Resting Metabolic Rate tested...Even More Confused

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  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    i would agree with niner and KD et al.

    that BMR sounds awfully low for someone with your statistics. I would guess 1 of three things were out of whack.

    1) you're metabolism has been slowed by consistent under-eating (which from your statements about eating 1500 it doesn't sound that way)

    2) the test was off (more common than you think, these machines need almost constant maintenance, most gyms don't do the required maintenance which makes the results essentially useless)

    3) You have a metabolic condition as suggested above (the hashimoto's)

    these are just guesses of course, but they are more reasonable than a 1016 BMR.

    I would agree with getting your thyroid numbers checked, that never hurts. I'd also look into having the test done in a real metabolic lab instead of a gym. Somewhere with lab techs and the ability to check their equipment on a regular basis. It's usually not that expensive, around 150 bucks or so and they do a much better job at it than any gym I know of. my wife had one done about a year ago.

    PLUS

    1200 to 1400 maintenance with a BMR of 1016 is wrong unless you do nothing but sit at a desk all day and don't work out at all. sedentary is considered 1.2 X BMR
    moderately active is 1.55 X BMR, which it sounds like you're closer to than sedentary, which would mean 1560 or so. Probably a little more than that considering the effort level of the activities you are doing.
  • ConnieEK
    ConnieEK Posts: 1
    See your doctor. You can't listen to people who are giving generic answers from generic charts. Your numbers are identical to mine. I had the KORR test done. 10 minutes of CO2 measurement. My resting metabolism was 1210. I was told to eat 1000 to 1210 calories per day for weight loss. My dietician recommended 1150 calories per day.
    The charts are set for people with TYPICAL average metabolisms. Ours are slow. Mine is 15% slower than average. They will tell you to exercise more, increase your muscle mass. It doesn't always work that way. You may have a thyroid issue. Or like me, I have a muscle disease. Mild but never the less it affects my metabolism. I exercise daily, much like you. I eat healthier than anyone I know, paleolithic, and watch my fat/carb and protein percentages like a hawk. I follow the advice of a dietician. I remain 30 pounds over weight and can't lose weight no matter how hard I try. You can attempt to raise your metabolism by building muscle mass, not skipping meals, increasing your protein, (20 to 25% of daily cals and more than 70g per day), aerobic workout 3x per week, evening walk, adequate sleep. Bottom line, get a check up. You need to find out why your metabolism is running slowly. It may not be your fault. To answer your original question, yes, eat back those calories to a net of 1200. Its part of the reward for exercising!
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    You should never eat below 1200 calories because then your body begins to feed on it's self and you go into starvation mode. When your body goes into starvation mode it will hold on to the fat we have and what ever else you eat will not be used as energy instead it will want to hold on to that as well. The body does this to protect itself. Number one rule...NEVER EVER SKIP MEALS. Especially Breakfast. Make sure that you are drinking enough water. Take your body weight and divide it by 2. That will tell you how many ounces of water you should have a day. Never get less than 64oz. Next make sure that you are getting enough good lean protien in your diet. They recommend about 65 to 75 grams for women a day. This is easier than it seems. Studies have shown that you should get at least 30 grams of protien in your breakfast. Then eat lots of fruit, veggies well. The next thing you should know is that you need to create a calorie deficit. It takes 3500 calories to equal 1lb loss. All this means is that it will take a little longer for you since your metabolism is slow. Strength training is a great way to help boost metabolism. Because lean muscle burns more calories. So because it would be unhealthy to eat less than 1200 calories you need to create your deficit in your workouts. BMR is what we burn doing absolutely nothing. Our bodies burn calories just to survie. So when you clean your house, go grocery shopping, cook ect. you are burning calories above you BMR. So when you work out this just adds to your deficit. So eat a good amount of good protien, and eat lots of veggies and fuits, and have the right portion of whole grains and you will be feeding your body full of good nutrition and eventually your BMR should go up. Good luck and I hope this helps you.

    1. There's nothing magical about 1200. If you have a low metabolism, you might need to go 1000 or 900 to lose.
    2. I guarantee that less than 1% of people on this site have ever been in "starvation mode". (That takes a minimum of 72 hours with ZERO food.)
    3. Skip meals. It's not really relevant.
    4. There's nothing magical about breakfast either. I get up at 530, have my first meal at around 830 or 9, when I get to work.
    5. Drink water when you're thirsty. I rarely drink more than 32 oz a day.

    I think my results have been pretty good ...
  • tafournier
    tafournier Posts: 13 Member
    I'm not sure you actually had a true RMR test.....I've had 3 done in the last 2 years.....did you sit up, or lay down....did you have a mask that covered your nose and mouth and was very restrictive?.....did it last approx 20-30 minutes?......If you say yes to all this, then I would get a second opinion, just to be sure.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Wow, Ok this is my opinion and frankly I am not a DR or a Trainer.

    If anyone told me that my RMR was 1019....... I would do a proper bulk cycle. With a metabolism that shot to hell, I would work very hard to repair it before doing anything else.

    I like this approach. If the OP has a bottom line of not wanting to gain any weight, probably wouldn't work. But otherwise can come out in a few months with more lean mass and stronger metabolism.
  • Sjenny5891
    Sjenny5891 Posts: 717 Member
    It isn't about the scale. You have hit the point where it is all body fat and muscle.
    You are losing the fat but building muscle. That is why you are not losing weight.
    i saw a pic of someone here who gained 5 pounds in muscle working out but lost 10% body fat and looked AWESOME.
  • meluma
    meluma Posts: 1 Member
    bodybuilding.com/content/the-ultimate-guide-to-reverse-dieting.html

    It is completely possible for exercise to slow your BMR. Happened to me and many other people. See above article on reverse dieting for how to heal!
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    meluma wrote: »
    bodybuilding.com/content/the-ultimate-guide-to-reverse-dieting.html

    It is completely possible for exercise to slow your BMR. Happened to me and many other people. See above article on reverse dieting for how to heal!

    Um, this is a years old thread, pretty sure OP will have it all figured out by now......

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