BMR Rate and Daily Caloric Need numbers are a bunch of crap

ShiloughCoy
ShiloughCoy Posts: 73
in Health and Weight Loss
Here's the experiment I have done.

I logged my calories for roughly 90 days between Aug 1 and October 26. I plugged those numbers into an excel spreadsheet and got an average caloric intake of 1428. This number is not taking into account any calories spent in exercise.

According to every BMR calculator, my BMR is 1787. To get your Daily Caloric Need number, you supposedly take that number and multiply it by 1.2. That means I should need to eat 2144 calories per day to MAINTAIN my weight of 230.

On August 1, I weighed 230 pounds. Today, I weigh 230 pounds.

But, according to these "scientific" numbers I should have had an average daily caloric deficit of 716 calories. In 90 days I should have been roughly 18.5 pounds lighter.

But I'm not.

I think this is a bunch of made up crap.

And it's cruel because it causes overweight people to obsess over every minute on a treadmill and every morsel of food placed in their mouth in hopes that one day all those numbers will add up to some fat lost!!

Just my opinion.

This is not to say that losing weight is impossible. I'm just saying that people who try to tell fat people that "its all about the numbers" is lazy, insensitive, and stupid.

I'm sure you can tell I'm a little bit irritated. I did math. For nothing.
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Replies

  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    what's your height, weight, age? i can double check your numbers with that info.

    also, are you sure you're are completely logging calorie intake? including drinks? including everything?

    is your scale accurate? both the one you used 90 days ago and now?

    you should have lost about 18 lbs. the math does work, unless there is some medical condition affecting you.
  • appleseeds
    appleseeds Posts: 212 Member
    Numbers don't work forever :( I should have lost 6kg in the last 8 weeks by the numbers and I've only lost 3
  • heatherloveslifting
    heatherloveslifting Posts: 1,428 Member
    So were you losing weight before and this is a plateau, or is this the start of your weight loss? I am eating more than you right now (weigh about 140). I hit a monstrous several week plateau while eating below BMR.

    ETA just wanted to add don't give up. I do know how it feels to be doing so well and not losing :(. For me an increase in calories and % protein did work, but you have to figure out what works for you!
  • beelikethebug
    beelikethebug Posts: 50 Member
    Have you had your thyroid checked? When mine was off, there was absolutely nothing I could do to lose weight.
  • VanessaHeartsMasr
    VanessaHeartsMasr Posts: 727
    Maybe you need to up your calories. I know if I eat back my exercise calories, I seem to lose more weight. It's really friggin weird.
  • BBeccaJean
    BBeccaJean Posts: 453 Member
    Certain medical conditions require different calculations for bmr. For instance, I have PCOS. Women with PCOS (especially with insulin resistance) have BMRs that are 300-600 calories less than an average woman without it...I weigh 190 and my bmr right now is 1650ish. Also, the types of food you eat may not be your friend...e.g carbs. I also notice it's harder to lose weight when I drink diet coke for some reason...

    It is unfortunate your body is being stubborn! I would go to the doctor if the numbers don't add up...maybe they can run some tests for you.
  • GypsysBloodRose26
    GypsysBloodRose26 Posts: 341 Member
    Everybody is different. Those numbers are guidelines. You are responsible for determining what works for you.
  • nikilis
    nikilis Posts: 2,305 Member
    Here's the experiment I have done.

    I logged my calories for roughly 90 days between Aug 1 and October 26. I plugged those numbers into an excel spreadsheet and got an average caloric intake of 1428. This number is not taking into account any calories spent in exercise.

    According to every BMR calculator, my BMR is 1787. To get your Daily Caloric Need number, you supposedly take that number and multiply it by 1.2. That means I should need to eat 2144 calories per day to MAINTAIN my weight of 230.

    On August 1, I weighed 230 pounds. Today, I weigh 230 pounds.

    But, according to these "scientific" numbers I should have had an average daily caloric deficit of 716 calories. In 90 days I should have been roughly 18.5 pounds lighter.

    But I'm not.

    I think this is a bunch of made up crap.

    And it's cruel because it causes overweight people to obsess over every minute on a treadmill and every morsel of food placed in their mouth in hopes that one day all those numbers will add up to some fat lost!!

    Just my opinion.

    This is not to say that losing weight is impossible. I'm just saying that people who try to tell fat people that "its all about the numbers" is lazy, insensitive, and stupid.

