I don't believe in the BMR thing. Anyone else?

2

Replies

  • GasMasterFlash
    GasMasterFlash Posts: 2,206 Member
    X-files%20-%20I%20Want%20to%20Believe%20poster%5B1%5D.png
  • lorilynnschisler
    lorilynnschisler Posts: 31 Member
    I suggest not even counting calories burned when not exercising. I never even consider it. The only calories I count as burned are the those that are worked off actually exercising! Anything over and above that is cake.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    I suggest not even counting calories burned when not exercising. I never even consider it. The only calories I count as burned are the those that are worked off actually exercising! Anything over and above that is cake.
    Yes - cake that you should eat.

    But seriously, that's a ridiculous thing to say. Unless you are doing very intense workouts, the majority of your calories are burned by things that are not exercise... like powering your brain, keeping your heart beating, and so on. If I go by what you're saying, if I don't exercise at all, I could live my whole life without eating.
  • sktllmdrhmz
    sktllmdrhmz Posts: 1,799 Member
    If you don't believe the calculation, why not just go get it tested?
  • bradthemedic
    bradthemedic Posts: 623 Member
    Trolling.
  • lorilynnschisler
    lorilynnschisler Posts: 31 Member
    And if it were THAT easy, powering your brain, keeping your heart berating, etc, than obesity wouldn't be such an issue. What am I saying is exercise and stop counting or wondering what your body burns when powering your brain, etc.
  • JohnnyKitty
    JohnnyKitty Posts: 117 Member
    Oh my gosh, I'm not doubting science or anything like that. It's just that the concept is weird.
    We have some unnecessarily mean people here :/
  • StarkLark
    StarkLark Posts: 476 Member
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  • UrbanRunner81
    UrbanRunner81 Posts: 1,207 Member
    you would be surprised how much you burn. I have bodymedia fit. I was actually kind of shocked that I burn 2300 calories on a rest day. I mean I don't sit around all day, but just cooking, dishes and light cleaning.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I went to a lab with my husband last week and we both got tested at rest and during exercise. We had to wear masks and breath through a tube into an analysis machine. Stuff like this is not subject to belief.....there is real science behind it. You can have your own opinions, but the facts remain the same.

    how did your results compare with the various predictions ?
  • gatecityradio
    gatecityradio Posts: 401
    I don't believe in the easter bunny.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    You don't believe in science?

    lol this was my first thought!
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    Oh my gosh, I'm not doubting science or anything like that. It's just that the concept is weird.
    We have some unnecessarily mean people here :/

    Sorry if the science comments sounded mean. I meant mine as a joke. It's just that the topic of your post "I don't believe in the BMR thing" is funny because BMR is science, so it's like saying you don't believe in science.

    Anyway, yeah like everyone else has said, you'd be surprised how hard your body is working even when you're just sitting around! It takes a lot of energy to do that much work, which burns a lot of calories. Be glad for it! :)
  • ndbex
    ndbex Posts: 61 Member
    So about 1/3 of the posters in response to this question are trolls. Just because a person is ignorant about a subject or term, does not mean he/she is stupid. If you don't know what ignorance is, look it up. I'm sorry this person tried to find support and information here and was treated so poorly by some of the users. If we all were so dang perfect, no one would be on this site in the first place. You make yourself look like an idiot by trolling the posts on a fitness web site, looking for something snarky to say. Grow up.
  • shannairl
    shannairl Posts: 65
    Some of you guys are so mean, it's actually offputting. I've so many questions I'd love to ask but then I see replies like the ones on this thread from patronizing know-alls who have been here a lot longer than either myself or the OP are. The girl just joined in March, how about a little support and correct explanation without all the bashing?

    Can none of you with hundreds or thousands of posts think back to when you first learned about BMRs, TDEEs, Fitbits, HRMs? It's goddamn confusing for someone who's never heard these terms before and it would be really beneficial to everyone here if you could use some of your knowledge to HELP US rather than mock and be condescending. We're all after the same goal here - to be fit and healthy.


    THIS is why I hate the message boards on this site.

    Fitness "Pal" my *kitten*...
  • saintspoon
    saintspoon Posts: 242 Member
    hey some have been a little snooty here but you were still given tons of very good information & people DID answer your question in a few different ways.

    Like real life people are sarcastic & jerks.... but also like real life people are helpfull & kind.


    Once again.... your idea was discussed & insight was given despite the arseholes!
  • foxbat2828
    foxbat2828 Posts: 391 Member
    I certainly believe in the BMR thing from the simple perspective that a lot of the calories that we burn in a day are not actually tied to physical activity. According to McArdle, roughly 70% of the calories that our bodies use are for the bare essentials of staying alive like heart, liver, brain, and breathing functions. About 10% is used on digestion. Only about 20% is actually used on our physical activity.
  • Starsighter78
    Starsighter78 Posts: 62 Member
    they make a couple of creams that can help with the burning sensation. Over application will increase your TDEE though.

