Changing from 1200 to BMR - 20%

WendyFlynn

Hi Guys

I just wanted confirmation that I have worked things out correctly:

I have been sucessful in losing 51lbs since the beginning of the year on 1200 calories (as recommended by MFP). Weight loss is around 1lb per week now which I know is still good and is what I should be aiming for. As i get closer to goal weight, I am worried weight loss will just halt.

Having read SO many posts that say you should never eat below BMR, I did some calculations.

I'm 5ft 4 and 167lbs. BMR is 1571. I am sedentary so I multiplied 1571 x 1.2 = 1885 cals

I am looking to lose around 20 more pounds so I minused 20% of 1885 = 1508 cals per day.

Obviously, this is a good 300 cals per day over what I have been eating, and to be honest, I would love to have a bit more chicken/rice/noodles/ etc etc on my plate of an evening! I eat low fat meals, wholegrain breads and rice, lots of chicken with peppers and mushrooms.

Do you guys think I should up my calories? Or just keep plodding on with my 1200 cals?

I am looking to start getting more active, walking mainly, do you eat back exercise calories using the BMR - 20% method?

Has anyone sucessfully upped their calories from 1200 and still continued to lose weight?

Any advice would be appreciated. Sorry for the long post :blushing: (How I have managed to get this far being sooo uneducated is beyond me!)

siriusalien

I will be watch the responses to this post with interest. There are so many people on this forum, from my perspective, that don't believe you can lose weight at 1200 let alone survive below your BMR

mcarter99

There is no medical reason you can't eat below your BMR. If you're losing a lb. a week on 1200 you're burning around 1700/day. If you go to 1500 (long term), you will drop to an average of about half that loss. There's nothing wrong with that. And eating more might have other benefits. But don't believe you will automatically lose faster on more calories.

rose313

Go for it! If it doesn't work, you can always try something else. I don't bother with all that math, I just eat what MFP tells me to to lose 1/2 a pound a week. It happens to be AT my BMR. I love it.

WendyFlynn

There is no medical reason you can't eat below your BMR. If you're losing a lb. a week on 1200 you're burning around 1700/day. If you go to 1500 (long term), you will drop to an average of about half that loss. There's nothing wrong with that. And eating more might have other benefits. But don't believe you will automatically lose faster on more calories.

Thank you, that's very informative. Do I want to lose 1/2 a pound a week eating 300 calories more per day? Or forgo those extra calories and lose 1lb a week.......I will give it some thought.

In regards to believing I will lose faster on more calories..... it actually never crossed my mind... I just wanted to eat more food lol x

gnarlynoodle

There is no medical reason you can't eat below your BMR. If you're losing a lb. a week on 1200 you're burning around 1700/day. If you go to 1500 (long term), you will drop to an average of about half that loss. There's nothing wrong with that. And eating more might have other benefits. But don't believe you will automatically lose faster on more calories.

Thank you, that's very informative. Do I want to lose 1/2 a pound a week eating 300 calories more per day? Or forgo those extra calories and lose 1lb a week.......I will give it some thought.

In regards to believing I will lose faster on more calories..... it actually never crossed my mind... I just wanted to eat more food lol x

So, what I gather from your last sentence is that you're hungry and crave more food? I'm in the eat more to weigh less camp, so my opinion is going to suggest you go ahead and eat at/above your BMR. What is more realistic for you, long term? That's what you have to ask yourself.

ambitious01

I think it's a good plan. Make sure you give it time though. So many folks start to get discouraged after learning to eat so little to survive. If that doesnt work for you there's calorie zig zagging. http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm:smile: and I wish you luck

EmiVReyes

I have started running into the problem of hitting that plateu of weight loss every few weeks. My calorie goal automatically set to 1200 which was great for awhile but now that i only have 35 more lbs to lose, i get really really hungry through out the day and have found myself going over. I still have lost weight even by going over. If your body is still hungry, eat. Even if that means going over your calories.

It's ok to eat more than 1200. You know what your body needs.

Way to go by the way on your success so far!!

erickirb

You mean TDEE - 20%, as you are only 63 cals (1571-1508) below BMR which is BMR -4%, (63/1571*100)

DixiedoesMFP

I eat between 1800 and 2000 (sometimes a little more) and I am losing. I am losing slowly, but I think this is something I can stick to forever. I could not stick to eating 1200 calories a day for the rest of my life.

em9371

eating 300 cals more doesnt necessarily mean you will lose half a pound less. Eating too little can affect your metabolism so you lose less than the maths would say you should.
I lose 1-1.5 most weeks eating 2000 total / 1500 net, I lost the same eating 1600/1100 net!!!!!!!!!!!
Just try it and see if it works for you, even if your loss IS slower, it will make it easier to stick with if you dont feel so restricted with your eating :-)

jedibunny

The people who lose faster on more calories are those who essentially plateaued at or near 1200 and needed to boost their metabolism. I'm one of those and, although it's been only a short time and I have less overall to lose, I needed the jumpstart to get me going after hitting a months-long plateau early on. Since then, I've started dropping again... yes, slowly, but there are a lot of factors to take into account including how much exercise I do or don't get in a week. (and p.s., you don't want to eat at BMR -20%, you want TDEE -20%. My BMR is 1371, TDEE is 2050, so I try to eat between 1550--1725 and not go lower than 1371).

