What's the reasoning behind eating AT LEAST your BMR?

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SmileyFaceGuy
SmileyFaceGuy Posts: 201
in Health and Weight Loss
Just something I was thinking about, as I see people repeatedly say that you shouldn't eat below your BMR. The only explanation I've seen is along the lines of, "Because that's what your body needs to do its most basic functions," but that doesn't really make sense considering the whole point of a caloric deficit is to eat less than what your body needs to function so that it takes from its stored energy.
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  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Ummm... no. Eating less than your body NEEDS TO FUNCTION is dangerous and unhealthy. Think about it. If your body isn't doing its basic functions how could that possibly be a good thing? Oh look my heart stopped - cool I'm burning extra calories because my body isn't wasting calories keeping my heart beating. Noooo....
  • SmileyFaceGuy
    SmileyFaceGuy Posts: 201
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    Ummm... no. Eating less than your body NEEDS TO FUNCTION is dangerous and unhealthy. Think about it. If your body isn't doing its basic functions how could that possibly be a good thing? Oh look my heart stopped - cool I'm burning extra calories because my body isn't wasting calories keeping my heart beating. Noooo....

    As I said, the whole point of a caloric deficit is to eat less than what your body needs to function so that it takes from its stored energy. When you're eating less than your TDEE, you're eating less than your body needs to function. It makes up the difference by using stored energy. How is BMR any different?
  • wmoomoo
    wmoomoo Posts: 159 Member
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    BMR is what your body needs if you are at bed rest / coma. Do know what happen to people's muscle / organs when they are at bed rest or coma for an extended period of time?

    TDEE is the number of calories you burn when you are moving around. If you stay in bed the whole day but get up and pee, then your calories burn is more than BMR.
  • SmileyFaceGuy
    SmileyFaceGuy Posts: 201
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    BMR is what your body needs if you are at bed rest / coma.
    I know.
    Do know what happen to people's muscle / organs when they are at bed rest or coma for an extended period of time?

    Muscle atrophy due to not moving. Nothing happens to their organs if they're being fed properly.
  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
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    It's just far too much of a deficit. You will lose a lot of muscle mass along with some fat loss. If you lose a lot of muscle, your weight loss will slow.
  • SmileyFaceGuy
    SmileyFaceGuy Posts: 201
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    It's just far too much of a deficit. You will lose a lot of muscle mass along with some fat loss. If you lose a lot of muscle, your weight loss will slow.

    So basically you're saying it's a rule of thumb? I considered that, but your deficit depends on how active you are. If you're very inactive, you can eat less than your BMR with less than a 500 calorie deficit. For example, my BMR is (supposedly) 1813. I'm sedentary and spend about 10 hours a day on my computer, giving me a TDEE of 2175. Subtract 500 and you get 1676.
  • wmoomoo
    wmoomoo Posts: 159 Member
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    Here is an article on coma. Read what cause coma and the side effects. These people are on usually on life support to keep their body alive.... For me, that means the body is not functioning correctly. And I am just using coma as an extreme case.

    http://www.columbianeuroicu.org/patient-information.html
  • reneeot
    reneeot Posts: 773 Member
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    Many are choosing to NOT have TOO large of a deficit. They feel it causes plateaus, can slow the weight loss process because body feels its not getting enough needed for basic function. Also that after weight loss, it is easier to maintain because the body's metabolism doesnt slow because of low caloric intake.

    I personally have just started trying this concept, time will tell, if it helps!
  • bigjretrac
    bigjretrac Posts: 80 Member
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    I started out eating below BMR. My initially weight loss was terrific, I dropped 15 pounds in about 2.5 months. After that, I platueu'd...it was like I hit a brick wall. As I began slowly increasing my calories, I found I had more energy at the gym, and I was losing again (after not budging a pound for 2 months).
  • SmileyFaceGuy
    SmileyFaceGuy Posts: 201
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    Wow. You really have to ask?

    BMR is absolute minimum. No moving. Just laying in bed.

    When you get up, go to work, walk to the pub, have a beer and a sandwich, then go to the gym and lift heavy weights for an hour, all that is on top of BMR. That's your TDEE, which you seem to know o by are you asking. So, most people gain weight because they eat way above their TDEE. If you eat at TDEE. You will neither gain nor lose. If you eat less than TDEE, you lose. But, because your basic survival needs are at BMR, You don't want to eat below BMR. Somewhere above BMR and below TDEE is your weight loss program.

    I hope that's clear.

    It is clear; however, it doesn't answer my question as it completely disregards my argument.
  • tweak222
    tweak222 Posts: 40
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    I ate below my BMR 2 years ago and I dropped nearly 40 lbs in about 3.5 months I was running every day and doing P90X. The intensity of the workouts forced my body to eat a lot of the muscle I was using. So when I weighed about 165 I still looked pretty fat because my body consumed a lot of muscle. You'll lose weight, but don't expect to look fit if you eat below your BMR you'll be scrawny and flabby. The only muscles i had that looked decent were my biceps at the time because I used them so much my body was eating away at other muscles for energy. Then I plateaued. I definitely recommend eating above your BMR if you want to lose weight, build muscle, and look fit when you reach your goals.

