Does anyone set their calories to their BMR

Makoce
Makoce Posts: 938 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I confuse myself so much, one day my brain will catch up

So I am in between everything -- sedentary, lightly active and moderately active and Ive decided that my exercise and activity is far too unpredictable to have a set TDEE - 20%

Does anyone custom add their BMR calories to their MFP and eat back exercise calories?

Is this something you can do?
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Replies

  • jennmodugno
    jennmodugno Posts: 363 Member
    You *can* do it, but I suggest setting it a little higher than that, since your BMR is what you'd need if you were in a coma, and nobody here is in a coma. :) Maybe add 100 calories to it and then eat back your exercise calories.

    OR.

    Another option is to figure out your TDEE using this site: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ and enter in your laziest day, exclude exercise time, and set your goal to that number -20% while still logging exercise and eating back those calories.
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
    My BMR is currently 1447, for that site, I got 1460 with the 20%?

    Should I set it to 1460 then eat back exercise calories?
  • vanguardfitness
    vanguardfitness Posts: 720 Member
    Mines set at maintenance with a sedentary life style, even though I am still attempting to lose
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
    Mines set at maintenance with a sedentary life style, even though I am still attempting to lose

    What would your activity be listed as otherwise?
    How much do you lose a week doing that?

    I just looked at mine, and it would be around 1,760 calories at maintenance at sedentary fr me.
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
    bump
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
    I eat at BMR +50 and am getting quite thin and toned. I have heaps of energy and dont go hungry. Full of life and full of good food hehe
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
    Oh im hypothyroid too which can be a ***** but mines happy atm... Some studies show you should eat 200 less than tdee if you have a crappy thyroid so for me tdee-200-20% is around bmr anyway. Am excercising heaps but dont eat them back
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    Mine is actually over my BMR... 1672 cals, light activity. Like Trudijoy said - lots of energy and I don't go hungry either. I eat back only some of my exercise cals and that's usually to get in extra protein. OP has seen my results so she knows this is working for me - despite the thought that eating more = becoming fat.
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,371 Member
    Why not try just eating what the site tells you to (set at sedentary) based upon how much you want to lose and eat back exercise?
  • aalpass
    aalpass Posts: 124 Member
    I lead a pretty sedentary life with the exception of my gym visits. I basically eat my BMR + exercise calories as this equals TDEE - 20% conveniently enough. I workout 6 days a week and there's usually one day that I go over, so it all kinda works itself out.
  • Arwaxx
    Arwaxx Posts: 113 Member
    i set mine as my BMR (1573) and eat back whatever i burn..
  • rfsatar
    rfsatar Posts: 599 Member
    Yep I have mine set to my BMR, I have listed myself as Lightly Active and I pretty much can eat all those calories back and be within my TDEE deficit range so it can work. At the lowest of my TDEE deficit range, it's about BMR+100 and that is working fine in terms of loss for me.
  • ashleab37
    ashleab37 Posts: 575 Member
    I just set mine to MFPs idea of "moderately active" for me, and my BodyMedia Fit does the rest. :)
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    I agree. Get a BMF which will calculate what you are burning each day. Supposed to be 95% accurate.
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
    I just ordered a cheaper HRM, but hopefully itll be more closely accurate than MFP.
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,087 Member
    What is a BMF?
    I agree. Get a BMF which will calculate what you are burning each day. Supposed to be 95% accurate.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I just ordered a cheaper HRM, but hopefully itll be more closely accurate than MFP.

    your HRM will only be accurate for aerobic activity. It will not give you an accurate calorie burn just wearing it all day. They are programmed for aerobic activity. If you want something that will give you total burn throughout the day, you need a BodyBug or FitBit or something like that.

    Personally, I'd set BMR + 100 and eat back exercise calories. +100 because even without exercise, you're not in a coma and you need calories to crawl out of bed, brush your teeth, drive your car, etc.
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
    Yeah, I planned on using it for the gym ( do i have to turn it off every time i alternate machines or take a break and walk around? ) & for Zcut or 30DS.

