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Calorie confusion

Aequitas503
Aequitas503 Posts: 62
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I know this has been asked in about every second post, and I'm sorry to repeat the topic, but I'm horribly confused.

I've been on MFP for nearly two weeks with a calorie goal of 1200 per day. I've mostly stuck to it except for a few binge days. The scale has not changed, just fluctuated within a 1kg area and my thigh and bicep measurements have dropped by 1cm each but waist/hip measurements haven't moved.

One thing I've noticed is that on the day after the 'binge days' the scale seems to show a loss which it doesn't show after 'goal days'. I keep wondering if that's a suggestion that I'm not eating enough and should be raising my calories. I've been feeling a lot more tired than usual too.

I exercise for 30 mins 3-4 times a week after work and 1hr a day on weekends. I do a mix of cardio and recently started weight training.

MFP says my BMR is 1,433 calories per day and my TDEE is 1,790 per day.

I've seen some people saying you shouldn't eat below your BMR and others saying you shoud so now I'm confused. I haven't seen much/any progress yet but I don't know if that means I'm doing it wrong and need to eat more or if I'm just impatient.

Any suggestions? Or am I just being impatient and should stick with this for a bit longer? I know I'm not that overweight now so can't expect miracles but I was eating badly before I started this (I was a bit depressed for a couple of months and unconciously turned to comfort eating) so I guess I expected more of a change after so drastically changing things.

Replies

  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
    I can come up lighter after having a calorie heavy day involving alcohol - I put it down to dehydration though...
  • McLifterPants
    McLifterPants Posts: 457 Member
    I was told that eating under your BMR for a prolonged period of time is unsafe. Your BMR is your Base Metabolic Rate: the calories your body would need in a coma to keep your organs functioning. Your TDEE is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure: the calories you use going about your every day existence. In general, you should be somewhere between the two if you want to lose weight. As long as you maintain a deficit from TDEE, you should make progress, even if it's slow. My numbers are very similar to yours, and I eat 1500 calories a day, plus my exercise calories. I am seeing much better results than I did at 1200; I am not hungry all the time anymore, I am still losing weight, and more importantly, I am getting enough food to actually maintain or add lean mass (muscle) so my overall build is more toned and less squishy. That's my two cents! Good luck :)
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