Basal Metabolic Rate
jessipatra
Posts: 14
So I've been doing so reading and talking to people and have recently discovered that it's best not to be consuming less than your BMR (which is basically what your body would need to survive on if you were in a coma - ie NO activity). MFP, however has set my daily count at 1300, but my BMR is (approx) 1500 (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator).
From what I have read, if you don't consume your BMR calories each day, then you will see immediate weight loss, but that will plateau rather quickly, and you also tend to put it back on quickly. Consuming less than BMR will see muscle loss as well as fat, and eventually see your metabolism slow down.
These all seem like compelling reasons to increase the number of calories I eat a day - and I have read quite a few comments by people saying that they had more sucess when they increased their daily allowance - but that just SEEMS WRONG! However as long as I eat more than my BMR and less than my TDEE or Total Daily Energy Expenditure (the amount of calories you burn in daily activity) I should lose weight.
There's a good post about it all here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
And I guess this also answers the question about eating back exercise calories lost - if you don't eat them back, you'll be netting below BMR...
Anyone else confused about this? Thoughts? Experiences?
From what I have read, if you don't consume your BMR calories each day, then you will see immediate weight loss, but that will plateau rather quickly, and you also tend to put it back on quickly. Consuming less than BMR will see muscle loss as well as fat, and eventually see your metabolism slow down.
These all seem like compelling reasons to increase the number of calories I eat a day - and I have read quite a few comments by people saying that they had more sucess when they increased their daily allowance - but that just SEEMS WRONG! However as long as I eat more than my BMR and less than my TDEE or Total Daily Energy Expenditure (the amount of calories you burn in daily activity) I should lose weight.
There's a good post about it all here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
And I guess this also answers the question about eating back exercise calories lost - if you don't eat them back, you'll be netting below BMR...
Anyone else confused about this? Thoughts? Experiences?
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Thanks for this. I didn't realise there were BMR calculators. Mine came back at 1590. I should try sticking to this instead of the 1200 I was originally given. Although it seems like a lot of food, and I am scared I will add in treats.0
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My thoughts exactly. But if the extra is not empty calories, but real food that your body can use, then surely it'll be ok??? I don't know...0
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100g gained this week. not happy with it, but I didn't eat all my calories every day. And probably not the healthiest foods on some of the days. I have increased the amount I want to lose per week to 1.5 pounds (680 g), which I thought should be achievable. This has given me 1400 Cal per day. Although my BMR is 1590Cal. I am really impatient and unfortunately want to see results yesterday.0
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For the last couple of days I have been thinking about changing my calorie goals so I have just changed them and am now eating above my BMR. After reading http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 I know it can take a couple of weeks to show a difference but it wont be any worse than where I am and I might even feel better
After changing my goals I can see I am waaaaaay over eating on carbs 
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I find it all a bit confusing too - I read the in place of a roadmap article a few weeks ago and reset my goal to losing 1/2lb a week instead of 1lb so I get more calories and I feel much better, especially on the day when I don't exercise much. It doesn't feel like I am restricting myself in any way so the cravings have gone (as soon as I tell myself I can't have something, I immediately want it in bucketloads, lol!). I haven't lost anything on the scale in 2 weeks but I have lost in cms so no doubt the scale will catch up with it all!0
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I hate being short because my BMR is like 1017 0
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Yep eating below bmr is a bad idea. I follow in place of a road map for my calories also, i think it's great. I am eating in a 300 calorie deficit from my maintenence right now, and i don't count my exercise burns as it's already included.0
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Although i don't follow in place of a road map for my macros, just calories.0
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I went thought this when I joined MFP, it gave me 1200 cals per day. I could do it for a few days but really it wasn't sustainable. Over the last year I've tried lots of different approaches and for the last 30 days I've been eating at what MFP considers maintenance for me (1600 cals) and working out 6 days AND eating back my exercise cals and I've lost 2kg, which probably doesn't sound like a lot but thats going from 57kg to 55kg, and I'm at that point where any further weight loss will be slow anyway. The best part is I feel like I can easily maintain what I'm doing right now for the rest of my life, which is the way it should be!0
