BMR and the recommended goal in MFP

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ralgur
ralgur Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I just used the BMR calculator from the MFP site, and it said that at my current height and weight, I need 2010 calories per day to maintain my weight. I am currently at 237 pounds, and I am 6 feet, 2.75 inches tall. MFP has my daily goal as 1580 calories. I have read up on some of the starvation mode posts, but I'm still confused. I have a person at work that I talk to about weight loss because he is into body building, and stays very fit. He says the typical male's "starvation mode" caloric intake is 1800 calories.

I have lost close to 30 pounds so far, and for the three weeks prior to last week, I lost 4.1, 3.8 and 3.2 pounds. Today's weekly weigh in showed that I only lost one pound.

I exercise 7 days a week. Typically it is the treadmill. I walk one hour per day. I am up to 4.0 mph. I burn approximately 500-800 calories per walk depending on intensity (i.e. incline or not). I don't know how accurate the treadmill is at tracking calorie usage because I do not use the monitor, but it has been working for weight loss so far. I checked my caloric intake for about the last two weeks. It looks like I was eating about 1400-1700 calories per day. I had the occasional day where I would eat 2000-2500, but that was when I burned 1800 calories riding a bike for 30 miles. For the record, for the week that I lost just the one pound, I ate between 1500-1700 calories per day, and I did not have bike ride. Just the hour of walking on the treadmill.

I am concerned that I may have hit "the wall". I would rather be aware and take corrective action than try to continue without advice and just get discouraged and stop trying.

So, in short, what should I do? I am very aerobically fit, but I really don't want to exercise more than an hour per day. I don't think cutting calories is the answer. Realistically, I should only expect a weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week. Should I stick with 1800 calories per day for a few weeks to see how things go?

I don't expect miracles, and I won't hold anyone liable for their comments. I just need some friendly advise from the more experienced weight loss folks. :smile:

Replies

  • explosivedonut
    explosivedonut Posts: 419 Member
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    Hey dude, congrats on the weight loss, that's awesome. I started around 245, I am currently at 183.2. I am a 24 y/o male. Just giving you this information so you can understand where I am coming from. I ate around 1500 calories for 5 months. Only recently have I started to up my intake, mostly because I am close to where I want to be weight-wise. I am by no means a fitness or diet expert, nor do I claim to be.

    There are a couple things you could do.

    1. You could start lifting weights, this only takes about an hour, depending on what you do. Muscle burns fat. Building muscle means burning more fat. I did P90X, personally. It worked great for me. Each day is about an 1 hour 15 minutes.

    2. Do harder exercises. The treadmill is great, but if you have been walking at 4 mph for a while now, you might need to switch it up. Try running a little bit. You don't need to run for the full hour, but maybe running for 10 minutes would be good. Run/walk outside. there is a world of difference between the treadmill and the street. It's much harder, but much more satisfying in my opinion.

    3. Reevaluate your diet. You might be eating 1500 calories, but what are you eating? Is it a balanced diet? Are you counting "hidden"calories (soda, beer, sauces, etc.). Make sure to eat a nice, healthy, balanced diet.

    Finally, starvation mode is really only applicable for people who are more fit. If your body has fat to use, it will use the fat first before it really starts to use your muscles.

    Hope that helps!
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
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    Hey dude, congrats on the weight loss, that's awesome. I started around 245, I am currently at 183.2. I am a 24 y/o male. Just giving you this information so you can understand where I am coming from. I ate around 1500 calories for 5 months. Only recently have I started to up my intake, mostly because I am close to where I want to be weight-wise. I am by no means a fitness or diet expert, nor do I claim to be.

    There are a couple things you could do.

    1. You could start lifting weights, this only takes about an hour, depending on what you do. Muscle burns fat. Building muscle means burning more fat. I did P90X, personally. It worked great for me. Each day is about an 1 hour 15 minutes.

    2. Do harder exercises. The treadmill is great, but if you have been walking at 4 mph for a while now, you might need to switch it up. Try running a little bit. You don't need to run for the full hour, but maybe running for 10 minutes would be good. Run/walk outside. there is a world of difference between the treadmill and the street. It's much harder, but much more satisfying in my opinion.

    3. Reevaluate your diet. You might be eating 1500 calories, but what are you eating? Is it a balanced diet? Are you counting "hidden"calories (soda, beer, sauces, etc.). Make sure to eat a nice, healthy, balanced diet.

    Finally, starvation mode is really only applicable for people who are more fit. If your body has fat to use, it will use the fat first before it really starts to use your muscles.

    Hope that helps!

    Finally, starvation mode is really only applicable for people who are more fit. If your body has fat to use, it will use the fat first before it really starts to use your muscles

    No just no
  • Melo1966
    Melo1966 Posts: 881 Member
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    The 1,580 is to be your net that means when you exercise you are suppose to eat more.
    You should get off the treadmill and get outside, start a C25K program.
    Inside workouts should be for strength include lifting, pushups, crunches, squats, etc.
  • EDollah
    EDollah Posts: 464 Member
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    I wouldn't fret about the results of 1 week. I had a week where I lost 1.2 pounds, sandwiched between 2 weeks where I lost 5.2 and 4.6 pounds. What did I do different in that one week? NOTHING! I maintain a lot of data about exercise and food and those 3 weeks were practically identical. I'm not a human physiology expert, so I can't begin to tell you what's going on with the body to cause the variances when, theoretically, none should exist.

    My 2 cents is to keep on doing what you're doing and continue to monitor your results. One week's results does not indicate hitting "the wall". Two or three weeks would be cause for concern that something's not quite working as expected.
  • explosivedonut
    explosivedonut Posts: 419 Member
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    Finally, starvation mode is really only applicable for people who are more fit. If your body has fat to use, it will use the fat first before it really starts to use your muscles

    No just no

    Mind explaining more? Sure if you eat like 500 calories that's one thing, but the guy is eating 1500. His body isn't in starvation mode.
  • ralgur
    ralgur Posts: 2
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    Thanks for the replies. I have been doing the same things in terms of exercise and diet that I've been doing for months now. By no means is my diet perfect, and it's probably not a nutritionist's dream, but I do eat more fruits and veggies than I've eaten in my life, not to mention a LOT of grilled chicken. Maybe it was just an off week. I am VERY diligent about putting everything that goes into my stomach into the app. I imagine I'm so OCD about recording everything that I'm probably annoying at times to those who eat with me. I even add the little bit of sugar and milk I add to my oatmeal when I have that for breakfast.

    I do plan to start getting some resistance type exercise in. I just ordered my "perfect push up" kit, so I will get that going for sure. I had avoided push ups due to my weight and the pain it was causing in my wrists from the angle you have to do push ups at when you do them "naturally" (i.e. no Perfect Push Up kit).

    I also plan to do some interval training on the treadmill where I run some and walk some to keep the heart rate at a more elevated level than by just walking. I hear that this can lower the amount of time you have to be on the treadmill but still get some good calorie burn. One thing is certain. I can only walk so fast, so at some point, I will either have to run some or try some other aerobic exercise that gives big bang for the buck such as an elliptical.

    I can use that freed up time from the interval training, which I plan to do three times a week, to hit the weights more. I have never liked lifting weight lifting, but I will certainly try to make it work. I'm OCD about knowing the calories I burn from exercise, so that does present a conundrum for me. I hope I can find some guide that will help me "guesstimate".

    Getting outside is an option no doubt. I just prefer the safety and convenience of the treadmill. I'm out in the country, and you never know when someone's vicious dog is going to get out and try a taste of me.

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