BMR confusion
ThinUpGirl
Posts: 397
im a little confused about how bmi, bmr and rmr (is that right?) play into weight loss?!?
I understand what each of them mean, but I'm confused about.....
how many calories I need to consume to lose?
how my calories burned plays into all of this?
If someone could explain this is simpler terms, that may help!!!
Basically, I'm trying to lose 3 lbs. per week. My BMR is 1620.
I'm eating 1200-1300 cal. per day.
My target to burn is 400 cal. 6x's per week on my treadmill.
(in addition to that I do basic strength training at home: lunges, squats, curls, etc.)
Help please!
I understand what each of them mean, but I'm confused about.....
how many calories I need to consume to lose?
how my calories burned plays into all of this?
If someone could explain this is simpler terms, that may help!!!
Basically, I'm trying to lose 3 lbs. per week. My BMR is 1620.
I'm eating 1200-1300 cal. per day.
My target to burn is 400 cal. 6x's per week on my treadmill.
(in addition to that I do basic strength training at home: lunges, squats, curls, etc.)
Help please!
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Replies
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BMR= Body needs to stay alive ... If you eat less you loose if you eat more you gain. Mine is around 1600 as well I am sticking to around 1200 and loosing anywhere from 1-4 pounds a week. It fluctuates w/ water my work outs etc.. I am not eating back calories... BTW and I am under estimating what I am burning at the gym because this website is wayyyy off for the calories burned during a work out. Best bet look at your machine and tally as u workout then manually plug it in at the end of the day! It's not a perfect science if bumping up ur cals when you do more working out helps or visa versa do that ! Just play with it weekly and see where your at I would weigh your self everyday to get a rolling average... Try and do it at the same time everyday but also know measurements and strength will impact what the scale says!
Sorry spaced out shes right but I would still stick to the cal ratio I am using it has worked for me !0 -
BMR= the cals you need to stay at your weight... If you eat less you loose if you eat more you gain. Mine is around 1600 as well I am sticking to around 1200 and loosing anywhere from 1-4 pounds a week.
this isn't true. BMR is how many calories you would burn if you did nothing but lay around all day. I don't gain weight and I eat over my BMR daily.
If you eat over your TDEE then sure you would gain weight.0 -
No. BMR is the number of calories you need to survive in a coma. If you eat your BMR you will lose weight. You need to eat over your BMR to maintain.BMR= the cals you need to stay at your weight... If you eat less you loose if you eat more you gain. Mine is around 1600 as well I am sticking to around 1200 and loosing anywhere from 1-4 pounds a week. It fluctuates w/ water my work outs etc.. I am not eating back calories... BTW and I am under estimating what I am burning at the gym because this website is wayyyy off for the calories burned during a work out. Best bet look at your machine and tally as u workout then manually plug it in at the end of the day! It's not a perfect science if bumping up ur cals when you do more working out helps or visa versa do that ! Just play with it weekly and see where your at I would weigh your self everyday to get a rolling average... Try and do it at the same time everyday but also know measurements and strength will impact what the scale says!0 -
I posted on your other thread. It most have double posted.
But this is what I said on the other thread
How I see it, net at least 200 over your BMR. That's what I do. I'd cut out some cardio, 3-4 days and lift heavy (for you) at least twice a week.
Not sure what your over all weight loss goal is but 3 lbs a week is too much. Slow and steady win the race.
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I posted on your other thread. It most have double posted.
But this is what I said on the other thread
How I see it, net at least 200 over your BMR. That's what I do. I'd cut out some cardio, 3-4 days and lift heavy (for you) at least twice a week.
Not sure what your over all weight loss goal is but 3 lbs a week is too much. Slow and steady win the race.
May I ask, why would I go over my bmr to lose?
Also, is more then 4 hrs of cardiovascular too much for one week?
I have a desk job so I'm sitting for 8 hours of my day, that's why I wanted to do more cardiovascular.0 -
BMR= Body needs to stay alive ... If you eat less you loose if you eat more you gain. Mine is around 1600 as well I am sticking to around 1200 and loosing anywhere from 1-4 pounds a week. It fluctuates w/ water my work outs etc.. I am not eating back calories... BTW and I am under estimating what I am burning at the gym because this website is wayyyy off for the calories burned during a work out. Best bet look at your machine and tally as u workout then manually plug it in at the end of the day! It's not a perfect science if bumping up ur cals when you do more working out helps or visa versa do that ! Just play with it weekly and see where your at I would weigh your self everyday to get a rolling average... Try and do it at the same time everyday but also know measurements and strength will impact what the scale says!
