Eating Below BMR - Advice Needed

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suezydereuzy
suezydereuzy Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am hoping to put my mind at ease and that I am doing this correctly - My BMR is 1545 My TDEE (according to thefitgirls.com) is 1852 with little to no exercise. I am planning on eating back my exercise calories. If I subtract 20% (370) from my TDEE my calorie goal is 1482. Should this be lower than my BMR??? SOOO confused.... My light activity level TDEE is 2122 - would I be better subtracting 20% from this and then NOT eat back the exercise calories? I am unsure if I should be eating less than my BMR - gained .6 this week and very frustrated with all of this.... Thank you for any help you can give!!

Replies

  • sexymuffintop
    sexymuffintop Posts: 636
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    When using the TDEE method it is my understanding that you do not eat back exercise calories. They are equated for in the TDEE calculators. So just eat 20% less than the TDEE amount. Ignore exercise calories.
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
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    Only eat below BMR if you are significantly overweight. If you are only 32 lbs. overweight, like your ticker says, then use the higher activity level. Or you can take a lower cut--try 15%?
  • rekite2000
    rekite2000 Posts: 218 Member
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    Eat at your BMR. My TDEE 20% is lower than my BMR so I do 15%. I am still losing very well. There is nothing wrong doing TDEE at sedentary and adding exercise back (as long as you eat them back). My fitbit is connected so my calories are set to sedentary and I eat everything back that fitbit gives me.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    I am hoping to put my mind at ease and that I am doing this correctly - My BMR is 1545 My TDEE (according to thefitgirls.com) is 1852 with little to no exercise. I am planning on eating back my exercise calories. If I subtract 20% (370) from my TDEE my calorie goal is 1482. Should this be lower than my BMR??? SOOO confused.... My light activity level TDEE is 2122 - would I be better subtracting 20% from this and then NOT eat back the exercise calories? I am unsure if I should be eating less than my BMR - gained .6 this week and very frustrated with all of this.... Thank you for any help you can give!!

    TDEE includes exercise thermogenesis and you'd be better off including that exercise by factoring it in to your activity level and then NOT eating back exercise calories.

    That being said, for some people with lower activity levels, a 20% cut under TDEE can potentially put you below BMR. This isn't an issue as there's nothing magical about BMR that says you must eat above it.
  • pluckabee
    pluckabee Posts: 346 Member
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    If you are planning on eating back your exercise calories then you wouldn't be eating below BMR, you would be netting below BMR, which is slightly different. You should be ok doing this.
  • suezydereuzy
    suezydereuzy Posts: 13 Member
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    Thank you for the feedback - any ideas how long it will take my body to adjust to the extra calories, or how much weight I will gain while it does? I am so nervous about gaining back what I have lost.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I am hoping to put my mind at ease and that I am doing this correctly - My BMR is 1545 My TDEE (according to thefitgirls.com) is 1852 with little to no exercise. I am planning on eating back my exercise calories. If I subtract 20% (370) from my TDEE my calorie goal is 1482. Should this be lower than my BMR??? SOOO confused.... My light activity level TDEE is 2122 - would I be better subtracting 20% from this and then NOT eat back the exercise calories? I am unsure if I should be eating less than my BMR - gained .6 this week and very frustrated with all of this.... Thank you for any help you can give!!

    TDEE includes exercise thermogenesis and you'd be better off including that exercise by factoring it in to your activity level and then NOT eating back exercise calories.

    That being said, for some people with lower activity levels, a 20% cut under TDEE can potentially put you below BMR. This isn't an issue as there's nothing magical about BMR that says you must eat above it.

    ^^what he said.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    I am hoping to put my mind at ease and that I am doing this correctly - My BMR is 1545 My TDEE (according to thefitgirls.com) is 1852 with little to no exercise. I am planning on eating back my exercise calories. If I subtract 20% (370) from my TDEE my calorie goal is 1482. Should this be lower than my BMR??? SOOO confused.... My light activity level TDEE is 2122 - would I be better subtracting 20% from this and then NOT eat back the exercise calories? I am unsure if I should be eating less than my BMR - gained .6 this week and very frustrated with all of this.... Thank you for any help you can give!!

    This is absolutely, 100%, completely fine. This is the exact method I recommend.

    Assume sedentary TDEE and eat back exercise calories.
  • Paco4gsc
    Paco4gsc Posts: 119 Member
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    Thank you for the feedback - any ideas how long it will take my body to adjust to the extra calories, or how much weight I will gain while it does? I am so nervous about gaining back what I have lost.

    Going from eating at a deficit to a slightly lower deficit shouldn't result in weight gain.

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