I Had My BMR Tested - It's 1032 Calories

CATindeeHAT

I'm posting this in the forums after receiving several requests to do so by my friends here at MFP.

This is just my experience, I do not claim to be an expert and I'm not suggesting anybody change their diet - So PLEASE try and resist ripping this thread apart to shreds.

When I was 17 I was diagnosed with having narcolepsy and I have been taking prescription Adderall (20mg/3x day) since then. The soul-suckers running my health insurance company require testing to 'reconfirm' a diagnosis every 5 years in order to be eligible for prescription coverage so last night I had a panel, cardiac stress test, sleep study, body fat measurement, and CT scan with iodine contrast done.

When the doctor was filling out the order to have my tests done, there was an option to also have my BMR tested and I elected to do so. These were my results:

The testing took a little over 20 hours. They had wake me up every 4 hours, walk on a treadmill for 10 minutes, stay awake for an additional 30 minutes, and repeat (it royally sucked). My BMR was tested immediately when I woke up from each interval and right before I started the next one. The stress test and CT scan were performed that next morning.

(Note: Normally sleep studies have you sleep throughout the night. However, I have had SEVERAL of these tests performed and my diagnosis has been reconfirmed a dozen times. So to demonstrate my narcolepsy eloquently, they studied my sleep in intervals. In 'normal' individuals it takes anywhere from 2-4 hours after they fall asleep to reach REM sleep - the deepest and most restful stage of sleep (you know, when you're drooling so much you start to form a puddle on your pillow) - but people with narcolepsy reach REM sleep almost IMMEDIATELY after they fall asleep. This makes for a rather 'colorful' and dynamic sleep report when you keep waking these individuals several times throughout the night, the kind of report sure to keep the insurance trolls off my back, at least temporarily.)

my BMR fluctuated from 1101 to as low as 899 for an overall average of 1032 calories.

Initially, I was SHOCKED after I learned how low it was. I told the technition who was administering the BMR test that I thought my BMR would be around 1400 calories, not 1000, and he said, "Yeah, that's what most people think their BMR is. I would say that the majority of people VASTLY overestimate it, probably one of the reasons so many people have such a hard time losing weight, but having a BMR of around 1000 calories is absolutely normal for a woman your age and build (23-years-old, 5'7", 145 pounds, 30% body fat)." He went on to tell me that the entire staff working on that floor in the hospital has had their BMR tested and the highest BMR came out to be around 1600 calories...on a male who weighed 220 pounds!

Mix that with a sedentary lifestyle and a poor diet and it's EASY to see why so many people are overweight.

He also said that from an evolutionary perspective a low BMR makes sense, it implies a longer lifespan and survival advantage (obviously not today with our abundant food supply), and our friends who seem to have a freakishly high metabolism would be the first to die if a famine were to hit. However, living in America that's probably not going to happen... at least not anytime soon...

( Check out this: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=194713753973311&set=pb.137541376357216.-2207520000.1351022016&type=1&theater Brad Pilon, who if you didn't already know is one beefy fellow, had his BMR measured at about 1650. In retrospect, to think that I need only 200 or so calories less than this guy to survive is absolutely obsurd, now I know better.)

Anyways, I guess the moral of the story is that one size does not fit all. I've been struggling to lose weight becaues I've been consuming too many calories, it's as simple as that.

I once beleived that My Fitness Pal's recommendation of 1200 net calories was completely bogus, but now I've changed my mind.

I'm SO GLAD I elected to have my BMR tested along with my other tests. Other than having glue stuck in my hair now for probably the next week or so, I'd say it was a good experience. I feel as if I know my body that much better.

Cheers!

penrbrown

Huh. That's interesting...

So are you going to be eating 1032 cals a day or 800?

CATindeeHAT

Huh. That's interesting...

So are you going to be eating 1032 cals a day or 800?

No. I will be eating 1200 net calories a day while being sure I get in some exercise everyday.

Lyra89

BUMP for the inevitable debate!

philshjips

That's really interesting. I had no idea there was even a test to measure the amount of calories one needs to consume to be healthy/alive.

Does it mean, then, that that's the amount of calories one can consume while living a somewhat active lifestyle? Like in order to burn fat you would need to go lower than 1032 calories? Or is the BMR the amount of calories one can consume to maintain weight while sedentary?

Ge0rgiana

*bump*

strikerjb007

That is why I laugh when I see all these threads talking about BMR and eating more. The BMR is just an estimation. And most equations give you a higher number.

jacquirich

I had my tested at a university, and it again tok all day, but to their shock my BMR was 2346, I am 5ft 2 inch

spangey13

Very interesting reading! Thanks for sharing :-)

samblanken

I find that any coal tar shampoo does a very good job of getting the glue out of your hair after a sleep study.

Christieson

What a great, educational post. Thanks!

sarahz5

Very brave! Thank you for sharing! :drinker:

giglqueen

That's crazy! And it makes a lot of sense. Thanks for posting this! I wish I could get mine tested!

CATindeeHAT

I had my tested at a university, and it again tok all day, but to their shock my BMR was 2346, I am 5ft 2 inch

How much do you weigh? If you don't mind me asking...

CATindeeHAT

I find that any coal tar shampoo does a very good job of getting the glue out of your hair after a sleep study.

THANK YOU! Where do I get it?

CATindeeHAT

That's really interesting. I had no idea there was even a test to measure the amount of calories one needs to consume to be healthy/alive.

Does it mean, then, that that's the amount of calories one can consume while living a somewhat active lifestyle? Like in order to burn fat you would need to go lower than 1032 calories? Or is the BMR the amount of calories one can consume to maintain weight while sedentary?

BMR is the amount of calories I would need to survive while in a coma.

psuLemon

Keep in mind that even stuff like Katch McArdle only fit about 70% of the population. Its a law of averages.

chivalryder

That is a very good read. It's not often you get something worth reading on the forums. That certainly opens up the ideas and really challenges what is considered "right."

With your numbers, if you were sedentary and rarely/never exercised, you'd have to eat 700 kcal every day to lose 1 lb/week. That would certainly stir up a storm on here!

bmreed0920

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

miadhail

Hmm it actually makes perfect sense. of course your BMR is going to be 1032. BMR represents your body's energy consumption if you were just to lie down and do nothing (or in this case, the above BMR you got from the test represents what what you were doing during that test) basically the energy your body with its organs etc needs to live. TDEE is the energy your body needs when you do regular activities everyday (and that differs from person to person) . To lose weight, from my understanding is to cut the intake from your TDEE NOT your BMR. Say, if your TDEE is an average of 2100, then losing weight would mean about 1800 or so depending on how much you want to lose in a specified period. I hope this clears up the confusion.

AmyP619

This was fascinating to read. Thank you for posting.