BMR and TDEE Question???

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Rjsmith07
Rjsmith07 Posts: 49 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok... I have been eating 1200 calories a day bc well thats all I have heard all my life is if you want to lose weight lower your calories to 1200. Its working and I am losing weight but I do realize this is an unrealistic goal bc once I get to my goal weight then it will be hard to stick to 1200 calories a day and I will gain it back... So, with that.... I have been reading through posts about the BMR and TDEE and all that stuff (I have just heard about for the first time). I need help to increase my metabolism bc right now it is and has been for a long time just horrible!
The calculations say my BMR is 1603 and TDEE is 1929. Is it safe to up my calories to 1600 or is it supposed to be more? I am horrible at exercising and actually sticking to it... I am trying right now and hopefully will find time to do this more often. Currently, I am at a desk job that requires no walking, nothing so right now little to no exercise. To get the best most realistic results what should I be doing? Also... with the things I have told MFP it has set my calorie goal to 1200, can I manually change this? I don't want to maintain and I don't want to gain.... I need to lose but I know my metabolism is what hinders me from losing....

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  • imchicbad
    imchicbad Posts: 1,650 Member
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    you have to eat more 1200 is crazy, when your car needs gas...you put fuel in it. your body works the same way. Never eat below your BMR. Im 5 feet tall weigh 136 and work out 6 times a week and do p90x. i eat 1800 calories because i burn 500 each work out. YOU HAVE TO EAT...CLEAN
  • narbuckle
    narbuckle Posts: 3
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    I have the same issue!!! Why is MFP tell me to eat 1200 a day when my BMR is 1500 and my TDEE is 1885. What is the point of MFP if it is telling my body to go into starvation mode. I don't mind to loose more slowly I just want to be healthy! Should we got by what MFP says or somewhere in between BMR and TDEE. I swear I have been looking this up all morning! Help!
  • Rjsmith07
    Rjsmith07 Posts: 49 Member
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    I have the same issue!!! Why is MFP tell me to eat 1200 a day when my BMR is 1500 and my TDEE is 1885. What is the point of MFP if it is telling my body to go into starvation mode. I don't mind to loose more slowly I just want to be healthy! Should we got by what MFP says or somewhere in between BMR and TDEE. I swear I have been looking this up all morning! Help!

    LOL.... yea I have been researching it to this am
  • EKN1417
    EKN1417 Posts: 34 Member
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    MFP is telling you to eat 1200 because you put your weight loss goal at 2 lbs per week. That is a steep weight loss goal, since to lose 1 lb you have to take in 3500 calories per week LESS than you consume. So you need to create a deicit of 5000 calories to do this, and its harder without excercise. Becaues that amount is SO big, MFP has put you on the lowest calorie allotment considered safe (1200 or under is consider dangerous and/or counter-producive in the long term.)

    Change your weight loss goal to 1 lb a week or 1/2 lb per week. YES- you will lose more slowly, BUT you will get to ENJOY your life, eat more, AND are more likely to sustain the weight you have lost in the long term.

    Trust me on this one. Many many threads about it. I eat more than 1200 calories a day and I'm 105 lbs.
  • ChangingAmanda
    ChangingAmanda Posts: 486 Member
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    MFP sets your net calorie goal based on the information you entered. If you told it you wanted to loose 2 lbs/week, it's going to calculate your goal on that regardless if it's below your BMR. MFP uses a fairly basic calculation which is why many people suggest reading this post www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12.

    To change your settings, go to the "My Home" tab, select goals, select the green "change goals" button on the page,select the button next to "custom", select continue, enter in your new calorie goal. Also, most people change their carb/fat/protein goals to 40/30/30.

    I'm 5'4", started at 249.6 and currently around 226 since Oct. 20th. I've set my calorie goal to 1600 net. Meaning that on none workout days, I eat 1600. On workout days (circuit training that burns 350-500 calories according to my heart rate monitor for a 45-60 minute session) I eat my 1600 + my workout calories. I average a loss of of 1.7 lbs/week.

    Not sure if this helps.
  • Mimisam45
    Mimisam45 Posts: 132 Member
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    Forgive me: TDEE?? :blushing:
  • narbuckle
    narbuckle Posts: 3
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    This definitely helps! I had set my weight loss goal to 2lbs, just as a goal-- and not really paying attention. However I don't really care what the weight loss is a week if I am loosing. I am also doing 30DS and Zumba, and I always eat back my calories. Mostly because I a starving from working out. Thanks for the help!

    I would recommend that MFP do some equation editing to ensure that people are not falling below their BMR, or so far below like I was. Sounds dangerous!
  • Rjsmith07
    Rjsmith07 Posts: 49 Member
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    Forgive me: TDEE?? :blushing:

    Total Daily Energy Expenditure is a metric to calculate the amount of calories your body needs to function in a day.
  • Mimisam45
    Mimisam45 Posts: 132 Member
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    Thanks!!
  • sundaywishes
    sundaywishes Posts: 246 Member
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    MFP sets your net calorie goal based on the information you entered. If you told it you wanted to lose 2 lbs/week, it's going to calculate your goal on that regardless if it's below your BMR. MFP uses a fairly basic calculation which is why many people suggest reading this post www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12.

    To change your settings, go to the "My Home" tab, select goals, select the green "change goals" button on the page,select the button next to "custom", select continue, enter in your new calorie goal. Also, most people change their carb/fat/protein goals to 40/30/30.

    Simply, this.

    I just sent you a comprehensive PM as well, based upon the information in www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 . Great read.
  • SmileyFaceGuy
    SmileyFaceGuy Posts: 201
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    Just eat your TDEE minus 20%. It doesn't matter if you go below your BMR; all that matters is that your deficit isn't too large.
  • sundaywishes
    sundaywishes Posts: 246 Member
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    Just eat your TDEE minus 20%. It doesn't matter if you go below your BMR; all that matters is that your deficit isn't too large.

    Wrong. Your deficit would obviously be too large if you went under your BMR. Please do some more research before giving out bad advice.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    Your deficit would obviously be too large if you went under your BMR.

    I would love to see actual clinical studies on this. I have yet to see one. And I've asked on this site many times.

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