BMR and daily calorie allowance

CLD79

I used the calculator to look at my bmr and it said something like 1435. In my settings it is calculating my caloric intake should be 1200. Can this be correct? Why is it telling me my caloric intake should be less than what my body needs in a coma to survive?

clobercow

In before the 1200 Calorie Church of MFP chimes in and talks about starvation mode.

Just eat around BMR.

Calorie counting is overly simplistic anyhow. I suggest you adopt a style of eating along with it. Say Paleo, or Keto since us fat/obese people are typically putting on weight from hormonal imbalance. More specifically, our consumption is typically increased because specific foods cause us to feel hungry. Fix that and your body composition will fix itself.

gingifer77

I am going to assume that the 1435 is what you need to stay at the weight your are now. For example for me to stay at my weight my calorie intake is 1382 but for me to get to my ideal weight I have to take in less and was adviced by a dietician to go no lower than 1200 calories a day.

ubermensch13

If your BMR is really 1435, and you don't move from your bed at all during the day, eat that. Otherwise, use one of the websites I link below to figure out your TDEE(this takes into account how much exercise you get per day) and eat 20% less than that number. I can't imagine any human being who is active will ever need to only eat 1200 calories per day.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

Pebble321

Because you have told MFP that you want to lose weight.

Therefore it takes your BMR, multiplies it by an activity factor (x 1.2 if you chose "sedentary").
This is your maintenance calories - the cals that will keep you at your current weight.

If you told MFP you want to lose 1 pound a week, it will subtract 500 cals from your maintenance number.
If this number goes under 1200, MFP will keep it at 1200 anyway.
This is because 1200 cals is generally considered a "safe minimum" for women to eat each day.

(You can see all these calculations on your "goals" page.)

If you don't like the way MFP calculates your daily calorie allowance, there are about a gazillion other calorie calculators out there - just pick one method and stick to it for a month or so, then evaluate how your body is responding. There isn't a perfect number for everyone, it's always going to be trial and error.

AntWrig

If your BMR is really 1435, and you don't move from your bed at all during the day, eat that. Otherwise, use one of the websites I link below to figure out your TDEE(this takes into account how much exercise you get per day) and eat 20% less than that number. I can't imagine any human being who is active will ever need to only eat 1200 calories per day.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

Or how about just get up and move. Take notes and make adjustments? People spend some much time with numbers and make no progress. Myfitnesspal has enough tools for one to be able to gauge their progress.

CLD79

Thanks for the websites. They are very helpful! Right now I am injured and can't walk much so I am trying to watch the caloric intake more. That is when I saw the BMR number and became confused.

yarwell

Thanks for the websites. They are very helpful! Right now I am injured and can't walk much so I am trying to watch the caloric intake more. That is when I saw the BMR number and became confused.

That 65 lbs you're looking to lose is worth nearly quarter of a million calories. So some of the BMR calories can come from there, as well as from what you eat. The 65 lbs is equivalent to 1250 calories per day over 6 months, or 625 per day over a year.

auntygill

Try This one . it helped me


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12