Question/Confusion on Net Calories & BMR

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skinny4me2be
skinny4me2be Posts: 358 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all
I ran some reports under the report tab today and was shocked to see I was not eating at least my BMR. My net calories showed WAY under my BMR. I set my daily calorie goal to be 1570 (which is my BMR) and eat back most of my exercise calories. I have a fitbit and my average burn is about 2400 calories per day. My exercise report shows I burn anywhere from 400-750 calories per day through exercise. I sync my fitbit at night so then I know how many more calories I have to eat or have left, but there are a lot of times I'm not hungry so I don't eat them...thinking now I should.

On average I take in about 1800-1900 calories a day (an occasional 2100-2200 pending what is going on that day) and I feel satisfied by that amount..and I noticed over this last month I've been leaving 200-300 calories remaining...... I haven't been losing-instead I'm gaining. :sad:

Is this why I'm gaining? I'm not eating enough?
Apart of me is scared to trust the fit bit on the 2400calorie burn.I just modified my stride length and to see if that will be more accurate with the distance. When I saw my calorie burn was an average of 2400 cals a day, I thought about just changing my daily calorie goal to 1900 and be done, but eating at 1900, is already average of what I'm eating at and I am not losing. :-(

I walk 2-3 miles 3-5x a week (sometimes will do a jog/run), and then lift weights as heavy as I can 3x a week. Take the stairs whenever I can, park farther away, etc.

The reports also showed me I needed to modify my carb/fat/and protein intakes. Carbs/fats too high and protein not enough. So I will try to change that around as well, but was hoping for opinions on this.

Do I trust the 2400 average calorie burn my fitbit is giving me and just eat the average 1900

OR

when it says I have 200-300 calories left to eat-do I eat them?


Any insight would be helpful! (p.s. Stats: Female, age 44, 5'6.5", 194lbs)
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Replies

  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    You shouldn't be gaining if you are eating at a deficit. Are you weighing and measuring and logging all of your food?
  • skinny4me2be
    skinny4me2be Posts: 358 Member
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    Yes, I do. Weight/measure (except in instances where I don't have a scale or spoons). Could it be the carb/fat/sodium being too high and not enough protein (is this what they call macros')?
  • NOLA_Meg
    NOLA_Meg Posts: 194 Member
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    You are using your BMR as your calorie goal. Unless you are in maintenance, you need to have a deficit.
  • skinny4me2be
    skinny4me2be Posts: 358 Member
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    Don't I want to eat at least my BMR + fitbit calories -- not? Which is why I set my calorie goal to be 1570 (BMR) and my exercise is set to sedentary.

    If I do the guided goals MFP gives me 1430 daily calorie goals at sedentary--which is below my BMR.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    You are using your BMR as your calorie goal. Unless you are in maintenance, you need to have a deficit.

    Your response shows you are confusing BMR with TDEE. Big difference, well, unless in a comma I suppose.

    To OP:
    Your BMR is based on expected amount of fat mass to non-fat mass (LBM) for someone your age, weight, height.
    When overweight, you don't have that ratio, more fat.
    If you've been spent significant time undereating for your level of activity, you have also likely burned off some muscle mass.

    Besides that, you may be always in a carb depleted state until recently, so that was lowered metabolism too, and now with more carbs, that means more water, that means more weight. At least that weight is increased metabolism.

    But if you are suppressed metabolism from being way too far under, it may take awhile for your metabolism to recover.

    FitBit is basing it's BMR (used for calorie burn during all non-moving time) on the age, weight, height method, and it may indeed be off a bit.
    As well as fact you may have suppressed your metabolism it knows nothing about.
    So figure it's TDEE is your potential, probably underestimated actually.

    Stick to the goal for now, but you may want to revisit your goals after a few weeks. You don't mention how long in time this gain has occurred.
  • NOLA_Meg
    NOLA_Meg Posts: 194 Member
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    Your BMR is what you would burn if you "stayed in bed all day." This would be your calorie goal if you wanted to stay at your current weight. Since you are eating your BMR plus your fitbit calories you do not have a deficit. The MFP guided calorie goals use your BMR and your activitiy level to give you a deficit. So you should aim to eat 1430, plus (all or some) of your exercise calories depending on your expenditure.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Don't I want to eat at least my BMR + fitbit calories -- not? Which is why I set my calorie goal to be 1570 (BMR) and my exercise is set to sedentary.

