BMR question

Colossus882
Colossus882 Posts: 22 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys,

Here are my stats


31 years old
Male
6ft 3
CW 143kg (315lb)
GW 100kg (220lb)

I have a question about the MFP BMR calculation.

According to the BMR calculator here, mine is 2450 cal. In the I pad version I use, I put in my starting weight, and goal weight and selected sedentary with a desire to lose 2lb per week, and the application has set my daily goal calories to 2320, which is below my BMR..

I am confused, as I obviously don't want to eat below my BMR' and wonder why it would auto set my daily goal to a value lower than my BMR. Especially since I am doing 700-1000 calories of exercise per day (which I am eating back)

thanks

Replies

  • phildawson75
    phildawson75 Posts: 205 Member
    The calculations used in BMR can be slighty different depending on whats used. Using 31 / 315 / 6.3 I'm getting a BMR of 2769. If you have a low activity level as your avg day then your TDEE is 3323.

    To loss 1 lb you need 500 cals of deficit each day. So it'll be taking off a 1000 from your TDEE.

    3323-1000 = 2323 goal

    If you do 700 of extra exercise you don't usually do as part of an avg day then yep 2323 + 700 = 3023 cals for that particular day.
    I am confused, as I obviously don't want to eat below my BMR'
    is there a reason for this or because someone's said this in a forum?
  • Colossus882
    Colossus882 Posts: 22 Member
    I just sort of got the feeling from reading through posts they you shouldn't be netting less than your BMR, or it your body will down your metabolism in an attempt to protect itself

    For example

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • phildawson75
    phildawson75 Posts: 205 Member
    Yeah unfortunately whilst MFP is a great tool but the forums have so much bad or misinformation. It's like Chinese whispers where someone reads something and then uses it in another thread as if its the answer without really knowing what they are saying.

    It all really depends on how large your TDEE is, your ideal deficit should be ~20-30% of it to get the most benefit. That equates to 665 to 997 cal deficit for you.

    So a 2lb (1000 cal) weekly loss is fine in your particular situation. Eating below your BMR is fine, you have to think as your body as storage plus fuel.
  • spamantha57
    spamantha57 Posts: 674 Member
    I am confused, as I obviously don't want to eat below my BMR'
    is there a reason for this or because someone's said this in a forum?
    I'm gonna go with they heard people saying that on this forum... It's one of the robotic statements that have driven me nuts hearing since I've been on this board this past month.
    People say that because they don't want people to starve themselves on here. But if your BMR is somehow 2,500, you're not going to die by eating 2,300. There's lots of good advice on the forums, but please don't listen to ALL of it - use your head or find out on your own to come up with conclusions that seem right to you.
  • Colossus882
    Colossus882 Posts: 22 Member
    It isn't a matter of 'you're not got to die'. The whole reason I'm here is to lose weight, and I want to make sure I have the correct information to give myself the best chance possible. I do not want to jeopardize this by making by body think it has to go into survival mode. Which is what the argument about BMR is.
  • Colossus882
    Colossus882 Posts: 22 Member
    Anyway, thanks for your input, I guess it's really going to come down to trial and error
  • spamantha57
    spamantha57 Posts: 674 Member
    It isn't a matter of 'you're not got to die'. The whole reason I'm here is to lose weight, and I want to make sure I have the correct information to give myself the best chance possible. I do not want to jeopardize this by making by body think it has to go into survival mode. Which is what the argument about BMR is.
    You are not going to force your body into "survival mode" or jeopardize your metabolism by eating 2,300 calories a day.

    Edit: Unless you were training 10hours a day for the Olympics or something. Those people definitely need more.
  • SkimFlatWhite68
    SkimFlatWhite68 Posts: 1,254 Member
    Did you try downloading the spreadsheet http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones and putting all your numbers and exercise in there? It will give you a closer TDEG calorie goal.

    I personally eat my BMR plus about 20% to lose fat. I go to the gym 5 times a week, lift weights, little bit of cardio, have a desk job.

    Try the spreadsheet and experiment for the next few weeks.

    Good luck!

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