How does eating according to your bmr help you?

Options
fightininggirl
fightininggirl Posts: 792 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
anotherwards what does it do exactly when you eat according to it? I am going to try this tomorrow to see how it goes. would love to hear stories from you on how it helped you and what it did for you.

Replies

  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,721 Member
    Options
    I seem to still be losing weight at my BMR and get to eat yummier foods lol
  • SmileyFaceGuy
    SmileyFaceGuy Posts: 201
    Options
    In other words*

    BMR is only relevant for calculating your TDEE. It doesn't matter if you eat over, at, or under your BMR; all that matters is your deficit.
  • fightininggirl
    fightininggirl Posts: 792 Member
    Options
    so eating according to your bmr isn't necessary?? I would fair better eating the calories set for would be more benefical?
  • SmileyFaceGuy
    SmileyFaceGuy Posts: 201
    Options
    so eating according to your bmr isn't necessary??

    Nope, you should eat according to your TDEE. You should eat about 80% of your TDEE, depending on how much weight you have to lose. A lot of people believe you shouldn't eat below your BMR, but they are wrong.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Options
    I'm no expert, but it is my understanding that BMR is the amount of calories you burn when you do absolutely nothing - coma calories basically. Since I'm not in a coma, I personally find my body is much happier if I feed it more than that bare minimum amount.

    I eat between BMR and TDEE - currently my goal is TDEE minus 15%, which for me is 1800 calories, and I make sure I don't net below my BMR (1400). And having great success with this method. And enjoying lots of good food! :drinker:
  • Chrissiecurit
    Chrissiecurit Posts: 74 Member
    Options
    I'm no expert, but it is my understanding that BMR is the amount of calories you burn when you do absolutely nothing - coma calories basically. Since I'm not in a coma, I personally find my body is much happier if I feed it more than that bare minimum amount.

    I eat between BMR and TDEE - currently my goal is TDEE minus 15%, which for me is 1800 calories, and I make sure I don't net below my BMR (1400). And having great success with this method. And enjoying lots of good food! :drinker:

    ^^^^THIS!
  • GoneKona
    GoneKona Posts: 87
    Options
    You're off on your thinking. Your BMR is ONLY a measurement of what calories you burn at rest. For example, my BMR (I had it professionally measured) is 2600. So I burn 2600 calories a day doing NOTHING. If I eat 1800 calories a day, at the end of a week, I will have a calorie deficit of 5600 calories. BMR (2600) - Daily intake (1800) x 7 = 5600. So I should lose a pound and a half (roughly) just by sticking to an 1800 calorie a day diet. Get it? If I eat more, the calorie deficit goes down (I don't lose as much weight). If I workout and burn calories, the calorie deficit goes up (I lose more weight). Get it?
  • fightininggirl
    fightininggirl Posts: 792 Member
    Options
    my bmr for me according to my weight is 1,496 calories.

    that is according to my current weight 182 pounds
  • eyeshuh
    eyeshuh Posts: 333
    Options
    You're off on your thinking. Your BMR is ONLY a measurement of what calories you burn at rest. For example, my BMR (I had it professionally measured) is 2600. So I burn 2600 calories a day doing NOTHING. If I eat 1800 calories a day, at the end of a week, I will have a calorie deficit of 5600 calories. BMR (2600) - Daily intake (1800) x 7 = 5600. So I should lose a pound and a half (roughly) just by sticking to an 1800 calorie a day diet. Get it? If I eat more, the calorie deficit goes down (I don't lose as much weight). If I workout and burn calories, the calorie deficit goes up (I lose more weight). Get it?

    You are confusing your BMR with your TDEE.

    OP - The benefit of knowing your BMR is that you know not to NET less calories than that. If you do, you might be under eating, which will stall weight loss.
  • eyeshuh
    eyeshuh Posts: 333
    Options
    I'm no expert, but it is my understanding that BMR is the amount of calories you burn when you do absolutely nothing - coma calories basically. Since I'm not in a coma, I personally find my body is much happier if I feed it more than that bare minimum amount.

    I eat between BMR and TDEE - currently my goal is TDEE minus 15%, which for me is 1800 calories, and I make sure I don't net below my BMR (1400). And having great success with this method. And enjoying lots of good food! :drinker:

    ^^^^ all of this!
  • ilovescarymovies
    ilovescarymovies Posts: 202 Member
    Options
    bump
  • Energizer06
    Energizer06 Posts: 311 Member
    Options
    Here's how I do it. I used my BMR to calculate TDEE (u can google TDEE and use a calculator to find it) I also wear a fitbit which states I'm burning a TDEE of around 2600 on non workout days and close to 3000 on workout days. So eating 500 cals less than that a day will yield a 1lb/wk loss or 1000 cal less = 2lb/wk. I have my calories at a base 1800 and eat the calories I burn during a workout. Hence the phrase...The more you burn the more you can eat. I have find it hard to eat 1800 cal/day and even harder to add an additional 300-400 on workout days. But I'm a nut when it comes to what I put in my body. I enjoy a 45%protein/30%carb/25% fat diet but recommend a 40/30/30 for women. Best thing is to go by your TDEE and take off 500 calories. That's your daily net limit. If you have trouble keeping track of what you are actually burning and can afford $60...go to target and pick up a Fitbit Zip. Wear it a few days and get a feel of what your burning on a normal day. Then adjust from there. Works great for me. Good luck and we wish you the best
  • Rhonnie
    Rhonnie Posts: 506 Member
    Options
    The basics of the TDEE -20% system is that you calculate how many calories your body burns on average in a week (including exercise), subtract 20% from that and that is the amount of calories you eat per day and you don't eat your calories back from exercise. This system bumped me up to 1550 calories today which was a much more manageable number for me.

    Some people in the MFP community think that MFP calculates your allotted calories to low, even if you eat your exercise calories back (which you absolutely should eat at least a majority of). I think it can work for some people and not others but knew I personally was set at 1200 and I found it really hard to eat so few on days when I didn't exercise, but then on days when I did I'd play 1 or 2 soccer games in the evening and would all of a sudden have an extra 1000-2000 calories to eat (and didn't always know if I was playing or not so couldn't pre-eat the calories). So the 'averaging out' that the TDEE school of thought makes more sense to me and my lifestyle.
  • Yasmine91
    Yasmine91 Posts: 599 Member
    Options
    bump

Categories