Getting a little confused.

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Girldreamingofliving
Girldreamingofliving Posts: 21 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys,

I am currently losing weight, but I am trying to work out BMR, now the way I have done it is.. If my BMR is under 2000, I eat 1200 calories (which is hard for me to even get to that). And try to burn 1500 a day, to then burn all together 2000 calories a day to lose 4 pounds per week. 4 Pounds is a high goal and normally I lose 3 lbs per week which is great.

I am getting quite muddled up, and would love the help to make sure I am going the right way. Knowing me I prob have not grasped the concept well :P xoxo

Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    You are completely muddled up. Your BMR is the number of calories your body would burn in a day if you were in a coma. Your TDEE is the number of calories you would burn on an average day doing whatever you do.

    You shouldn't be aiming for more than 2 lbs/week ever and that's only if you need to lose over 100 lbs.

    Since you are confused with how it all works your best bet is probably to just use MFP's settings until you get a better understanding. Put in all your information, select the appropriate amount of weight to lose per week based on what you need to lose, track all your calories and eat within your budget. MFP allows you to log intentional exercise calories that you can eat back if you chose.
  • tlipke
    tlipke Posts: 1
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    I'm glad someone asked this question and there is an answer because I am a little confused on some of it also. My boyfriend and I were trying to figure it out last night...
    I have a calorie intake allotment of 1790 calories/day, then I did a 2-1/2 hour walk that burned 860 calories. That bumped my allowed calories up to over 2,000 calories. Then I added in another 60 min walk. So do I stick with trying only for the 1790 or do I allow more into the 2,000 and still lose weight?
    Between exercise and food I had a remaining 850. So confused!
    Thanks for any help :)
  • Girldreamingofliving
    Girldreamingofliving Posts: 21 Member
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    You are completely muddled up. Your BMR is the number of calories your body would burn in a day if you were in a coma. Your TDEE is the number of calories you would burn on an average day doing whatever you do.

    You shouldn't be aiming for more than 2 lbs/week ever and that's only if you need to lose over 100 lbs.

    I do have over a 100lbs to lose :)

    All I can pretty much work out is I am 1996 in comatose state - Applying physical activity brings me to 2395, and to be honest I need to work it out because that is the kind of person I am. So yes basically I need to know, if I consume 1200 cal per day, what is my calorie def. Is it 2395 - 1200? I am rubbish at trying to get my question across lol.

    If I can't figure it out i'll stick to 1200 and work my *kitten* off :)
  • jess6742
    jess6742 Posts: 146
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    If you list your stats (age, height, and weight) then people can help more. Honestly though 1200 is too little and anything above a 2 lb loss a week isn't safe unless you are under a doctor's supervision.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    You are completely muddled up. Your BMR is the number of calories your body would burn in a day if you were in a coma. Your TDEE is the number of calories you would burn on an average day doing whatever you do.

    You shouldn't be aiming for more than 2 lbs/week ever and that's only if you need to lose over 100 lbs.

    I do have over a 100lbs to lose :)

    All I can pretty much work out is I am 1996 in comatose state - Applying physical activity brings me to 2395, and to be honest I need to work it out because that is the kind of person I am. So yes basically I need to know, if I consume 1200 cal per day, what is my calorie def. Is it 2395 - 1200? I am rubbish at trying to get my question across lol.

    If I can't figure it out i'll stick to 1200 and work my *kitten* off :)

    We can't help if you don't give your stats. Age, sex, weight, height to start. If your BMR is 1996 you need to be eating that or close to it. 1200 isn't a fit diet for anyone unless you are very, very small. I'm 5'2" and 115 lbs, my BMR is 1200 and I eat around 1500 without any exercise and I'm also 55 yrs old.

    From your numbers you would take 2395 minus no more than 30%, better to stay with 20%. Having a huge calorie deficit isn't sustainable and you won't be getting the nutrition your body needs to stay healthy. People who do drastic cuts lose a lot quickly, burn out and generally put it all back on some plus. Your minimum intake per day should be around 1700 calories (at a 30% cut), not less unless you are under doctor supervision.
  • Girldreamingofliving
    Girldreamingofliving Posts: 21 Member
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    Heya.

    Well I am 27, 5ft2 and currently 271lbs, oh and female. I am not in any way trying to be unhealthy that is not my intent at all :)
    I have been eating 1200 for nearly 2 months and I can honestly say I do not get hungry, I take vitamins etc also to make sure I am getting all that I need, I heard that 1200 was the minimum calories one could have. I am defiantly not looking to do it quickly at all but I have been losing 3-4lbs per week and I was just seeing if I could maintain that for a while.
  • cl00bie
    cl00bie Posts: 25 Member
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    I do have over a 100lbs to lose :)

    All I can pretty much work out is I am 1996 in comatose state - Applying physical activity brings me to 2395, and to be honest I need to work it out because that is the kind of person I am. So yes basically I need to know, if I consume 1200 cal per day, what is my calorie def. Is it 2395 - 1200? I am rubbish at trying to get my question across lol.