    Bwahahahahahah!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,974 Member
    It says I burn 1,450 calories at a sedentary lifestyle, but I feel as if I burn waaaaay less than that.
    How can it take your weight and height or whatever and tell you accurately how many calories you burn daily?
    I really don't get how that works... lol
    It's called physiology. Gravity of Earth, your weight, your actual movement ends up with a calculation of how much energy is expended. There's much more to it than that (age, gender etc.) but it's a calculation that's approximated.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    there is a whole science and equation behind it, and if you wanted to look it up its called the "harris benedict equation".

    As I assume you know, there are other formulae, and MFP uses one of the alternative ones because it doesn't believe that Harris Benedict is appropriate for most people on this site.

    Our calculator uses the Mifflin-St. Jeor equations to estimate your BMR which is believed to be more accurate than the more commonly used Harris-Benedict equation.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    I went to a lab with my husband last week and we both got tested at rest and during exercise. We had to wear masks and breath through a tube into an analysis machine. Stuff like this is not subject to belief.....there is real science behind it. You can have your own opinions, but the facts remain the same.

    I've had that test, too, many years ago. I would trust the results in that case because they are measuring your CO2 output as well as having much more detailed information about you. They also test you in an exercising and rested state.
  • cyclingben
    cyclingben Posts: 346 Member
    I believe its a guesstimate, it wont be the same for everyone but it has worked for me so far. BMI is the one i don't agree with. I have a 37.5% BMI according to their calculations = Extremely Overweight
  • 2012asv
    2012asv Posts: 702 Member
    What's not to believe? It does exist. The actual number will vary every day. You "can" get a true number with certain devices like fitbit or bodyugg and things like that, which also cost a lot of money. For most people, an average number is sufficient to determine caloric goals. Nothing is 100% exact in this game unfortunately.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    *deleted* I misread the post I was replying to. :ohwell:
  • bradthemedic
    bradthemedic Posts: 623 Member
    I repeat: trolling.
  • JohnnyKitty
    JohnnyKitty Posts: 117 Member
    I repeat: trolling.

    I wasn't trolling...
  • foster59803
    foster59803 Posts: 439 Member
    I went to a lab with my husband last week and we both got tested at rest and during exercise. We had to wear masks and breath through a tube into an analysis machine. Stuff like this is not subject to belief.....there is real science behind it. You can have your own opinions, but the facts remain the same.

    I've had that test, too, many years ago. I would trust the results in that case because they are measuring your CO2 output as well as having much more detailed information about you. They also test you in an exercising and rested state.



    I had mine tested as well.... if you are questioning what yours is, I highly recommend it. We are all different and I don't believe 1 formula works for all, there are many variables that need to be considered. There are people out there that the estimated BMR is not accurate, could be medical reasons (thyroid etc) or metabolic/hormonal issues... I will agree that the basic calculation of BMR does work for most people ... but that does not mean everyone. Good luck!
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    If you were eating lots and gaining chances are if you had a rmr test done it would be high. If you try to eat as little as possible for an extended period of time chances are high it will be low. If you ate a regular amount and arent retardedly muscley or something chances are it would read about bmr. There are several equations, some include body fat. There are also simulators made from research papers that include the metabolism. Try to find me a person who tried to net a few hundred over bmr for a few months and got fat. Even if they had a thyroid problem.
  • SteveHunt113
    SteveHunt113 Posts: 648 Member
    I'd like some clarity: when you say "the BMR thing", are you talking about what BMR represents, or how MFP calculates it? Because BMR is very real, but calculations only guess at what your BMR is.

    One of the things most people don't understand about the formulas is that the lowest activity level would be used if you were bed ridden and possibly in a coma. Sedentary does not apply for 99% of the people on here, which causes the calculated BMR to be lower than it should be.

    The best thing to do, in the end, is to simply keep track of your weight over time. If you try to lose 1 pound each week (3500 calorie deficit each week/500 each day) and find you are averaging more than that each week, your BMR is too low. If your average is under, your BMR is too high. So make manual adjustments to your own numbers to get your accurate BMR. It's a time consuming process, but in the end, it will prove the BMR is not fiction! :)
  • christenwypy
    christenwypy Posts: 335 Member
    You probably already got the answer a million times by now but just in case- it is what your body burns just to do all the regular stuff like digest, beat your heart, etc. Like if you were in bed all day or even in a coma these bodily functions would still take place and you would burn those calories. They can calculate that just based on weight. So that is what you burn doing absolutely nothing.

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