    If I do the guided goals MFP gives me 1430 daily calorie goals at sedentary--which is below my BMR.

    You made it 1430 by your choices.

    Oh, your exercise is NOT set at Sedentary, your non-exercise daily activities is set at Sedentary. MFP includes NO exercise in math for diet goals. Hence the reason you add it back later.

    Are you truly at Sedentary level on non-exercise days?

    FitBit TDEE on those days divided by MFP BMR you found.
    That's your activity factor.
    1.25 is sedentary.
    1.35 is lightly active.

    You also selected, perhaps the 2lb goal loss, when 1 lb was recommended?

    And even then, if that gives you eating goal below BMR on non-exercise days, you log and eat back the stated exercise calories, you have now balanced that out, even if they are inflated burns (depending on exercise).
    But that part doesn't matter using FitBit, just sync and eat the extra back.

    So yes, you setting it to BMR, and eating back the exercise that FitBit sees would work, but you can't tweak it that way totally.
  • AmberCarr
    AmberCarr Posts: 21 Member
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    Alright I will chime in here to make sure I have this right! I am sure I will be corrected if I am wrong!
    So your BMR is the base rate of calories you burn. If you want to loose fat you have to have a deficit. Say you want to loose 1 pound a week you need to have a 3500 calorie deficit. So say your BMR is 2000, the way I do it is this
    2000 X 7 =14000 - 3500 = 10500 / 7 = 1500, so you should be having 1500 calories per day.
  • skinny4me2be
    skinny4me2be Posts: 358 Member
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    @ Heybales: I have had the fitbit for about a month now and its been averaging 2400 daily calorie burn. So are you saying to keep my calorie goal at 1570 and continue to eat my exercise calories? Eating about 1800-1900 a day?

    When I did the guided version on MFP--I chose 1lb a week, sedentary (so that I eat back the calories from fitbit) and it gave me a daily calorie goal of 1430--still below my BMR.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Your BMR is what you would burn if you "stayed in bed all day." This would be your calorie goal if you wanted to stay at your current weight.

    Again, that is SO wrong in application, though you have the definition correct.

    How would eating what your body would like to burn if you stayed in bed all day, not automatically be a deficit once you got out of bed and move around?

    TDEE "would be your calorie goal if you wanted to stay at your current weight"
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Alright I will chime in here to make sure I have this right! I am sure I will be corrected if I am wrong!
    So your BMR is the base rate of calories you burn. If you want to loose fat you have to have a deficit. Say you want to loose 1 pound a week you need to have a 3500 calorie deficit. So say your BMR is 2000, the way I do it is this
    2000 X 7 =14000 - 3500 = 10500 / 7 = 1500, so you should be having 1500 calories per day.

    Very wrong. Read post right above regarding BMR and TDEE.
  • AmberCarr
    AmberCarr Posts: 21 Member
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    So how do you calculate tdee?
  • NOLA_Meg
    NOLA_Meg Posts: 194 Member
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    http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/boost-weight-loss-by-knowing-your-bmr.aspx
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Alright I will chime in here to make sure I have this right! I am sure I will be corrected if I am wrong!
    So your BMR is the base rate of calories you burn. If you want to loose fat you have to have a deficit. Say you want to loose 1 pound a week you need to have a 3500 calorie deficit. So say your BMR is 2000, the way I do it is this
    2000 X 7 =14000 - 3500 = 10500 / 7 = 1500, so you should be having 1500 calories per day.

    No. BMR is what they would feed you if you were in a coma to keep your organs functioning properly.

    The calculation for what MFP figures out for you is the calories you need in your day not including exercise. Big difference.

    TDEE is all of the calories you need including exercise. In your example calculation above, your TDEE = 2000. A person with a TDEE of 2000 likely has a BMR of about 1400.
  • NOLA_Meg
    NOLA_Meg Posts: 194 Member
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    Your BMR is what you would burn if you "stayed in bed all day." This would be your calorie goal if you wanted to stay at your current weight.

    Again, that is SO wrong in application, though you have the definition correct.

    How would eating what your body would like to burn if you stayed in bed all day, not automatically be a deficit once you got out of bed and move around?

