Confused about BMR and calorie goal. =/

Sd0510

Hello. I am very confused about my calorie intake. First of all, I know there are many threads on this subject, but there are so many different responses and I don't know what is correct. Sorry, if I am being repetitive.

I am 20 years old, 222 pounds, 5'6", and sedentary. I have my weight loss set at 2 lbs. /week. MFP has my calories set at 1230 per day before exercise, but it also says my BMR is 1795. Now, some people say you aren't supposed to eat less than your BMR, but I don't know if that's right or not because 1230 is 1000 calories less than my TDEE and if I eat my BMR, I feel as if I will start gaining weight back. I do exercise at least twice a day and burn on an average of 450 calories a day, but I do eat those calories back. Also, I lost 20 pounds back in December when I was only eating the amount of calories MFP gave me, which was 1300 at the time and I am currently losing weight now as well, so it is working at least somewhat.

I am just confused and I don't know which is right because I don't want to gain weight back, but I also don't want to under-eat, although I think it might be hard for me to increase my calories by 500 since I am already used to this intake. Please help! Thanks!

rileysowner

If your BMR is what you stated, the number of calories you burn in a day as a sedentary person is approximately 2154. Thus even eating your BMR you would have a daily deficit of 359. Having sad that, with the amount of weight you have to lose, eating where you are would not be a problem for a while, but you will be more likely to have plateaus. This is especially true if you don't do some sort of resistance training as it will help retain muscle mass.

Sd0510

Resistance training meaning what exactly? I am currently doing the 30 Day Shred and the C25K and I'm planning on doing P90x soon, so would that be good? And I was thinking I was originally going to keep my current calorie goal until I plateau, but I wasn't sure if that was fine health-wise.

Embera

im confused too i dont get what all these numbers and abreviations mean and what there soposto do for me but i looked up and my bmr is 1840 but that means what is that what i should be eating

Sd0510

I know BMR is the amount of calories you would burn if you literally did nothing all day long, but I don't know if that's what I should be eating. That's why I posted. =/

hazocama

wish I could help but it all confusses me too. I thought that mfp cal goal WAS the amount that we were to eat, then you add your workouts and eat those cal too. But I see people congratulating others for eating under thier cal's.
they set me at 1250. and I am not losing like I want but it fills me up and I cant even think of eating more than that, but would if it ment losing more weight. I need to still lose 60lbs.

Shayztar

In a nutshell, you should not eat less than your BMR unless you are morbidly obese and under the supervision of a Dr.

MFP gives the number 1200 or thereabouts because it's a computer program doing basic math. The base amount it tells people is 1200 calories because of legal reasons; it is the least amount of calories the average person requires to just remain on this planet. If you input that you are 2000 lbs and want to lose 1000 lbs in one month it will tell you 1200 calories, etc.

If you eat your BMR, you likely won't mess with your metabolism, and just the act of stepping out of bed and taking a pee is a caloric burn above that. Over time, you will lose weight. Not 1000 lbs in 1 month, but you get it.

Oh, and re-adjust your BMR amount as you lose weight.

That is all. LOL Good luck!

justaskforbrandy

i honestly have no clue either haha i don't even know what TDEE means! i always heard you weren't suppose to eat less than 1200 NET, so i try to keep my NET at or above 1200... so if i eat 1400 calories but exercise -450 calories, i eat more until my NET is 1200... but i'm not really losing weight, in fact i keep jumping between the same 3 pounds so I'm thinking maybe my logic is wrong haha.. i'm interested in reading some responses!!

rileysowner

Resistance training meaning what exactly? I am currently doing the 30 Day Shred and the C25K and I'm planning on doing P90x soon, so would that be good? And I was thinking I was originally going to keep my current calorie goal until I plateau, but I wasn't sure if that was fine health-wise.

Ideally lifting weights. But bodyweight stuff works as well, I have no idea what 30 Day Shred is like, but P90X has some resistance like stuff. If you want to see what a bodyweight workout is like have a look in the Bodyweight training group here.

BMR--the amount of calories your body would burn if you did nothing at all, ie if you were in a coma. It is what your body needs just to keep you heart pumping, the lungs breathing, and your brain functioning. Eating below this for a prolonged period of time will result in more muscle loss and a slow down of your metabolism.

TDEE--Total Daily Energy Expenditure, the amount of calories you burn from your normal activity. For sedentary people that would generally be 1.2 times your BMR. Hence the number I gave you earlier.

The MFP number is fine as long as you eat your exercise calories back if you have a lot to lose. For many people, even some with a lot to lose, going to 1 pound per week is sometimes better and will lead to more consistent weight loss.

theresabell67

Read the thread called. Eat more to weigh less and I think it will answer your questions

foxbat2828

You typically want to eat somewhere between your BMR and your TDEE. Most people talk about not eating below 1,200 calories, but BMR tends to be a better minimal target because it takes into account your height, weight, current weight, lifestyle, as opposed to a flat number like 1,200. Eating at least your BMR also tends to fit in with the ideology of those who lean toward eating back your exercise calories, even if you don't eat them back. Often you'll find that what MFP suggests that you eat in a day, accounting for the deficit to lose x pounds in a week, is less than your BMR. As such, getting in some exercise to provide for some leeway to eat enough to get over your BMR in calories, i.e. eating back exercise calories. This usually provides a way to get over your BMR, but less than TDEE.