There are groups here with a lot of information on the hows and whys of eating more to lose more (like Eat More to Weigh Less and Eating for Future You), and I'd suggest talking to some of those people if you want to hear more success stories. Lots of them will warn to NEVER eat below BMR -- I find "never" to be a very strong word, but the strength emphasizes the fact that it's a potential danger to your long-term health and nutrition if your body gets used to having less fuel than it should. Metabolism slowing down, lack of nutrients, etc. That's why a lot of people DO plateau at or under 1200; their metabolism slows. Giving yourself a boost of fuel (added calories) after that happens help to get the metabolism back up and get you losing again.

It sounds like you haven't hit that slowing point yet, so you may or may not see better results by eating more, but I'd personally suggest at least upping your calorie intake to your BMR just so you're getting enough fuel... *if not* going all the way up to TDEE -20% right away.

Feel free to add me/message me/etc. or check out those groups if only for informational purposes. You'll definitely get your testimonials there.

cookiefluff

Hi, can you provide a link to that club/forum (eat more to lose weight) please, i cant find it

abigailmariecs

I started at the 1200 cal and lost 1lbs in 4 weeks. I changed mine baised on the recomendations of the eat more weigh less group. I figured it could not hurt to try, having only lost one pound. I calculated a 25% loss and the maintnence. I attempt to eat between those two numbers on a daily basis. Since I started 3 weeks ago I have lost almost 8lbs. I have my activity level set to 3-5 hrs of moderate exercise a week. This way I do not eat back my exercise calories as it is already figured into my totals. You do need to recalculate for every 5lbs lost though.

abigailmariecs

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less


eat more to weigh less group link

tigerlily8045

I found as I started excercising more and doing more weights that I needed those calories just to make me function. If you are doing more activities you probably do need more fuel. Just don't do as I did and choose a cookie for those extra calories! A good place to go is http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

That will give you a ball park to manually set your calories at. I set my calories in MFP to my BMR then eat back whatever I excercise. Just an option for you to consider.

Awkward30

Honestly, netting 1200 is actually not a bad goal for you, if you want to lose 1 lb a week. If your sedentary TDEE is around 1700, then 1200 is a completely reasonable goal. I hate that all the girls have revolted against the 1200 calorie goal... if you are short, it often IS the right goal for you until you get close to your goal. This is, assuming that you eat back your exercise cals, or at least some portion of them.

I don't like eating 1200, so I bought a bodybugg and tracked my actual TDEE, which is around 2100, so 1600 should be about right, which would be like eating 1200 and exercising 400 a day (I go to the gym 6-7 times a week and have a non-sedentary job.

Now that I'm less than 10 lb from my goal, I'm doing leangains, and I am eating 1500ish (more if I'm hungry, less if I'm not) on cardio or rest days and 2000 on weight training days. It's only been a few weeks, so I'll see if this is working better or not. I hadn't really hit a plateau though, just wasn't seeing the measurement changes I wanted...

Basically, while I do think that losing slowly is the best approach, I don't think that you can uniformly say everyone should or shouldn't eat 1200 cals. Do what works for you (mentally and physically)

WendyFlynn

You mean TDEE - 20%, as you are only 63 cals (1571-1508) below BMR which is BMR -4%, (63/1571*100)

Yup, I told you I didn't know what I was on about. I have now calculated TDEE at 1814 on the Scooby website. Minus 20% is 1451.

Cheers dude

WendyFlynn

I have started running into the problem of hitting that plateu of weight loss every few weeks. My calorie goal automatically set to 1200 which was great for awhile but now that i only have 35 more lbs to lose, i get really really hungry through out the day and have found myself going over. I still have lost weight even by going over. If your body is still hungry, eat. Even if that means going over your calories.

It's ok to eat more than 1200. You know what your body needs.

Way to go by the way on your success so far!!

Hi Emma

Thanks for your encouragement and well done to you too!

Also, isn't it funny that I am now hungrier than when I first started, nice to know it's not just me!

Keep it up gal, good luck x

WendyFlynn

I eat between 1800 and 2000 (sometimes a little more) and I am losing. I am losing slowly, but I think this is something I can stick to forever. I could not stick to eating 1200 calories a day for the rest of my life.

I've got to admit, the closer I get to goal and the thought of maintaining scares me. Surely, I should start upping the cals now as maintenance is 1800 cals, my body would go into shock!

WendyFlynn

Thank you Jedibunny for explaining the difference between TDEE and BMR...... I think I've sussed it now. Very imformative post, thanks so much x

WendyFlynn

I started at the 1200 cal and lost 1lbs in 4 weeks. I changed mine baised on the recomendations of the eat more weigh less group. I figured it could not hurt to try, having only lost one pound. I calculated a 25% loss and the maintnence. I attempt to eat between those two numbers on a daily basis. Since I started 3 weeks ago I have lost almost 8lbs. I have my activity level set to 3-5 hrs of moderate exercise a week. This way I do not eat back my exercise calories as it is already figured into my totals. You do need to recalculate for every 5lbs lost though.