    TDEE "would be your calorie goal if you wanted to stay at your current weight"

    That's why they ask about your activity level! If I sat in bed = sedentary and ate only my BMR I would maintain; if I got up and ate my BMR plus my calorie expenditure via fitbit I would also maintain because you DO NOT HAVE A DEFICIT!!!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    @ Heybales: I have had the fitbit for about a month now and its been averaging 2400 daily calorie burn. So are you saying to keep my calorie goal at 1570 and continue to eat my exercise calories? Eating about 1800-1900 a day?

    When I did the guided version on MFP--I chose 1lb a week, sedentary (so that I eat back the calories from fitbit) and it gave me a daily calorie goal of 1430--still below my BMR.

    So FitBit is estimating daily TDEE, which includes exercise, as avg 2400.

    Your BMR is 1570.

    2400 / 1570 = 1.52 Activity Factor

    Now, despite fact MFP's Activity Factors are not expected to have exercise include, you can indeed tweak things.

    Set MFP Activity level to Very Active (activity factor 1.55).
    Set goal loss to maintain (because you are going to manually set goal).
    Set exercise goal to whatever, doesn't matter, you've probably never even seen your exercise goals.

    Now go manually set goal to 1900.

    1570 is too steep a deficit. That is what your body would like to burn sleeping all day. So even if you ate back all your exercise calories, merely what was burned for mechanical movement, you have left your body with nothing extra to actually improve with. Besides the fact BMR does NOT include other important functions, like growing hair/nails/skin, fighting off illness, ect.

    That gives you on avg a 500 cal deficit.

    Set your FitBit sync to positive and negative, and eat your daily goal. It'll be mostly adjusted down a tad.

    If your TDEE is more than that 2400 avg, you eat more, but the extra calories will be added to 1900, so still 500 cal deficit.

    So you won't actually be having big eatbacks, but more spreadout over the week, more minor adjustments, so you can learn to plan the day better.
  • skinny4me2be
    skinny4me2be Posts: 358 Member
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    Holy Moly! that makes a lot of sense!! I appreciate you spelling it out for me!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I will adjust my fitbit and reset my calories goals!!! :-) Thanks Heybales!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Your BMR is what you would burn if you "stayed in bed all day." This would be your calorie goal if you wanted to stay at your current weight.

    Again, that is SO wrong in application, though you have the definition correct.

    How would eating what your body would like to burn if you stayed in bed all day, not automatically be a deficit once you got out of bed and move around?

    TDEE "would be your calorie goal if you wanted to stay at your current weight"

    That's why they ask about your activity level! If I sat in bed = sedentary and ate only my BMR I would maintain; if I got up and ate my BMR plus my calorie expenditure via fitbit I would also maintain because you DO NOT HAVE A DEFICIT!!!

    You need to reread that article you quoted, because you missed the activity factor multiplication aspect.

    Sitting in bed does NOT equal sedentary, sorry to say. True it is BMR, and if you ate that you'd maintain. But wait, if you ate it, you'd be awake, and digesting food expendeds calories too, so actually you WOULD be in a deficit literally.

    They also mix up terms in that article, BMR does NOT equal RMR, RMR is awake and burns more on more functions than BMR and it's basic functions of life.

    If you ate your BMR and ALL the calorie expenditure that FitBit reported - you would actually GAIN weight, because TDEE already includes BMR in it.

    But when talking about MFP and FitBit - there is NO syncing of the whole TDEE over to FitBit. So I think the OP has that point down, and was talking about the overage adjustments.

    If you want better understanding of BMR and TDEE, read this.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    So how do you calculate tdee?

    See spreadsheet link right above this one.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Holy Moly! that makes a lot of sense!! I appreciate you spelling it out for me!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I will adjust my fitbit and reset my calories goals!!! :-) Thanks Heybales!

    Also, that 1900 was actually reached by taking your avg TDEE minus 20% deficit.

    So as you lose weight, probably 5 lbs, you'll probably notice your TDEE avg goes down.

    Take 20% off new avg TDEE, and manually set your eating goal again. Because the less you have to lose, the less you should try to lose to keep it sustainable. At some point, 500 calorie block will be too much.

    The MFP settings for activity level would stay the same, because they adjusted the weight already too, so that still works out correctly. TDEE goes down, because BMR goes down, but Activity Factor stays the same. Unless your activity level really changes, but you got a little breathing room, and the adjustments will take care of it anyway.

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