Narrowing window between TDEE and RMR

cedarghost

All of the calculators and website tools allow you to set your goal based on how much you want to lose or gain. However, you should not eat below your rmr for very long, if at all. So some of the selections on these tools do not apply to you.....

Personally, my TDEE is currently 2715 calories. If I wanted to lose 2 pounds a week, I would need a 1000 calories a day deficit through exercise, diet or both. That would leave me at 1715 as my daily goal.

The problem is, my rmr (resting metabolic rate) is just over 2000. Therefore there is not a healthy way for me to lose 2 pounds a week.

As you near your weight loss goal, your metabolism will certainly have changed from when you started. My question is, as people near their goal, does the gap between TDEE and rmr narrow? And is this why it is recommended to lower your weekly goal as you approach a healthy weight?

Just trying to wrap my head around this.

Mokey41

Your metabolism probably hasn't changed but as you have less to lose there's less wiggle room for creating a deficit without under eating. It's easy to drop weight when you have a 100 lbs to lose, when you get to 5 lbs left weight loss slows to a crawl because you just can't chop 1000 calories a day off especially if your TDEE is 1400 like mine.

Calculators only do math, they don't think. It's up to you to add the common sense that says you can't live properly on a really low calorie budget. At least MFP won't give you a budget below 1200 which a lot of other sites will.

kellicci

Yep. I think you said it perfectly. You got it. The less you weigh the less calories you need so the gap between TDEE and BMR shrinks and makes it harder to lose large amounts. That why you always see people saying you change your goal to 1 pound or .5 pounds as you near your goal weight.

cedarghost

Awesome. Thanks guys.