BMR to Calorie intake

tabbethaclouse

so i checked my bmr it is around 1620. i have been eatin just at 1200 and havent lost any weight at all scale actually says i gained what do i do??

Mokey41

Eat more?

gypsyrose64

Bump it up to 1400-1500 for a few days and then back down to 1200 and see if that helps. 1200 isn't a magic number for everyone. I bounce above/below 1200 and so far so good.

gypsyrose64

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/gypsyrose64/view/bmr-bmi-tdee-too-many-acronyms-438328


This might help. Go do this calculation (see the link) and then reduce calories by 30% under TDEE. If that doesn't work, adjust down every week until the scales move.

omma_to_3

The online calculators don't work for everyone. Some people are drastically below what they say their BMR should be and some people are above. I had mine tested in a lab and it came out about 10% higher than the estimates (shockingly!). I thought for sure I'd be on the low side. So, that number is just a very general ball park figure.

1200 calories should work for most people. You definitely won't be gaining on that amount unless you're really tiny (I'd say shorter than 5'). So my question would be how sure are you that your calorie measurements are correct? Most of the time, that is the issue. We think we're being accurate but we're not. Go by weight of food, not by measure. Kitchen scales rock! For example, the box of Cocoa Pebbles say a serving is 3/4 of a cup. It also gives the amount of grams for that serving size (which I don't remember off the top of my head!). I measured out 3/4 of a cup, and then weighed it. That 3/4 of a cup was actually far larger than 1 serving when you go by weight! If I remember correctly, it was something like 15% more.

Be more accurate in your food intake. Be more accurate in your exercise calories (I use a heart rate monitor and it's awesome). If you are truly netting 1200 you likely won't be gaining weight and will lose at least a little.

I also generally only lose 2 weeks out of 4. One week is TOM and I'll either maintain or gain slightly that week. Generally I'll have two weeks in the month of big losses (1.5 to 3 lbs.) and then 2 weeks of maintain, lose half a pound, or gain slightly. In the end, it all evens out to about 3.8 lbs. lost per month.

AmyRhubarb

I peeked at your diary for the last week or so - you've got some pretty hefty calorie burns in there from exercise, pushing your daily goal to 1400 to as much as 1800 cals per day, but you're still consuming less than 1200!

Assuming your BMR of 1620 is correct, you should be hitting at least that amount per day, as it's the basic amount of calories your body needs to just exist and lay in bed all day long. Add your normal daily activities plus exercise, and your caloric needs go up. Food is fuel!

For too long we've been told that lose weight we need to eat less and exercise more, which is true to a certain extent, but is too often translated into "eat as little as possible and go gonzo on the workouts". This generally leads to a bit of weight loss at first, but after awhile, the lack of fuel leads to fatigue, a stall in weight loss, and burn out in general, not to mention a bad case of the hangries (angry/grouchy due to hunger! :bigsmile:) - this was my experience, and a lot of others here at MFP.

Great article here on over training and under eating: http://www.shapefit.com/overtraining-exercising-too-much.html

And excellent thread on calculating your numbers - BMR, TDEE, daily calorie goal and how to set it up manually here - it's been very helpful for me: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

I'm near my goal, so my weight loss on the scale has really slowed (i don't really pay much attention to what the scale says anymore!), but I'm seeing the stubborn fat continue to come off my body, and having to buy smaller clothes.

Edited to add: My diary is open, feel free to check it out.

mfp_1

Do you have a digital food scale?

amnsetie

What Amy said. You are not eating enough

leaffan12

Bump