BMR and Maintenance Weight

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phechan3
phechan3 Posts: 60
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone. So... I thought I knew what I was doing but now I find myself a bit confused on how many calories I should be eating.

I'm 5'2, 152 pounds. MFP has my BMR at 1,378 and my maintenance weight at 1,720. BMI-CALCULATOR.net has my BMR at 1,480 and my maintenance weight at 1,776. A thread here said that you shouldn't go below your BMR but now I don't know which one to go by. 1,378 seems reasonable since I've been eating about that much anyways, but 1,480 seems super high. If we need to be in a 3,500 calorie deficit to lose weight, it would take me almost two weeks to lose a pound.

*Note: I have gained about 15-20 pounds in the past two years. I basically just ate whatever I wanted, probably 2,000-3,000 calories a day at least on average (and probably a lot more quite often since I do like my Frappuccinos, cookies, rice, pasta, etc...). I was working in an after school program though, so maybe I was burning more calories than I thought I was?

With all of this said, does having a BMR of 1,378 and a maintenance weight of 1,720 sound more likely? Or do you guys think that having a BMR of 1,480 and a maintenance weight of 1,776 seems more accurate?

Help please! If possible, can you guys give me an idea of what your BMR/Maintenance weights are?

Thank you so much!

Replies

  • Bonny619
    Bonny619 Posts: 311 Member
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    That's like splitting hairs. You will never know exactly. Those numbers are very, VERY close.
  • phechan3
    phechan3 Posts: 60
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    You're right, it is like splitting hairs. I was just worried that because the difference between my BMR and maintenance weight was so small I would always be inadvertently be going under my BMR or over my maintenance weight. (I don't weight my food and I eat out quite a bit, so a lot of it is guesswork).
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    That's so close I don't think it matters. Just pick one - I go by MFP's numbers myself. If you maintain at that number then it's a winner. If not, make some adjustments. :drinker:
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    100 calories isn't really a huge difference at all.

    I am a little confused by your explanation - MFP doesn't usually calculate BMR unless you use the specific calculator. Is that the number MFP is giving you as a calorie goal?
    Your BMR should stay the same whether you are losing or maintaining. It is your TDEE that changes. I may be misunderstanding what your "maintenance weight" is.

    Are you exercising?
  • phechan3
    phechan3 Posts: 60
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    Sorry if I wasn't very clear. This is the first time I've checked my BMR. I guess it's more that I'm surprised to see that I can't go under ~1,400 calories when I previously thought it was 1,200. This leaves such a small amount of deficit that I can accrue I don't know if I'll be able to stay within that area and still lose weight. MFP originally gave me 1,220 as a calorie goal to lose a pound a week with 1,720 calories a day if I want to maintain my weight. I have been exercising between 1-3 times a week. I make sure to count all my calories as net.

    Thanks for your help guys. :)

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