Sorry spaced out shes right but I would still stick to the cal ratio I am using it has worked for me !
I was told that even the cardiovascular machines can Over estimate, so I do extra just to compensate.
How link have you been working on you goal to get where you are?0 -
I wrote a blog post today about my successes eating MORE to lose weight, and how you can do it too, with references to where you can accurate calculated how much YOU personally need to be eating and how to apply the principles of eating more to your weight loss journey.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/lillebanon/view/my-take-on-eating-more-to-weigh-less-2545540 -
I have lost roughly 35 pounds since oct... And no you should not be over or close to BMR unless you want to wait weeks to loose a pound. I would say try 1200 a few weeks and see how it goes if you are loosing 1-2 pounds a week stick with it... If you aren't drop the cals a little bit and add a spike day or change your diet or bump the cals and increase exercise Just play with it until you find the best fit for you! I would deff not plan on loosing 3 pounds exactly every week some weeks you might loose 5 others none, Make sure you are keeping a rolling average and Don't get discouraged if the scale fluctuates a little it's all part of the process... You can totally add me there's a bunch of girls ive added who have similar goals to you and me on here!0
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As for the Machines...They do over estimate, however ... You are going to continue burning once you stop the exercise so I think that's a safe bet to log those numbers... ALSO hit the weights heavy ... muscle burns fat since I started lifting I am noticing a huge change in my body for the better and no I don't look like Arnold
Focusing on your large muscle groups is really important and will help a lot with your cardio 2 ! I have terrible asthma and the weights have helped me w/ my breathing on the tredmil! 0 -
I have lost roughly 35 pounds since oct... And no you should not be over or close to BMR unless you want to wait weeks to loose a pound. I would say try 1200 a few weeks and see how it goes if you are loosing 1-2 pounds a week stick with it... If you aren't drop the cals a little bit and add a spike day or change your diet or bump the cals and increase exercise Just play with it until you find the best fit for you! I would deff not plan on loosing 3 pounds exactly every week some weeks you might loose 5 others none, Make sure you are keeping a rolling average and Don't get discouraged if the scale fluctuates a little it's all part of the process... You can totally add me there's a bunch of girls ive added who have similar goals to you and me on here!
I eat about 350 cals over my BMR and am losing 1lb a week - you need to base your deficit off your TDEE.
Also 3lb a week is not recommended - a max of 2lb per week is recommended (average - as you say, some weeks will be more than others)
EDIT: stupid autocorrect!0 -
I have lost roughly 35 pounds since oct... And no you should not be over or close to BMR unless you want to wait weeks to loose a pound. I would say try 1200 a few weeks and see how it goes if you are loosing 1-2 pounds a week stick with it... If you aren't drop the cals a little bit and add a spike day or change your diet or bump the cals and increase exercise Just play with it until you find the best fit for you! I would deff not plan on loosing 3 pounds exactly every week some weeks you might loose 5 others none, Make sure you are keeping a rolling average and Don't get discouraged if the scale fluctuates a little it's all part of the process... You can totally add me there's a bunch of girls ive added who have similar goals to you and me on here!
LOL
When I was eating under my BMR I kept plateauing and having to bump up my calories. Now that I am eating over my BMR as calculated by fat2fit, I've been losing consistantly.
The thing with reducing your calories to 1200 (losing 2lbs+ per week) is that is ONLY for the very overweight and you aren't morbidly obese going by your ticker. If you're a skinny little thing and you reduce that low, any time you eat over that you will gain.
If you chose to eat the proper amount of calories and work out with heavy weights you could gain muscle and have a bangin' body.0 -
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Sorry to go on a rant but here's my routine it's been working really well and I really think its sustainable once you get in a rhythm maybe this can help you... I am currently working out 6 days a week...
Monday I do Legs...
Starting w/ the leg press 5 sets of 10 reps...
