eating under BMR

tinalynn1987
tinalynn1987 Posts: 17 Member
edited January 7 in Health and Weight Loss
My BMR is 1840 according to MFP I rarely eat this. Is this unhealthy do I need to try harder to making this goal by eating more high calorie foods? I have been eating between 1100-1600 a day and hardly making up what I burn with exercise. I'm eating until I am full but since I'm eating lower carbs My macros are set at 30/40/30 carbs/protein/fats, which tend to be higher calorie foods. i was eating not so well but still under my BMR is that why I am loosing my weight so fast? I started using MFP again Dec 8-9 and have actually lost 17lbs since I have restarted in the last two weeks have lost about 4lbs a week to be honest I use to probably eat 2500-3000cals a day because of how many carbs i consumed and i was eating out a lot. Am I ok or no

Replies

  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
    Are you sure MFP said your BMR is 1840? I only ask cause I know mine was WAY off (I don't trust the calories) so instead, I follow helloitsdan's post and figure out my goals myself and since then, I've felt a LOT better; more energy, more butt kicking at the gym and more weight lose. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    It's ok to eat under it on a short term basis, but common sense will suggest that prolonged suppression in calories will cause your metabolism (at least RMR) to adjust and slow down. If you have trouble getting calories, eat higher calorie foods or add high calorie protein bars or shakes.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Eating under BMR is guaranteed to cause muscle loss. The good news is that if you are considered morbidly obese, then you can afford to lose some muscle mass for a period of time. The bad news is that eating below BMR is going to cause you to develop nutrient defeciencies that can impact you in the long term.

    What is generally recommended to lose while preserving muscle is to eat at a deficit of 20% of your TDEE with a macro ratio of 40g carb, 30g protein, and 30g fats. Lifting weights 2 to 3 times a week with moderate cardio. It's a slower weight loss, but your actual mass will decrease dramatically, meaning that you will lose inches rapidly.

    You have to decide for yourself how you want to lose this weight.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    Let's look at it from this angle: the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body needs to support only your vital functions while at rest. In other words, to keep your heart beating, your lungs breathing, nervous system functioning, organs working properly, etc. - in other words, the minimum amount of calories to keep your body alive and properly functioning without adding any extra movement, exercise, etc. into the equation.

    Does it make any sense to intentionally feed your body less than that?
  • tinalynn1987
    tinalynn1987 Posts: 17 Member
    It says my BMR is 1840 on this site another site says 1874 another is 1869 My TDEE is 2243 I exercise 1-3x a week 15-30 mins cardio and 20-40 mins strength training my BF% is 42 :( I am trying to build muscle and inches and my BF% becoming lower are more important than the weight loss I will open my diary for others to see
  • tinalynn1987
    tinalynn1987 Posts: 17 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/tinalynn1987 my diary and I know I read it guess I was trying to clean my eating maybe I am cleaning it up to much.. and I am not feeling hungry I eat quite large plates of food just lower calorie foods
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    It says my BMR is 1840 on this site another site says 1874 another is 1869 My TDEE is 2243 I exercise 1-3x a week 15-30 mins cardio and 20-40 mins strength training my BF% is 42 :( I am trying to build muscle and inches and my BF% becoming lower are more important than the weight loss I will open my diary for others to see

    Read the New Rules of Lifting for Women. Their guideline suggests that you eat only 300 calories below TDEE on non-lifting days and eat at TDEE on lifting days. I have been following this method for almost a year, and I have only lost 20 lbs but I also went down by three pants sizes.

    Also, the book gives you a pretty accurate formula for calculating TDEE. It was accurate for me anyway.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/tinalynn1987 my diary and I know I read it guess I was trying to clean my eating maybe I am cleaning it up to much.. and I am not feeling hungry I eat quite large plates of food just lower calorie foods

    You know... if you have extra calories to spare, it's okay to indulge. Also, try cooking with olive oil. That will boost calories and provide you with some healthy fats. Also, you could eat more fruit and veggies. You haven't been making that fiber goal. Personally, I don't track fiber in my diary. Instead, I track potassium because an imbalance in electrolytes can cause a lot of problems in water retention.
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