    My walking and usual stuff I just use map my run app, and take a few calories off that for quick add.
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    I set my calories to my sedentary TDEE minus 20%, which is about 100 calories above my BMR. My BMR estimate is 1375, my sendentary TDEE minus 20% is around 1450. I then eat back ALL of my exercise calories. So I end up eating between 1900-2100 calories most days, which works about to about the same number that I get calculating my moderately/highly active TDEE minus 20%. I just find that setting to sedentary + exercise calories makes me more motivated to exercise.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    What is a BMF?
    I agree. Get a BMF which will calculate what you are burning each day. Supposed to be 95% accurate.

    Bodymedia Fit. It's a device to be worn all day. Google it and do a search for it on here.
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
    Unfortunately a device that you wear all day is out of my price range.
  • wendybird5
    wendybird5 Posts: 577 Member
    I did do that for a while (my BMR per the MFP calculator is 1374) and then I had my RMR (resting metabolic rate) measured to find my actual rate. Turns out I need to eat between 1326 and 1656 calories to lose weight at a safe and healthy rate. So the MFP measurement was right in my range. Though now I try not to eat too many of my exercise calories unless I'm really hungry.
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    I set my calories to my sedentary TDEE minus 20%, which is about 100 calories above my BMR. My BMR estimate is 1375, my sendentary TDEE minus 20% is around 1450. I then eat back ALL of my exercise calories. So I end up eating between 1900-2100 calories most days, which works about to about the same number that I get calculating my moderately/highly active TDEE minus 20%. I just find that setting to sedentary + exercise calories makes me more motivated to exercise.

    Same!
  • sa11yjane
    sa11yjane Posts: 491 Member
    bump
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
    I did do that for a while (my BMR per the MFP calculator is 1374) and then I had my RMR (resting metabolic rate) measured to find my actual rate. Turns out I need to eat between 1326 and 1656 calories to lose weight at a safe and healthy rate. So the MFP measurement was right in my range. Though now I try not to eat too many of my exercise calories unless I'm really hungry.


    Is finding an actual rate something you did online or via something else?
  • wendybird5
    wendybird5 Posts: 577 Member
    I did do that for a while (my BMR per the MFP calculator is 1374) and then I had my RMR (resting metabolic rate) measured to find my actual rate. Turns out I need to eat between 1326 and 1656 calories to lose weight at a safe and healthy rate. So the MFP measurement was right in my range. Though now I try not to eat too many of my exercise calories unless I'm really hungry.


    Is finding an actual rate something you did online or via something else?

    I found a place that measured it. (Actually the same place where they do a lot of the Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition shows.) You have to go first thing in the morning just after you wake up and without having exercised for 24 hours and eaten or drunk anything (except water) for twelve hours. They have you recline in a chair and then you breathe through a tube for 15 minutes that is hooked up to a machine that registers your metabolic rate based on the air you exhale. Sounds easy, but after 7 minutes I couldn't wait to be done, but it was worth it to me.
  • wendybird5
    wendybird5 Posts: 577 Member
    FYI - this is part of what the final report I received looked like. It also said that my metabolism was a little higher than typical which was nice to discover.

    57a2465f-10ca-4f05-a34a-05486d84039d_zps77dfbd19.jpg
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
    Lucky! I wish I could do that.
  • Energizer06
    Energizer06 Posts: 311 Member
    What is a BMF?
    I agree. Get a BMF which will calculate what you are burning each day. Supposed to be 95% accurate.

    Bodymedia Fit. It's a device to be worn all day. Google it and do a search for it on here.
    Don't you have to subscribe to BMF?....I went with Fitbit so the only cost I have is the purchase of the device. Website is free.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
    You *can* do it, but I suggest setting it a little higher than that, since your BMR is what you'd need if you were in a coma, and nobody here is in a coma. :) Maybe add 100 calories to it and then eat back your exercise calories.

    OR.

    Another option is to figure out your TDEE using this site: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ and enter in your laziest day, exclude exercise time, and set your goal to that number -20% while still logging exercise and eating back those calories.

    I think this is the best advice so far. I'd try that.

    edited for a typo

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