Next Hamstring machine 5 sets of 10 as well ... As heavy as you can lift w. out pain is where you should start you will get stronger and add weight as time goes on...
Next the quad machine
Calves
and finally although not necessary.. small muscles the inner and outer thigh
Follow with 20-30 mins cardio
Tues-Arms/chest
I don't work out biceps because I have big ones and they get hit a little w/ other exercises but if you want to do them this is the day
Chest press
flys
shoulder press
triceps
30 mins cardio
weds
back pull down bar,
cord rows
regular rows
lower back lifts
ab bench 300 mini crunches
15 mins cardio
Thurs Cardio day ... 30 mins running- 10 stairs-10 eliptical-10 bike to cool down
Friday Light cardio 30 mins running but high intensity or interval followed by stretches...
Sat DAY OFF lost of rest and TLC...
Sunday back to the weights above...0 -
Again sharing what worked for me and I am not done logging I will be at 1200 by the end of the day...But thanks for thatI have lost roughly 35 pounds since oct... And no you should not be over or close to BMR unless you want to wait weeks to loose a pound. I would say try 1200 a few weeks and see how it goes if you are loosing 1-2 pounds a week stick with it... If you aren't drop the cals a little bit and add a spike day or change your diet or bump the cals and increase exercise Just play with it until you find the best fit for you! I would deff not plan on loosing 3 pounds exactly every week some weeks you might loose 5 others none, Make sure you are keeping a rolling average and Don't get discouraged if the scale fluctuates a little it's all part of the process... You can totally add me there's a bunch of girls ive added who have similar goals to you and me on here!
LOL
When I was eating under my BMR I kept plateauing and having to bump up my calories. Now that I am eating over my BMR as calculated by fat2fit, I've been losing consistantly.
The thing with reducing your calories to 1200 (losing 2lbs+ per week) is that is ONLY for the very overweight and you aren't morbidly obese going by your ticker. If you're a skinny little thing like aniwani and you reduce that low, any time you eat over that you will gain. Oh and you may end up with an eating disorder - I highly recommend NOT following her advice considering she's only logging 500-something calories today. Not healthy.
If you chose to eat the proper amount of calories and work out with heavy weights you could gain muscle and have a bangin' body.0 -
Sorry to go on a rant but here's my routine it's been working really well and I really think its sustainable once you get in a rhythm maybe this can help you... I am currently working out 6 days a week...
Monday I do Legs...
Starting w/ the leg press 5 sets of 10 reps...
Next Hamstring machine 5 sets of 10 as well ... As heavy as you can lift w. out pain is where you should start you will get stronger and add weight as time goes on...
Next the quad machine
Calves
and finally although not necessary.. small muscles the inner and outer thigh
Follow with 20-30 mins cardio
Tues-Arms/chest
I don't work out biceps because I have big ones and they get hit a little w/ other exercises but if you want to do them this is the day
Chest press
flys
shoulder press
triceps
30 mins cardio
weds
back pull down bar,
cord rows
regular rows
lower back lifts
ab bench 300 mini crunches
15 mins cardio
Thurs Cardio day ... 30 mins running- 10 stairs-10 eliptical-10 bike to cool down
Friday Light cardio 30 mins running but high intensity or interval followed by stretches...
Sat DAY OFF lost of rest and TLC...
Sunday back to the weights above...
Looks like a lot of work for 1200 cals.
If you can maintain it then awesome!0 -
I looked up scientific literature to find out where the "eat more than your bmr" rule came from, and found the answer to be: someone's *kitten*. What the literature does say is that your body composition will be better with a 30% deficit from your tdee (not bmr) than if you go more drastic because even if you eat adequate protein and strength train, severe caloric restriction is associated with loss of lean mass. Losing lean mass is bad if for no other reason than that it's not losing the fat that makes us look "soft."