    If I can't figure it out i'll stick to 1200 and work my *kitten* off :)

    Well, I set MFP to guide me to 1 pound per week. That's 52 per year. If I want to do a little more, I do. Just be careful you don't set unreasonable goals and get burnt out.
  • Girldreamingofliving
    Girldreamingofliving Posts: 21 Member
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    I do have over a 100lbs to lose :)

    All I can pretty much work out is I am 1996 in comatose state - Applying physical activity brings me to 2395, and to be honest I need to work it out because that is the kind of person I am. So yes basically I need to know, if I consume 1200 cal per day, what is my calorie def. Is it 2395 - 1200? I am rubbish at trying to get my question across lol.

    If I can't figure it out i'll stick to 1200 and work my *kitten* off :)

    Well, I set MFP to guide me to 1 pound per week. That's 52 per year. If I want to do a little more, I do. Just be careful you don't set unreasonable goals and get burnt out.

    I always listen to my body, it's amazing what it tells you to be honest :) I can do plenty with 1200 and don't tend to get burnt out.
    I am trying to learn not to aim to high though, thank you :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    You are completely muddled up. Your BMR is the number of calories your body would burn in a day if you were in a coma. Your TDEE is the number of calories you would burn on an average day doing whatever you do.

    You shouldn't be aiming for more than 2 lbs/week ever and that's only if you need to lose over 100 lbs.

    I do have over a 100lbs to lose :)

    All I can pretty much work out is I am 1996 in comatose state - Applying physical activity brings me to 2395, and to be honest I need to work it out because that is the kind of person I am. So yes basically I need to know, if I consume 1200 cal per day, what is my calorie def. Is it 2395 - 1200? I am rubbish at trying to get my question across lol.

    If I can't figure it out i'll stick to 1200 and work my *kitten* off :)

    Your deficit would be 2395 - 1200 = 1195 calories per day deficit from maintenance (if 2395 is your real number). As others have stated, you shouldn't aim to lose more than 2 lbs per week, especially if you aren't under the close supervision of a doctor. It can be very dangerous and you can cause yourself some permanent damage. Consistently netting below 1,000 calories will ultimately result in metabolic damage, malnoutrition, etc. don't be surprised if your hair and stuff starts falling out...I only say this because you seem hell bent on doing this in a completely irresponsible manner.

    Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. The quicker you get that through your head the better off you're going to be. You also need to understand that your body burns calories just being alive...in fact, most of your calories are burned just being alive...that's your BMR. You don't have to exercise to "burn" all of your calories...what you're considering is extremely unhealthy and unsafe...but enjoy.
  • Girldreamingofliving
    Girldreamingofliving Posts: 21 Member
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    If you have read everything I have said, I have said I am trying to lose weight healthily, I have no intention of doing it badly or hurting myself, I was asking questions to learn and so forth - I am being responsible by asking questions, rather then keeping silent and hoping I'm doing right which would be irresponsible.

    I give up - clearly I am being misunderstood.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    I don't think anyone is misunderstanding or if we are maybe you can clarify what we aren't getting. You ask for advice and those who have had success are offering it. If you choose not to take it or believe it that's fine. Just don't come back in a month saying "I'm not losing, my hair is falling out, I can't sleep, etc".

    We all seem to agree that you will lose weight eating 1200 calories a day but that it isn't a healthy way to go about it. You can take all the vitamins and supplements you want but it doesn't make up for poor nutritional intake.

    Bottom line: What you are doing is not healthy and has a low success rate.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
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    I'd definitely recommend upping your calories. You clearly *can* eat more than 1200 a day if you need to lose more than 100 lbs. And I understand wanting to keep the weight coming off quickly, but that will be more likely to result in getting burned out, giving up, and regaining anything you've lost. It doesn't sound like you're being realistic or honest with yourself.

    You're contradicting yourself. It sounds like you're going to stick to 1200 calories a day, despite what you're being told, and then saying you have no intention of losing weight unhealthily. I agree with the previous comment. Maybe you should clarify what you're asking.
  • pandabear7486
    pandabear7486 Posts: 92 Member
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    I had started with the 1200 cals/day. It was awful to try! In the past couple weeks I've been using the BMR?TDEE method and I'm getting more calories AND losing weight. This is the site I used:

    http://theskinnyequation.blogspot.com/p/weight-loss-calculators.html

    Based off several other DBs here, I'm eating between BMR & 80% of TDEE at light activity (I work retail). I also eat back most exercise (I go around 5-6x a week to the gym).