    I'm sure you can tell I'm a little bit irritated. I did math. For nothing.

    usually the online calculators overestimate things. its not a great way for everyone to get their diet/weight loss correct.

    thats what nutritionists are for. if people are frustrated with the advice online and their results, perhaps they should take their health and diet more seriously. perhaps seriously enough to seek professional advice.

    interesting information tho. I don't trust the online calculations. they literally cant be right for everyone.
  • wahmx3
    wahmx3 Posts: 633 Member
    First of all, I have always been told never to eat below your bmr and that is exactly what you did for 3 months. Did you drink enough water? What else were you drinking? What about sodium? Were you eating clean or a lot of processed stuff as well? I don't think it is just about the calories.... quality calories are super important, meaning the amount of calories in a salad is much better than the same number in chocolate! I bet if you ate above your bmr and below your tdee, you would lose weight, unless there is a medical reason.
  • ines25
    ines25 Posts: 107 Member
    Well get ur thyroid check but I found something that happen to me when I try to lose I don't lose anything for the first 6weeks instead I gain weight. What's ur age?do u workout ? Have u been to the doctor for a thyroid check up?
    I will recommend u not stop doing what u r doing and go to the doctor I don't think u have a problem.
    You will lose the weight I always gain 3 lb and after 6weeks I lose 4lb and after that I start losing the weight
  • JuliesZenpuppy7400
    JuliesZenpuppy7400 Posts: 127 Member
    Certain medical conditions require different calculations for bmr. For instance, I have PCOS. Women with PCOS (especially with insulin resistance) have BMRs that are 300-600 calories less than an average woman without it...I weigh 190 and my bmr right now is 1650ish. Also, the types of food you eat may not be your friend...e.g carbs. I also notice it's harder to lose weight when I drink diet coke for some reason...

    It is unfortunate your body is being stubborn! I would go to the doctor if the numbers don't add up...maybe they can run some tests for you.

    BBeccaJean, I had the opportunity to speak with one of the dietitians at the hospital I work at and she gave me a little info that helped me out so much!!! 99% of diet drinks including almost all Crystal Light had aspartame in them and studies have shown that aspartame keeps you FROM losing weight. Anything sugar free, diet soda, Crystal Light, etc have aspartame in them.......Crystal Light does make a Crystal Light Pure that does not contain aspartame. So, for me it's that or just plain water.

    Best of Luck!!!!!
  • karenwill2
    karenwill2 Posts: 604 Member
    I agree, totally.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    I recommend seeing a dietitian so that you can get evaluated properly. Knowing the numbers can be extremely helpful when it comes the weight loss, but they've got to be accurate!
  • cpsoroff
    cpsoroff Posts: 22 Member
    The same thing happened to me!! Make sure you have no medical condition that may be delaying the weight lost.
  • SomeoneSomeplace
    SomeoneSomeplace Posts: 1,094 Member
    Well it's not all about calories

    It's about Macro's as well carbs, fat, protein etc...I only went back about a week but you eat a TON of fast food...and you're over on Macro's a lot? Lot's of Jack in The Box, Chipotle ETC this is okay every once in a while but you should try not to eat that more then a few times a month just cos the sodium content alone will make you bloated. It might about needing to change your eating habits.

    I mean that could honestly just be the past week lord knows I have weeks like that but that might be your issue. It's important to pay attention to everything not just cals. Carbs can make you retain water bc they act like a sponge. There is quite a bit of sodium in fast food as well so that could be part of it.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    To get an accurate BMR you need to use a calculator that takes your Body Fat % into the calculation. If you have a higher body fat % your BMR will be lower. The BMR calculator on MFP and most of the other sites give you a much too high calorie level of you are considerably overweight. Unfortunately, you will find people that tell you that you are simply not eating enough and you should eat even more. Which is just a bunch of garbage misinformation that they repeat because they hear it from so many other people who are just repeating it.

    This results in a lot of people not losing weight and even gaining weight after months of logging and exercising. I am sorry that you are yet another victim of misinformation.

    Use the Karch-Mcardle BMR calculator. It factors in your Body Fat % and gives you a much more accurate number to start with. Multiple that number by 1.2 to get your TDEE for maintaining. Subtract 500 calories from that number to get your level to lose 1 pound per week. If you want to lose 2 pounds per week, burn an additional 500 calories with exercise, but DO NOT eat those calories back.

    Try this for a couple of weeks and see how you do.
  • LuluProteinFueled
    LuluProteinFueled Posts: 261 Member
    So what about your macros? Insulin resistance? Type of training you're doing? Whether or not you've been able to gain some muscle? When you've been weighing? Other measurements like inches?

    It's not wise to just throw all your eggs in one basket without considering a whole plethora of other variables that most likely affect your results.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    If you, at that weight, did not lose any weight eating 1,500 calories a eay for 90 days, you need to see your doctor.
  • BBeccaJean
    BBeccaJean Posts: 453 Member
    I like that calculator...it's pretty accurate for me!
  • HMToomey
    HMToomey Posts: 276
    Maybe you need to up your calories. I know if I eat back my exercise calories, I seem to lose more weight. It's really friggin weird.