My point? I don't think the bmr is a magic number, but 3 lb a week won't be healthy and if you do it, you'll lose muscle and find it hard to get the firm body you are probably envisioning.0 -
Again sharing what worked for me and I am not done logging I will be at 1200 by the end of the day...But thanks for that
Hon, you have quite a few days where you're consuming between 500-1000 and you're working off quite a bit of what you've eaten. Sorry but that isn't healthy. Food isn't your enemy no matter how small you want to get.0 -
I have lost roughly 35 pounds since oct... And no you should not be over or close to BMR unless you want to wait weeks to loose a pound. I would say try 1200 a few weeks and see how it goes if you are loosing 1-2 pounds a week stick with it... If you aren't drop the cals a little bit and add a spike day or change your diet or bump the cals and increase exercise Just play with it until you find the best fit for you! I would deff not plan on loosing 3 pounds exactly every week some weeks you might loose 5 others none, Make sure you are keeping a rolling average and Don't get discouraged if the scale fluctuates a little it's all part of the process... You can totally add me there's a bunch of girls ive added who have similar goals to you and me on here!
LOL
When I was eating under my BMR I kept plateauing and having to bump up my calories. Now that I am eating over my BMR as calculated by fat2fit, I've been losing consistantly.
The thing with reducing your calories to 1200 (losing 2lbs+ per week) is that is ONLY for the very overweight and you aren't morbidly obese going by your ticker. If you're a skinny little thing like aniwani and you reduce that low, any time you eat over that you will gain. Oh and you may end up with an eating disorder - I highly recommend NOT following her advice considering she's only logging 500-something calories today. Not healthy.
If you chose to eat the proper amount of calories and work out with heavy weights you could gain muscle and have a bangin' body.
You haven't the faintest clue of what you're talking about. please also refrain from the personal attacks. Thanks.
2lbs per week is NOT only for those that are obese. It is a standard rate used by bodybuilders and weightlifters. 2lbs/week is a MODEST rate of fat loss. They use it to PRESERVE muscle because they could easily lose weight faster, but obviously prefer to retain as much muscle as possible. It is not unhealthy in the least. You can google this FYI.
Law of thermodynamics is simple. Calories in, Calories out. You arent losing weight if you eat more over maintenance (factoring in exercise). Period.
Regarding me being skinny little thing and calories for today. You are blatantly wrong and that kind of personal attack is out of bonds for this website. I am average weight and I will be at 1200 Calories today. I havent logged my entire day's Calories. Thanks. (regarding gaining muscle, I've added 270 lbs to my Leg Press since January. Consider yourself proven wrong).
And please show me one person who developed an eating disorder eating 1200 Calories a day. That is a modest deficit for me. I burn approx 1900 Calories a day; 700 Cal deficit. That is modest for weight loss. It works out to a 5000 Calorie deficit per week. That isnt even 1.5lbs of fat a week. Modest.
Regarding plateaus, everyone is different. The standard rule of thumb has ALWAYS been to take your maintenance level and subtract 500 calories. Readjust every few weeks, as maintenance levels change with weight change. Then increase or decrease the deficit as you see fit.0 -
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I have lost roughly 35 pounds since oct... And no you should not be over or close to BMR unless you want to wait weeks to loose a pound. I would say try 1200 a few weeks and see how it goes if you are loosing 1-2 pounds a week stick with it... If you aren't drop the cals a little bit and add a spike day or change your diet or bump the cals and increase exercise Just play with it until you find the best fit for you! I would deff not plan on loosing 3 pounds exactly every week some weeks you might loose 5 others none, Make sure you are keeping a rolling average and Don't get discouraged if the scale fluctuates a little it's all part of the process... You can totally add me there's a bunch of girls ive added who have similar goals to you and me on here!
LOL
When I was eating under my BMR I kept plateauing and having to bump up my calories. Now that I am eating over my BMR as calculated by fat2fit, I've been losing consistantly.
The thing with reducing your calories to 1200 (losing 2lbs+ per week) is that is ONLY for the very overweight and you aren't morbidly obese going by your ticker. If you're a skinny little thing like aniwani and you reduce that low, any time you eat over that you will gain. Oh and you may end up with an eating disorder - I highly recommend NOT following her advice considering she's only logging 500-something calories today. Not healthy.
If you chose to eat the proper amount of calories and work out with heavy weights you could gain muscle and have a bangin' body.
You haven't the faintest clue of what you're talking about. please also refrain from the personal attacks. Thanks.
That's right - I've only lost over 60 pounds. I've only spent plenty of years eating under BMR and gaining no matter what I did. But I haven't got a clue.