Wow, you're doing great Abi, keep it up. This would put me at 1600 cals, I could live with that! x

WendyFlynn

I found as I started excercising more and doing more weights that I needed those calories just to make me function. If you are doing more activities you probably do need more fuel. Just don't do as I did and choose a cookie for those extra calories! A good place to go is http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

That will give you a ball park to manually set your calories at. I set my calories in MFP to my BMR then eat back whatever I excercise. Just an option for you to consider.

Thanks for the link to scooby, I think I know what I am doing now, at last.... yeah! x

Brandicaloriecountess

I have been slowly upping my calories and I am losing more than I have in MONTHS!

I'm now at 1800-1900 a day and love it.

WendyFlynn

Honestly, netting 1200 is actually not a bad goal for you, if you want to lose 1 lb a week. If your sedentary TDEE is around 1700, then 1200 is a completely reasonable goal. I hate that all the girls have revolted against the 1200 calorie goal... if you are short, it often IS the right goal for you until you get close to your goal. This is, assuming that you eat back your exercise cals, or at least some portion of them.

I don't like eating 1200, so I bought a bodybugg and tracked my actual TDEE, which is around 2100, so 1600 should be about right, which would be like eating 1200 and exercising 400 a day (I go to the gym 6-7 times a week and have a non-sedentary job.

Now that I'm less than 10 lb from my goal, I'm doing leangains, and I am eating 1500ish (more if I'm hungry, less if I'm not) on cardio or rest days and 2000 on weight training days. It's only been a few weeks, so I'll see if this is working better or not. I hadn't really hit a plateau though, just wasn't seeing the measurement changes I wanted...

Basically, while I do think that losing slowly is the best approach, I don't think that you can uniformly say everyone should or shouldn't eat 1200 cals. Do what works for you (mentally and physically)

Great to hear other peeps stories, much appreciated. And, I agree, 1200 hasn't been too bad, just feeling like I need to eat more at the moment. Definately have to re think exercise, maybe I should just gain back my extra 200 cals that I want to eat by moving my *kitten* more x

secretlobster

I came from struggling on a 1200 calorie diet (high amount of physical activity) to eating 1900-2200 calories (same amount of physical activity). So far I've lost 3lbs in as many weeks. But the biggest part for me is knowing that I don't HAVE to eat a low calorie diet. that was horrible. My energy level is SO MUCH BETTER!! I am eating for a sedentary TDEE, since I have a desk job, then I add my exercise calories which can often be 700--800 daily.

I really hate the Eat More To Weigh Less group because they boot members who don't follow their philosophy like religion and the group leader cannot handle civil debate or criticism. But if you're sticking with TDEE - 20% you should see good results.

WendyFlynn

I have been slowly upping my calories and I am losing more than I have in MONTHS!

I'm now at 1800-1900 a day and love it.

Wow, you are awesome, such a great loss and you look so well. Can I ask, how many calories did you start at? x

eknobbe

I AM ALSO INTERESTED!! BUMP

Brandicaloriecountess

I have been slowly upping my calories and I am losing more than I have in MONTHS!

I'm now at 1800-1900 a day and love it.

Wow, you are awesome, such a great loss and you look so well. Can I ask, how many calories did you start at? x

1200, and I went into weight loss REALLY blind. I didn't use the forums or do much research prior to starting so I actually ate 1200 or LESS for awhile,but I really wasn't working out a lot at that point. I always new enough to listen to my body though when my weight loss would slow, I would eat more, I started out making sure I ate 1200, then as my workouts increased I started eating some exercise calories back. But I found that I was just still FREAKING HUNGRY lol. I started listening to podcasts @ fat2fitradio and decided to use their numbers. I went up to about 1600, then 1700 and now 1800. I have had a few people say I look happier lately and the only thing I have really changed is that I am finally eating enough!!!!

WendyFlynn

I came from struggling on a 1200 calorie diet (high amount of physical activity) to eating 1900-2200 calories (same amount of physical activity). So far I've lost 3lbs in as many weeks. But the biggest part for me is knowing that I don't HAVE to eat a low calorie diet. that was horrible. My energy level is SO MUCH BETTER!! I am eating for a sedentary TDEE, since I have a desk job, then I add my exercise calories which can often be 700--800 daily.

I really hate the Eat More To Weigh Less group because they boot members who don't follow their philosophy like religion and the group leader cannot handle civil debate or criticism. But if you're sticking with TDEE - 20% you should see good results.

Thank you, after everyone's great advice, I am going to up my calories by 200 per day, that is TDEE - 20% (now I know what TDEE is..... you MFP'ers are great).

Good luck everyone on your journeys.... it's not always easy, and it's not always as fulfilling (or filling lol) as we want, but we all just need to keep at it.... find out what works for us as individuals and keep going.

Thanks guys x

2012asv

If you mean 20% less from TDEE than yes, that's a good start. See if it works, if not make some adjustments.