eating BMR?

sekaie

Hey guys,

Since the beginning of May, I've been trying to be strict with my eating, but I've had trouble with binging ect. My BMR was tested and my body composition measured, and I've been eating 1200 calories a day, and I'm considering putting it up to 1400. My BMR is only 1466 a day, but I exercise around 4000+ calories a week.

Also, at 1200 I was receiving adequate nutrition, fiber, protein and fats, it was all healthy stuff.But I'm not shifting the body fat I'd like, despite being only 18 and should therefor be easier.

Any ideas?

AzhureSnow

What type of exercising are you doing?

I think that, with that kind of exercise burn, you should be very fine at 1400 calories a day. I alternate every week or two between 1200 calories and 1450. I find it keeps my metabolism moving along and not stagnating.

TONYAGOOCH

Check out the group Eat More Weigh Less. You'll find a lot of great information there. You're actually not supposed to eat below your BMR. Usually somewhere between tour TDEE and BMR.

sleepytexan

You will likely have better progress by eating at or just above BMR -- and that is NET, so eat your exercise calories. There is a sweet spot for weight loss between BMR and TDEE. The trick is to find it--and it takes patience.

Start at BMR + exercise and stay for at least 3-4 weeks. You may have an initial gain, but it should drop back down and either maintain or keep dropping. If you keep losing, stay there. If you're maintaining, increase your base calories by another 100 (still eating exercise calories). Stay there for 3-4 weeks. Repeat if necessary.

Once you get to goal, you can test your maintenance in the same way -- increase calories 100 at a time for 3-4 weeks. Once you get to the point where you gain a bit (and it sticks, not just a few days or a week), you know to drop back down to 100 less.

I am 5'4, 130 lbs and 44 years old. BMR 1317, TDEE 2271. I have found I can maintain by eating 2000-2300 a day.

So . . . a few words about 1200 calories:

Your body gets used to how much you eat. This is not necessarily a good thing when you are eating too little.

WHY 1200 CALORIES (or fewer) MIGHT BE A BAD IDEA:

You lose weight for a while and maybe you will make it to goal (the bigger you are, the longer this will work, however most people can't get those last 10-20 lbs off at 1200 calories).

The longer you do this, the longer your metabolism has to adjust downward and get used to 1200 calories. Assuming you make it to goal, you want to maintain, right? What do you think is going to happen when/if you get there and it's time to maintain, when you start trying to eat "maintenance" calories? You'll gain. Welcome back to the yo-yo.


WHY EATING AT THE TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) OF YOUR GOAL WEIGHT MIGHT BE A BETTER IDEA:

Eat now, like the thin you at maintenance. Fat2Ftiradio.com can help you find the TDEE of your ideal weight: Choose ALL CALCULATORS, MILITARY BODY FAT%, then get your bodyfat estimate. Now calculate your BMR, and look in the chart below to see the TDEE of your goal weight -- that is how much the thin you will eat at maintenance.

Eating at maintenance for your ideal weight is a great idea because you will eat THIS SAME AMOUNT of calories for life. Your metabolism will not slow down to match too little fuel (1200 calories), and consequently stall on the way to goal, or cause you to gain when you try to increase calories later to maintain.

BTW, if you have been eating below your BMR for an extended period of time, and especially if you have been stalled/plateaued for an extended period of time, you may experience a slight gain for some weeks after you increase to the proper amount of calories. However, at the point where your body adjusts to the proper amount of fuel based on your dally activities, you will begin to lose again and break through the plateau.

Blessings.