I do apologize for calling you a skinny little thing though. Sorry.2lbs per week is NOT only for those that are obese. It is a standard rate used by bodybuilders and weightlifters. 2lbs/week is a MODEST rate of fat loss.
Proof please. I've never seen a body builder who cuts calories down to 1200. The ones I've seen on MFP eat much more than that. I just googled your claim and I can find nothing that says for bodybuilders to lose 2lbs per week. Conversely, each calculator that Google threw up says to eat more if I am active only 3 days per week. Even MFP recommends one pound per week as safe weight loss though it will let someone choose 2lbs per week. Plus every body builder I have seen on here eats alot more than me and darn near every one says they have to have a caloric surplus to build muscle.They use it to PRESERVE muscle because they could easily lose weight faster, but obviously prefer to retain as much muscle as possible. It is not unhealthy in the least. You can google this FYI.
Again, please share your links. The studies I have read recently have shown that leaner people will lose muscle mass by eating under BMR while heavier people will not have ill effects. I would really like to know what and where you have been reading because even super fit people on here had a really hard time eating a minimal amount of calories and losing weight.Law of thermodynamics is simple. Calories in, Calories out. You arent losing weight if you eat more over maintenance (factoring in exercise). Period.
Absolutely no arguement from me on this. You do know BMR and maintenance are two different numbers though, right?Regarding me being skinny little thing and calories for today. You are blatantly wrong and that kind of personal attack is out of bonds for this website. I am average weight and I will be at 1200 Calories today.
I already apologized for calling you a skinny little thing. In my defense, I did mean it to be a compliment. It sounds like I hit a nerve and I do sincerely apologize. Calories for today - well, at 9:41pm PST you were at less than 600 calories for the day. You also have multiple other days that you are at under 1000 calories (almost every day for the last 2 weeks under 1200 - I didn't go back farther) and 1200 is the baseline minimum recommended by doctors. If you are not under a doctors care while eating under 1200 calories, you should be. Even MFP is giving you red flags when you hit that log button.I havent logged my entire day's Calories. Thanks. (regarding gaining muscle, I've added 270 lbs to my Leg Press since January. Consider yourself proven wrong).
Great job increasing your leg press... I'm not sure how I am proved wrong? Anorexic people can work out intensely and lift weights before their vlc diets affect them - does that mean they are doing something right too? (No, that isn't an attack on you)And please show me one person who developed an eating disorder eating 1200 Calories a day. That is a modest deficit for me. I burn approx 1900 Calories a day; 700 Cal deficit. That is modest for weight loss. It works out to a 5000 Calorie deficit per week. That isnt even 1.5lbs of fat a week. Modest.
You eat 1200 calories. You burn 1900. That's negative 700 calories per day. If what you just wrote is true that is a starvation diet. Which can develop into an eating disorder. Anorexia isn't a joke and if this is really what you are doing, my advice is for you to please see a doctor and a nutritionist who can set you on the correct path before you do develop a disorder.Regarding plateaus, everyone is different. The standard rule of thumb has ALWAYS been to take your maintenance level and subtract 500 calories. Readjust every few weeks, as maintenance levels change with weight change. Then increase or decrease the deficit as you see fit.
Maintenance minus 500 calories per day is standard 1lb per week weight loss. Maintenance and BMR are two different numbers. BMR is what your body needs to function while lying in a coma. Maintenance is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). If you figure out your BMR then add 20% then you'll have your TDEE and you can subtract calories from that for the correct amount of calories to eat (and adjust accordingly).0 -
Wowww. This discussion is getting heated.
I really appreciated all the helpful information and input tho.
Thanx!! ;D0 -
I would suggest at least eating your BMR, Your BMR is what you need if you were in a coma so everything you do on top of that adds to your calories used. Basically, TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is BMR + non-workout activity + exercise. Your non-workout activity obviously depends on your job and you activities in the day - they should be at least 20% of your BMR - in your case, about 330 calories. Add your exercise calories in - that gives you an additional 340 calories (give or take) - so these combined would give you a deficit of about 670 calories = 1.34 lb a week.
Even though I have a desk job, I am lightly active (more like a 25% uplift) as I am often having to walk around my office - so bear in mind all the things you do in a day.
