BMR is too high

phoenixwizard64

Hello,
My calculated BMR is 1539 and my tdee is 2386. I am used to eating around 1500 cals a day. I'm trying to lose 30 lbs (to get into the healthy range). for weight loss i eat around 1200 cals a day, which people have said is too low. I have previously increased my calorie intake (during a 2 month vacation to europe) and i gained 15 lbs.

Should i really up my calories because that doesnt seem to work. 1200 cal has been working out for me, especially because i am a college student who sits at a desk for the majority of her day

any suggestions?

SpecialSundae

Are you weighing your portions or estimating? Apparently most of the time people underestimate their portions by several hundred calories a day unless they're actually weighing things.

Sarauk2sf

^^this.

But also, I would suggest reading through this and setting your targets based on the information in it. Don't fall into the (understandable) trap of thinking less is necessarily better - it usually is not in the long run.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

When you say you increased your intake while in Europe, what were your gross calories during that time? Were you weighing and measuring your food?

_SABOTEUR_

Agreed on measuring rather than eyeballing if you are struggling.

Also, if you plan to increase your calories it is best to do it gradually, rather than all in one go.

Even so, you may initially gain a little weight whilst your body adjusts.