    From what I understand this method really does fuel your body and while the calorie levels are scary, it seems to have results. (And you're not starving!)

    I also agree that more than 2/lbs a week is not the healthy way to go. Try with the calories and adding your fitness. make sure you are eating filling foods that will give you the nutrients you need. Good luck!
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    4# a week is nuts. don't do that. eat sensibly, eat enough to fuel your body. You will hurt yourself following this insane plan...and the weight will come back with interest. Guaranteed.
  • Girldreamingofliving
    Girldreamingofliving Posts: 21 Member
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    Okay, lets try again.

    I picked up various information from the web, I discovered that 1200 was the minimum you could go to without being silly. I thought at the time, that was enough for me, as I am fine currently (clearly wrong on that).

    I then saw somewhere to lose x amount of pounds per week you need to burn x amount of calories.
    I then found my BMR + my TDEE and thought if I take away my daily calories and have say a deficit of 500 to then burn a further x amount to hit the x amount of lbs I wanted to lose per week.

    This post is about me trying to understand how BMR/TDEE and calorie deficit works.

    If 1200 is too low for me then okay I understand that and do not want to harm myself, so now I am trying to figure out how much I should have through food, and how much is okay to exercise off.

    I'm not using the food journal on here, I write it down elsewhere same with my exercising, I will however look into it more.

    I am new to this site and the proper way of doing things.

    I am simply getting my math wrong because I'm clueless, and as previously said, I am trying to be healthy and I am trying to take in what is being said.

    I do listen to my body, if I personally felt like I was burnt out or whatever else I would have already raised my calories, currently I don't get hungry and have tonnes of energy. however as said if 1200 is too low then of course I would change that. I just need to know, what to change it to.

    For example I have no idea what netting below 1000 calories means, if I did, perhaps my replies would be different. I appreciate all the feedback.

    I will look at the links I have received and try to get a better understanding.

    I have no problem upping my calories :) The only problem I have is I don't eat vegetables, so making meals etc is difficult for me.
    All I have changed in my eating, is cutting back on the soda/cheese/white bread. making my portions smaller and eating 3 meals per day, unless I get hungry then I have a piece of fruit. Also trying to make sure I have all my bases covered with protein etc. Plus lots of water and no other drinks.
    The supplements I use are because I have never had a great diet and I am trying to get in what I need. I have also brought vegetable juice to try and consume such much needed goodness.
    Then with that I added a lot more exercise. I have just cut the crap out.

    I have never been good at eating big meals, I just ate the wrong things at the wrong times with added junk food.
    I may even just have a few small meals a day.

    I know this will take a long time and I'm fine with that, even a little progress is a step in the right direction.

    1200 is the random number I found that said this is the lowest you can go to, I have no problem trying to add more food. I did not choose the number so I could lose weight fast or be bad so to speak.

    I hope this makes more sense or helps to clarify things.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Try putting all your numbers in here and see what it gives you. It's one of the better calculators out there. I think maybe I get how you came to your conclusions now but 1200 is a number they tell you not to go below in most places because below that you are in real danger of doing major health damage to yourself. No need to flirt with danger just because you can.

    If nothing else you really do need to eat your BMR calories. Anorexics will tell you they don't feel hungry either. It's partly a mindset and partly hormones being messed up from a low calorie diet. You also mention not eating vegetables. That would be something to really work on. Fiber is an important part of your diet so make an effort to try different vegetables prepared different ways or eat them raw.
  • Girldreamingofliving
    Girldreamingofliving Posts: 21 Member
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    Thanks for that link - much better then others I have seen and somewhat clearer. So I will try 1482 which is a 20% calorie reduction, which is deemed safe by that sites standards. :)
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    I'm starting to think you're either very mathematically challenged, dyslexic or delusional. How did you get 1482 from Scooby's calculator?

    27 yrs, 62", 271 lbs, female, is a BMR of 1994, set at sedentary which gives the lowest possible TDEE it's 2393 and a 20% reduction is 1914.

    I'm out because you are determined to do it your way whether it's healthy or not. It's pointless to try to explain any more.
  • Girldreamingofliving
    Girldreamingofliving Posts: 21 Member
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    Thank you for the rudeness, clearly that was needed.
    I re checked the stats I put in and I had put 168 in rather than 268.
    All I have written in this post is that I am trying to learn and trying to be healthy, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered.
    I now have the new results, but thanks....

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