Calorie Advice Needed

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I calculated my BMR (about 1,600 calories on most calculators) and calories I should eat to lose weight (1, 900 calories). This would require me to eat more. Everyone tells you to eat less when you are trying to lose weight, so I find this an odd idea. Should I really increase my calories based on these findings? Thanks for any help!

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  • michelle7673
    michelle7673 Posts: 370 Member
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    I know that all of the numbers are confusing! I'm pretty new, but here is my understanding:
    Your BMR is not the total of the calories you burn/need every day -- it is the calories you'd need to run all of your body systems at rest 24/7 (like in a hospital bed). If you're getting 1900 to lose weight, that's probably 500 or 750 calories below what you really do burn in a day (ie, walking around, working, washing dishes, maybe exercising). The "what you really burn" number is sometimes called your TDEE (which I think means Total Daily Energy Expenditure). So losing weight requires a deficit from your TDEE.