Also, I would also suggest that you swap out some strength training with the cardio and do low impact cardio on strength training days (walking etc).0 -
You eat 1200 calories. You burn 1900. That's negative 700 calories per day. If what you just wrote is true that is a starvation diet. Which can develop into an eating disorder. Anorexia isn't a joke and if this is really what you are doing, my advice is for you to please see a doctor and a nutritionist who can set you on the correct path before you do develop a disorder.
Wow.
FYI, yes negative calories is the meaning of the word deficit. Which I used. Crazy ehh? A 700 Calorie deficit is NOT a starvation diet. A diet below BMR is NOT unhealthy. Just as below TDEE is NOT unhealthy. It simply means my body will get those 700 Cals from my own fat and possibly muscle. The Diet recommendation you gave above is a 670 deficit. So nearly exactly what I am doing. I'm done here
PS. Most diet recommendations are below BOTH BMR and TDEE. A diet above BMR and below TDEE is a very small deficit, unless you are a very active individual. Whether or not you are below or above BMR is completely irrelevant. The only thing that matters is if a person is in caloric deficit or surplus compared to maintenance (TDEE approximately(0 -
You eat 1200 calories. You burn 1900. That's negative 700 calories per day. If what you just wrote is true that is a starvation diet. Which can develop into an eating disorder. Anorexia isn't a joke and if this is really what you are doing, my advice is for you to please see a doctor and a nutritionist who can set you on the correct path before you do develop a disorder.
Wow.
FYI, yes negative calories is the meaning of the word deficit. Which I used. Crazy ehh? A 700 Calorie deficit is NOT a starvation diet. A diet below BMR is NOT unhealthy. Just as below TDEE is NOT unhealthy. It simply means my body will get those 700 Cals from my own fat and possibly muscle. The Diet recommendation you gave above is a 670 deficit. So nearly exactly what I am doing. I'm done here
PS. Most diet recommendations are below BOTH BMR and TDEE. A diet above BMR and below TDEE is a very small deficit, unless you are a very active individual. Whether or not you are below or above BMR is completely irrelevant. The only thing that matters is if a person is in caloric deficit or surplus compared to maintenance (TDEE approximately(
I think you misunderstand the defict.
Lets say your BMR is 1400, (resting calories), add 20% for daily living 280 calories , and you exercise and burn 1900.
your TDEE = 1400+280+1900 = 3580.
you have eaten 1200, so you have a deficit of 2380, not 700.
You are forgetting that eating at 1200 is already a defict from your TDEE.
If you were working on a 700 defict from TDEE you would actually eat 2580 calores, not 1200.0 -
You eat 1200 calories. You burn 1900. That's negative 700 calories per day. If what you just wrote is true that is a starvation diet. Which can develop into an eating disorder. Anorexia isn't a joke and if this is really what you are doing, my advice is for you to please see a doctor and a nutritionist who can set you on the correct path before you do develop a disorder.
Wow.
FYI, yes negative calories is the meaning of the word deficit. Which I used. Crazy ehh? A 700 Calorie deficit is NOT a starvation diet. A diet below BMR is NOT unhealthy. Just as below TDEE is NOT unhealthy. It simply means my body will get those 700 Cals from my own fat and possibly muscle. The Diet recommendation you gave above is a 670 deficit. So nearly exactly what I am doing. I'm done here
PS. Most diet recommendations are below BOTH BMR and TDEE. A diet above BMR and below TDEE is a very small deficit, unless you are a very active individual. Whether or not you are below or above BMR is completely irrelevant. The only thing that matters is if a person is in caloric deficit or surplus compared to maintenance (TDEE approximately(
I remember having this conversation with Watboy.
He now eats 20% below TDEE and loses more weight.
Food for thought?
Also eating below BMR is eating below the basal rate.
That robs nutrients from vital organs.
That really isnt healthy unless you can get the energy from elsewhere and if its done for short periods of time.