    Agreed! It IS "really friggin weird"!!!! :laugh:
  • Ruthe8
    Ruthe8 Posts: 423 Member
    Sorry it didn't work for you, but you are one single case, and there could be a lot of things that affected your outcome. Just because something did work for YOU doesn't mean it's crap. If one case is all it takes to prove it, well it worked for me so I guess that proves it works for everyone!
  • nikilis
    nikilis Posts: 2,305 Member
    To get an accurate BMR you need to use a calculator that takes your Body Fat % into the calculation. If you have a higher body fat % your BMR will be lower. The BMR calculator on MFP and most of the other sites give you a much too high calorie level of you are considerably overweight. Unfortunately, you will find people that tell you that you are simply not eating enough and you should eat even more. Which is just a bunch of garbage misinformation that they repeat because they hear it from so many other people who are just repeating it.

    This results in a lot of people not losing weight and even gaining weight after months of logging and exercising. I am sorry that you are yet another victim of misinformation.

    Use the Karch-Mcardle BMR calculator. It factors in your Body Fat % and gives you a much more accurate number to start with. Multiple that number by 1.2 to get your TDEE for maintaining. Subtract 500 calories from that number to get your level to lose 1 pound per week. If you want to lose 2 pounds per week, burn an additional 500 calories with exercise, but DO NOT eat those calories back.

    Try this for a couple of weeks and see how you do.

    wow. you might have a point. ALL of the other bmr's for me were like 1950-2000

    this is what I got from the above

    Your BMR according to the Katch-Mcardle formula is
    1,698.40

    I also think my BMR is still a bit high because I measured my body fat online and I think its actually higher than the number got back.

    this is what I don't like about doing this online.
  • cmeroar68
    cmeroar68 Posts: 40 Member
    I looked at your diary and it appears to me that you are eating the wrong things. The fast foods and processed foods are not good for you....regardless of the caloric values. You seem to consume a lot of sodium and carbs....these do not make losing weight easy or successful. I think you need to seek some nutritional advice from a professional to assist you in your goals.
    I don't want you to think I am being harsh, however your post came across very strongly against this program, and I've seen success here not only by me but many, many others. I think you need to give this another try with well balanced choices.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,272 Member
    The BMR equations are taken from an average sampling. There will always be outliers above and below the curve.
    You obviously fall below it. It's only meant to be a starting point.
    The only way to be really accurate is to determine your actual TDEE for yourself (which it seems you have done).
    Or, perhaps, you haven't accuately logged your caloric intake...
  • Sweetsugar0424
    Sweetsugar0424 Posts: 451 Member
    You are eating WAY below your BMR, lots of take out, chocolate bars and stuff like that. You need to eat a lot more, but not just junk food...it's about WHAT you eat so much more than simply eating under a certain calorie number. You need fruits and veggies.

    There are tons of people on this site that this system has worked for so it's most definitely not crap. It just seems to me that you need to make some adjustments to what you're eating.
  • Dandawa
    Dandawa Posts: 97
    I know wanting to lose weight and it not happening is frustrating.
    Here is what I know.
    I went back into start Oct in your journal and there were several days where you were not eating the 1200. this is not going to work, (likely you have provide this)
    I started Aug 1,2012 I weighed 222 12 weeks later I weighed 199.
    So I suggest you check out eating more. I started off eating 1200 each and every day. Working out very hard and not eating back I loss about 15 lbs in 6 weeks then hit a walk. did not lose for say 2 weeks reached out to mfp and did a lot of reading and decided I need to eat more to lose. It was tough on me mentally to get my head around it but I did and I started dropping again. Right now I aim for 1440 a day, if I have worked out heavy like 50 mins or more hard then I make sure to eat extra 250 (protein shake).
    I workout and push myself as hard as I can and then more at least 5 days a week, plus walks.
    I am not sure about all that you are doing but I know one thing eat more.
  • Dandawa
    Dandawa Posts: 97
    bump
  • EatClenTrenHard
    EatClenTrenHard Posts: 339 Member
    I would like to disprove everything you said.
    I am following IF calculator(im not on IF diet)

    IT IS ACCURATE TO A POUND OVER 6 WEEKS already.

    you need to pay more attention when logging calories. you are doing it wrong. i am doing it right. works for me
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
    There are many factors that can be attributed to the scale not budging. Pay your Dr. a visit, get a full blood work panel done and see if you have any other issues which may be hindering weight loss.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    Can you add fat and protein to your guide? Also, you are barely eating 1000 calories a day. So I am curious to see why you say BMR calculators aren't working. If you aren't following them, how do you know they work. If your TDEE was 2200, cut 20%, eat whole lean meats, fruits and veggies, and some whole grains. I know when I used to go out to lunch a lot, I couldn't lose weight either.

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