bmr goal and net calorie

Faulkners407

I apologize if I am over thinking this!

So after reading about all the reasons not to eat 1200 calories, I started reading, and calculating. I was shooting for 1500 but my BMR is 1618.

I set my goal at 1800.

I have two small children that keep me busy during home time but my job is on my bum more than not.

I have been doing some long slow runs. And now I dont know what I should be aiming for.

Example, today I have eaten 2204 calories. I jogged for 73 minutes burning 873 calories.
My net is sitting at 1331.

Should I make sure my net is at least my BMR, or my goal of. 1800?

My diary is unlocked.

Sorry for the elementary question. And thanks!

paxbfl

I'm surprised no one has responded to you yet... you'll probably get an earful.

Bottom Line: I think you can probably eat a little less than what you're eating, at least for the short-term.

1800 is probably a pretty reasonable goal... but I wouldn't eat back your exercise calories. Eat 1800 calories, work out, and you will have a serious deficit and you will lose a lot of weight.

Here's the thing about BMR: You shouldn't expect to net under your BMR long-term. It's not healthy, and it can be counter-productive because your metabolism can slow down.

That said, you can net under your BMR for shorter periods. And I've never heard of anyone who had significant weight to lose running into a problem eating over their BMR and netting under it with exercise.

Make sure you eat more than your BMR every day. If you work out and net under it some days, don't sweat it as long as you're still losing weight and not suffering any negative side effects (extreme hunger, hair-loss, fatigue).

I'm a 6'2", 208 pound guy... my BMR is about 1940. I ate about 2,000 calories and burned about 500 calories a day at the gym, so my net was around 1,500. I lost about 2-3 pounds a week over 12 weeks. Now that I'm close to my goal weight, I've upped my calories since I recognize that what I'm doing is not sustainable over the long-term. But short-term, it works!

Faulkners407

Thanks! On non work out days I have no problem the math is easier.. But today I was scratching my head:)

Faulkners407

Bumping for more input