Maybe 2 weeks max then cycling up for hormones sake.0 -
I am certainly enjoying watching this and getting a chuckle. I don't get this 1200, massive under eating, lunacy. I figured out through my own basic experience that eating more makes a difference. Eating 1800 cal/day+working out I would lose .5-1.5 lbs. The weeks where I worked out less and ate around 2200-2400, I'd lose 3-4.5 lbs a week... Clearly my body was wanting more food, and the heavy work out+lower calorie was not getting the job done.0
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I looked up scientific literature to find out where the "eat more than your bmr" rule came from, and found the answer to be: someone's *kitten*. What the literature does say is that your body composition will be better with a 30% deficit from your tdee (not bmr) than if you go more drastic because even if you eat adequate protein and strength train, severe caloric restriction is associated with loss of lean mass. Losing lean mass is bad if for no other reason than that it's not losing the fat that makes us look "soft."
My point? I don't think the bmr is a magic number, but 3 lb a week won't be healthy and if you do it, you'll lose muscle and find it hard to get the firm body you are probably envisioning.
spot on.0 -
Wowww. This discussion is getting heated.
I really appreciated all the helpful information and input tho.
There's a tendency not to consider the smaller / lighter person and the sedentary lifestyle people. Obviously a big guy hitting the gym for hours a week has a high TDEE and can perhaps eat double the TDEE of a small inactive woman and still lose weight.
That doesn't mean the small woman eating 1200 calories is "starving", whatever that even means, she may be getting everything she needs and running a small deficit.0 -
Wowww. This discussion is getting heated.
I really appreciated all the helpful information and input tho.
There's a tendency not to consider the smaller / lighter person and the sedentary lifestyle people. Obviously a big guy hitting the gym for hours a week has a high TDEE and can perhaps eat double the TDEE of a small inactive woman and still lose weight.
That doesn't mean the small woman eating 1200 calories is "starving", whatever that even means, she may be getting everything she needs and running a small deficit.
I agree!
I have some women who fall below 5' who can eat 1200 and do just fine.
But average women 5'3" to 5'5" need more calories and most lose significant fat eating 1600+.
Some of my girls are losing fat at 2200 calories due to lifting protocol and proper cal/carb cycling.
A quick tip to those who have the lower calories but dont feel like its enough, try the Intermittent Fasting lifestyle.
Some folks say 6 meals a day but that isnt necessary.
If you have 1500 cals and you eat 6 times, thats some small meals!
Eat 3 large meals instead and start feeding after 2pm daily.
Its nice for fat burn.
http://www.theiflife.com/intermittent-fasting-roundtable-the-experts-talk-about-if-for-fat-loss-muscle-and-health/
and
www.leangains.com0 -
Your BMR is what your body needs to survive...if you did nothing but just sat on the sofa, your body needs BMR to survive. My BMR is 1313.
My TDEE is 2200 because I workout everyday.
Now, surely you can eat at or below your BMR to lose weight...and you will have success. But, what happens is your body lowers its metabolism because your body says, "Hey, we are only going to get 1313 calories a day, we need to preserve some energy (fat) to keep our organs functioning" So, you lose weight eating at your below your BMR, but then all of the sudden you plateau....hmmm...how could that be? Because your body adjusted to 1313 calories. OR, you lose all of your weight and now you want to increase your calories and eat 1800 calories...that is not a lot more, but according to your new metabolism you are eating too much and you gain weight!
You need to decide, do you want a crash diet or a lifestyle. If you want a crash diet then eat at or below your BMR and exercise to burn 500 calories.
If you want a lifestyle and a change that you can live with...figure out your TDEE.
A safe weight loss is TDEE-20%
For example, my body. TDEE 2250 - 20% (450)= 1800. I eat 1800 per day and i do not eat back my exercise calories because my TDEE already took into account that I exercise everyday.
I also spike my calories and carbs on Fridays so my body does not reset at 1800 calories. I like to keep my body confused.
One more point. I have noticed that young women love to eat 1200 calories and exercise like crazy. I was guilty of that thought too. I thought that I had to be hungry to be thin....if I felt full, I felt fat! We get this thought in our head that if we eat over 1200 calories we will get fat and bloated. And a lot of times, under eating in your 20s can work fine. But, as we age, our metabolism naturally slows down. So, do you want your metabolism to slow down to 1200 calories...what will you do when you are my age (42) and 1200 calories is too much because I have slowed my metabolism down from years of under eating?
Again, just decide, do you want a crash diet or a lifestyle change!0
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