HELP - Calories required to be between TDEE and BMR?

johnguitarman

Hi all.

MFP says I should get about 1900 cals a day for a 2lb a week loss. My TDEE is around 3,495 and my BMR is around 2353. I have been seeing some posts saying you should make sure your daily calories are over your BMR but under your TDEE. Is this true and if so why does MFP saying I only need 1900 a day? SHould I up my calories over my BMR such as 2400 cals a day? Would I still be losing weight like I am now on the 1900 cals a day? If I stuck to MFP numbers will there be any long term problems with my metabolism or something?

Thanks for any help!

JOhn

Live4theLift

For an avg male to diet it's

TDEE x .2 = TDEE2

Then take TDEE - TDEE2

Like if your tdee is 3500 it's

3500 x .2 = 700

3500 - 700 = 2800

If you diet to low of cals then you could damage your metabolism, fortunately your metabolism can be saved. Up your cals slowly over the course of a few months every 2 weeks up them by 150-300

smn76237

Hi there,

MFP set you to 1900 because you picked the most aggressive weight loss goal option. If you do choose to go that route, remember to eat back exercise calories so that you "net" 1900.

You will probably get varying responses to your question about eating below your BMR. Some think it's just fine, some think it's never fine, and some think it's fine sometimes. :P I personally eat above my BMR every day.

If you eat 20% less than your TDEE, that should lead to slow 'n steady weight loss, without sacrificing much, if any, of your muscle/lean body mass. Getting too aggressive with your calorie deficit can lead to fatigue, binging, and/or loss of lean body mass over time. Even though MFP says I need to net 1200 to lose 2lbs a week, I have lost anywhere from 1-3lbs per week eating 1800-2200 calories (and I'm a 5'1 woman). The idea is that setting a reasonable calorie deficit will keep your energy levels up and keep you from feeling deprived and hungry.

Bottom line, you'll lose weight either way, but eating 20% from your TDEE is probably more sustainable over time for more people.

Final note, get a food scale so that you can measure everything you eat. It's very easy to eyeball your portions well over your calorie deficit. Good luck!

Southernb3lle

I'm with both posts above. MFP has you set to 1900 cause that is taking in to consideration a loss of 2 lbs a week. Realistically, a good loss is 1 pound a week. You can try the 20% TDEE and you should have more cals to eat. I do this and I lose about a pound.

johnguitarman

Thanks everyone. I think I may start upping my cals. I really dont want to damage my metabolism in the long run. Its nice losing 2 lbs a week but I do question doing that for almost a year without causing some problems with my metabolism down the road and sacrificing muscle mass. I have about 70 lbs I want to lose of fat. I'm in this for the long haul and even though a 1lb loss a week will take longer than a 2lb I figure the benefits will outweigh the negatives.