TDEE/BMR, am I totally doing this all wrong

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  • lh1626
    lh1626 Posts: 241 Member
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    Bump...good discussion
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    I agree with Debbie, your RMR is probably closer to 1350 calories and a TDEE of 2100 if working out between 3 to 5 days. And at 200 lbs, you could have a goal to lose about 80 lbs of fat mass. For starters, it would be fine to lose 1.5 lbs per week which would have you eat 1343 calories.

    The problem with cutting too large of a deficit to start, is it doesn't allow much flexibility if you wish to reduce caloric intake further, whereas if you start at a higher intake, you can. In the end, you do have enough fat mass to do a large deficit, but I would stick to 1.5 per week to be honest.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I agree with Debbie, your RMR is probably closer to 1350 calories and a TDEE of 2100 if working out between 3 to 5 days. And at 200 lbs, you could have a goal to lose about 80 lbs of fat mass. For starters, it would be fine to lose 1.5 lbs per week which would have you eat 1343 calories.

    The problem with cutting too large of a deficit to start, is it doesn't allow much flexibility if you wish to reduce caloric intake further, whereas if you start at a higher intake, you can. In the end, you do have enough fat mass to do a large deficit, but I would stick to 1.5 per week to be honest.

    ^^sensible advice.
  • konerusp
    konerusp Posts: 247 Member
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    I totally get the whole eating back your calories and eating at LEAST at my BMR, but I'm getting some conflicting advice.

    My BMR is 1700. Which sounds like more than enough calories in a day, this is true. However, given that I am 5'2", 200 lbs, and have PLENTY of body fat that needs to go, am I really doing myself a major diservice if I am eating between 1200-1500 calories a day, at least for now?

    If my TDEE clocks in at 2260, is eating 1700 calories a day already creating the 500 calorie a day deficit I need to lose approx 1lb a week...what's the harm in eating about 1400 calories a day and having that number be about 2lbs a week?

    Why is this so frowned upon by some, while others are totally supportive?
    Although everyone follows what they like,most people that frown upon creating large deficits have been there and that has backfired for them.Before joining MFP i dint know how much i was eating(but was eating 800 cals a day)-i lost all the weight i wanted to in 4 months(around 40 pounds)-but i hated the skinny fat look,and then a year later anything i eat turned to fat,then hair started falling,brittle nails,PMS.Even when i put on weight i was always eating healthy food,just not the right quantity of macros.The goal here is to minimize the damage to your body-providing it nutrients it wants yet cheating it into losing weight.If you start right away with making it nutritionally deficient it will stop cooperating with you at some point.It took me a whole year to bring back things to normal.I incorporated lots of vegetables and protein and be cautious about breads and sugars now.i have a super sedentary day,the only activity i get is exercise now,im eating 1800-1900 calories and losing inches steadily.my health has never been better in a thousand years and i have so much more energy to workout.This is not a biggest loser race-take it slow,make it healthy,love your body,live life.simple.
  • SoySalva
    SoySalva Posts: 138
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    I am your height and started at 224lbs. At the beginning I would eat anywhere from 1400 to 1600 calories a day and I ate my exercise calories....exercise being brisk walking 5x a week for 45 min.

    It worked for me......you most likely need to tweak your calorie intake a couple of times until you find the one that works best for you.

    Good luck.......stay strong:smile:
  • Rebeccaben
    Rebeccaben Posts: 16
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    What is BMR?
  • alanlmarshall
    alanlmarshall Posts: 587 Member
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    What is BMR?

    basal metabolic rate, the calories you would burn each day doing nothing but breathing.
  • rachelilb
    rachelilb Posts: 179 Member
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    Bump
  • crzychik1984
    crzychik1984 Posts: 6
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    I have always had problems eating unhealthy too. I have recently found that Special K meals fill me up, and have lower calories than what I was eating. For breakfast every morning I have Flatbread Egg, Sausage and Cheese sandwich by Special K. I also have lean cuisine meals. For snacks, Special K also has a wide variety of snacks such as chips, snack bars, pastry crisps and stuff like that. Ever since I started on the Special K diet, I have found i eat 6 times a day, but I for the most part, stay under 1200 calories a day. Which is my daily calorie intake goal. I don't feel hungry and I only eat the serving sizes. They also have Special K drinks, I believe, like SlimFast but by Special K instead.
  • alanlmarshall
    alanlmarshall Posts: 587 Member
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    Do you know your goal TDEE? If it is lower than current BMR I would use that. If not, your actual BMR may be lower if you have very high body fat. You might see what 90% estimated BMR feels like. Just don't get greedy when you get a lower body fat %, lose more gradually as you go.
  • kodom_123
    kodom_123 Posts: 117 Member
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    I totally get the whole eating back your calories and eating at LEAST at my BMR, but I'm getting some conflicting advice.

    My BMR is 1700. Which sounds like more than enough calories in a day, this is true. However, given that I am 5'2", 200 lbs, and have PLENTY of body fat that needs to go, am I really doing myself a major diservice if I am eating between 1200-1500 calories a day, at least for now?


    I've been there. From a 2500 usual I went down to 1300-1600 a day with a lightly active workout. I indeed lost weight at 2 lbs a week. It was good for over a month or so when I came on a plateau. I also was lifting then but was doing a lot lighter weights since I lack energy to do it. So I asked a trainer and he told me that I might have ruined my metabolism by cutting that much just to lose at a faster pace. Now I'm struggling to get back into my usual 2500 and its really hard. My body got kinda used to eating less so I feel bloated most of the time. I'm on my 2nd week in repairing my metabolism and energy and am eating at 2230 cal a day. I add 100 cal every week or so if I see a good rate of loss like .5-1 lb per week. I'm also back to lifting the heavy weights like before but still struggling with it since I'm still rebuilding my strength too.

    I guess its really up to you which path you want to take but usually the one that takes longer and is more dedicated will be the better path.

    ^^^^This! :)

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