    Course your actual BMR is gonna differ from a standard calculator which is almost never your actual BMR (which is what I went off of) but if you do eat an extremely low deficit you'll be grouchy and you won't look good when you're at your goal weight either.
  • laurynwithawhy
    laurynwithawhy Posts: 385 Member
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    BMR is what your body needs if you are at bed rest / coma.
    I know.
    Do know what happen to people's muscle / organs when they are at bed rest or coma for an extended period of time?

    Muscle atrophy due to not moving. Nothing happens to their organs if they're being fed properly.

    FYI the heart is a muscle. You can cause serious heart damage by not eating enough. Most people who die from anorexia actually die from cardiomyopathy - basically their body eats away at their heart causing massive damage.

    That doesn't even begin to go into the damage done to liver and kidneys, which can also lead to death.

    Is eating below your BMR going to do that? Probably not, but its a slippery slope. Eating a couple hundred calories under your BMR for awhile shouldn't set you back too far. But I know people with BMR of 1800 who dropped down to 1000 calories a day and ended up very very sick.

    It's not worth it. Wouldn't you rather eat as much as you can while still losing weight... and lose it slowly and reasonably so it's sustainable?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,695 Member
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    Just something I was thinking about, as I see people repeatedly say that you shouldn't eat below your BMR. The only explanation I've seen is along the lines of, "Because that's what your body needs to do its most basic functions," but that doesn't really make sense considering the whole point of a caloric deficit is to eat less than what your body needs to function so that it takes from its stored energy.
    Your BMR is the amount of calories burned if you just sat on the couch all day and did NOTHING. If you intend to do NOTHING all day but lie around, then by all means eat 500 less than your BMR. But if you work, move, exercise etc., you're OBVIOUSLY burning more calories. Deficits too high will slow metabolic rate and also may cause catabolism.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • dfquigley
    dfquigley Posts: 186
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    I don't agree that anyone needs to eat at least their BMR when they are losing weight, at least if they have a fairly sedentary lifestyle and not working out. Especially if their only goal is some weight loss.

    If you did it long term there could be serious consequences, malnourishment, seriousloss of muscle,. eventual organ failure etc. and if you're not working out, then even short term you also risk catabolizing muscle instead of fat, or at least a portion of each.

    Generally it's a better idea to eat approx. your BMR and then do a little bit of low intensity working out, going for a walk, taking stairs instead of elevators etc. to help preserve some of the muscle that you use most while stimulating a small caloric loss that way instead.
  • SmileyFaceGuy
    SmileyFaceGuy Posts: 201
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    Just something I was thinking about, as I see people repeatedly say that you shouldn't eat below your BMR. The only explanation I've seen is along the lines of, "Because that's what your body needs to do its most basic functions," but that doesn't really make sense considering the whole point of a caloric deficit is to eat less than what your body needs to function so that it takes from its stored energy.
    Your BMR is the amount of calories burned if you just sat on the couch all day and did NOTHING. If you intend to do NOTHING all day but lie around, then by all means eat 500 less than your BMR. But if you work, move, exercise etc., you're OBVIOUSLY burning more calories. Deficits too high will slow metabolic rate and also may cause catabolism.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    So, in other words, it's the caloric deficit that matters rather than the BMR. Glad we cleared that up. Now we need others to understand that BMR isn't some sacred number, other than for calculating TDEE.
  • spamantha57
    spamantha57 Posts: 674 Member
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    I was pretty much bed ridden for about 2 years, & the only time I got up was to go to the bathroom & shower. And I did laundry about once every week & 1/2 - which was actually some exertion for me. Definitely would be fine eating < BMR.
  • AnabolicKyle
    AnabolicKyle Posts: 489 Member
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    Just something I was thinking about, as I see people repeatedly say that you shouldn't eat below your BMR. The only explanation I've seen is along the lines of, "Because that's what your body needs to do its most basic functions," but that doesn't really make sense considering the whole point of a caloric deficit is to eat less than what your body needs to function so that it takes from its stored energy.
    Your BMR is the amount of calories burned if you just sat on the couch all day and did NOTHING. If you intend to do NOTHING all day but lie around, then by all means eat 500 less than your BMR. But if you work, move, exercise etc., you're OBVIOUSLY burning more calories. Deficits too high will slow metabolic rate and also may cause catabolism.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    LOL isnt the whole point of a deficit to cause catabolism

    OP I for one see your point and i ask this to everyone throwing your argument away.

    can your body tell the difference between losing calories to exercise and losing calories to BMR? my guess is probably not.

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