjust.

TyFit08

I have no idea how to approach it. You constantly here eat your BMR, but I have gained or maintained when I did. Also, I try to eat low carb, under 100g. How do you do that at 1700+ calories. High carb food has most of the calories, I can't see to boost my calories without raising my carbs at the same time. So I really don't understand what to do.

krisrpaz

I totally believe we women with PCOS have a lower BMR. My calculated BMR is 1,900+ but I seem to maintain at 1,700. I guess it is nice to find my maintenance level but the only way I can lose is doing low carb and exercising. Due to neck and back injuries I have to be careful how hardcore I work out so heavy lifting is out for me at the moment. Even Zumba causes pain and stiffness and I have to ice it down and do my physical therapy stretches. But I keep on trying! The last 40 pounds are the hardest to lose and it takes patience and commitment.

atrjohnson

I have tried to figure out my BMR before but I also know that when you are morbidly obese the amount of fat you have may effect your BMR as well. My Doctor gave me a meal plan of 1976 calories but I always go over. I do plan on getting it to that level but at my current size and my attitude I think losing weight slowly is best for me. I think 1976 is closer to my BMR than the 2200 I often get on BMR calculators.

Alluring72

Just a quick thank you for the post. I had no clue that POCS generally lowers BMR. Explains why I keep thinking I am not eating much but gaining weight anyway. Also adds motivation to needing to get a regular workout routine going. Thanks!

NNAhuja

I thought the article was rather informative. It confirmed a lot of the "rumors" I've been seeing in the boards. What I'm taking away from it is that ladies with PCOS cannot set their MFP goals to lost 0.5 lbs and expect to actually LOSE weight since out BMRs tend to be lower than the "normal". Instead set the goals even LOWER like 1.5 lbs/week and as stated in the article "...reduction in daily caloric intake, especially as derived from carbohydrates, and a significant increase in daily aerobic exercise" should decrease body weight. I didn't see a "formula"/model for how people could calculate their BMR if they had PCOS and were insulin resistant so I'm of the belief it's more of a trial and error thing. I find the 1.5 lbs/week MFP setting gets me some weightloss (small but I'll take it!). At my heaviest, I did suffer from ALL the typical symptoms of PCOS, including amenstual linked to my hyperandrogenemia, weight gain, and hirsutism. Luckily after losing close to 30 lbs, a lot of my symptoms have been aliviated.

Also in the article, they mentioned that insulin sensitizers (Metformin for example, which I see mentioned a lot in other PCOS groups, works by suppressing glucose production by the liver). can also be helpful. I personally am more for "natural" weight loss, so PERSONALLY I won't be taking any drugs to lose weight. Slow and steady wins the race, in my opinion, but I totally understand different strokes for different folks.

sherronh

I honestly don't believe any of that BMR hype on this site. I am 5'1 I currently eat between 1200-1500 calories per day and I try to not add my exercise calories back, only if I had a long session will I add a portion. I started my weight loss journey In January and for 5 months I ate a 1200 calorie diet (mostly) and went to the gym 6 days a week. I wasn't sick, I started running again and I lost a considerable amount of weight. At the current moment for the past 2 months Ive been trying new things, upping my calories ect. I seem to be moving much slower on the scale then I would like (the inches are still coming off though).

The only thing that seemed to work for me was when I ate a full week paleo style. Since I am training for a half marathon I had to put that on hold because running 9 miles and not being able to eat certain foods was holding my performance back.

cmarie12001

This is what I have suspected for years now. I recently had my BMR calculated by a sport physiologist and it is 1240 (I am 5'2). I have been eating a 1200 calories diet for years trying to lose weight (50 lbs overweight). I exercise regularly (run, walk, bike, hike, etc) and eat my exercise calories one a week. I have been struggling with my weight and the effects of pcos since I was about 19. I am 32 now.

I have only been able to lose significant weight once and it was about 20 pounds. The only way the pounds came off was through extreme exercise (not realistic) and at the tail end I tried the HCG diet which was 500 calories (lost 7 pounds in 4 weeks) and it was awful. I was hospitalized for a seizure since my blood sugar dropped so low. As soon as I slowly went back to my 1200 calories my weight came back after 6 months. I eat very well - I was in school for nutrition when my size jumped from a 4 to 14 in 2 months when I was 21. So I learned about eating right and love to eat healthy whole foods.

I am scared to go on super low-carb diets because my blood sugar drops so low (I test my blood sugar regularly). I tried metformin for 3 months and I was so sick - it was too difficult to manage work while feeling so bad. I eat around 90g of carbs a day (whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, millet, barley, buckwheat, fruit and wine once a week)). As many suggested, I increased my calories and after 3 months of watching the scale increase to the high 190's I freaked out and went back to the 1200 which dropped my weight to180, which is where I tend to stick. I am now going to try d-chiral-inositol with additional supplements I have heard about recently.

It is amazing how many people try so hard to do the right thing when taking care of their health (as I have read through hundreds of PCOS discussion boards) but yet there is this stigma that if you are overweight, you must be drinking soda, eating fast food everyday and not watching your calories. I wish reports about obesity would also talk about PCOS, so people understand that there are people who have a harder time with their weight - even with valiant efforts.

PunkyRachel

I was losing at 1250 calories then I plateaued and upped my calories to 1500, I was still exercising but I gained 5 pounds almost immediately. So this week I dropped back down to 1237, I have already in one week lost those 5 ponds back. Soit much be true. I did some research and one site said women with PCOS should eat 200-400 below their BMR to lose weight. So I just subtracted 400 from my BMR.