I'm confused. BMR, TDEE, Calories, Protein?

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bbontheb
bbontheb Posts: 718 Member
in Getting Started
Ahhhhh I'm so confused! I don't know where to start to check things out that I am wondering about. Can anyone help me?

Me: I'm 5'2ish, 180lbs. I currently do not exercise and am overly sedentary (shame, ugh). I am just getting iron infusions from being severely anemic. I have been sick for a year of not being able to hardly walk, partial fainting, etc and could not even try to lightly move around (remain sitting often) and fighting with my Dr about my iron levels and finally told him he had to refer me for infusions. I have gone through 3 so far and the difference is incredible (so far). I have also 90% eliminated grains (except some corn) right now as I have issues every time I eat something with wheat, and it's easier to eliminate all right now and then slowly work some back in. Since I did a few weeks ago I immediately started feeling better. I'm cutting out 95% processed foods as well.

I want to get in the habit of eating often, and healthier-something I would not do previously. Even though it seems like I am eating so much more than before (fruits, veggies, etc) I am still a bit hungry and it's leading to me eating at night. I think I need to plan what snacks later at night I can have (fruit, veggies again) but each day I am over my calories.

MFP says to lose 1 lb per week for myself (I think that it's set to that) my daily calorie amount is 1360. The protein level is WAY over each day. If I have a couple eggs, some protein source at lunch/dinner...I am like hugely over. Why is this? I wasn't eating much meat before and feel I need it right now or else I will "binge" eat from being so hungry. Someone mentioned BMR but I don't really get that. Perhaps I have to google, lol. I want to get a bit more control over my eating before I add exercise regularly or else I will resort to binging (compulsive eater). Am I splitting up my calories over the day wrong? It feels I have been eating a lot, but want more. LOL. I am trying to determine what might be boredom at night vs hunger...

Can someone explain the low protein amount (well, for me it seems like but I am new and maybe it's not that low). The daily goal says 51. The iron amount is 100 and I am very low in that amount of what I am eating...I almost need some nutritional counseling I think! lol.

Replies

  • ek121
    ek121 Posts: 8 Member
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    I eat a high protein diet and MFP seems to want me to eat a large portion of my calories in carbs which I won't. I would suggest staying away from high carb foods and sticking with high protein foods. This is only a suggestion and this has been working for me. The things you need to worry about is eating too much sugar and carbs, but protein doesn't spike your blood sugar and your body won't store it as fat.

    Your BMR is an estimate of how many calories your body burns without exercising. There are different formulas out there and I'm not 100% which is the most accurate.

    I would feel super hungry during the day before I started drinking more water, and I realized that my body was asking for fluids instead of food.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    ek121 has some good input

    MFP protein is the bare necessity basically so going over is not a big deal. Higher protein foods can help you feel fuller longer as apposed to carby stuff so if that is a problem then upping your protein some might help you out. The bottum line is your calorie goal. This is how you lose the weight and your macros (fat,carbs, and protein is a devision of that; fat=9 cals, carbs and protein are 4 cals) are just a smaller devision of that. I would suggest talking to your Dr. about the iron because that is already a problem for you. Find out from them what the best ways to get iron are and if there is anything you can do to increase absorption and retention.

    BMR is basal metabolic rate, which as said above is just the calories it takes you to be alive if you were chilling on the couch all day.
    Another thing you might see people talk about alot is TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) which is the amount of calories you actually burn since you are probably not sitting on the couch all day. This number will change alot if you are able to start adding exercise into your routine.

    This post might be helpful to you, you don't have to follow their plan but it explains stuff well I think and explains how to customize your MFP goals if you want to do that. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

    Since you do not have any specific fitness goals in mind currently my advice would be to just focus on your calories for a few days and ignore the macros. Figure out how you eat withing you calories that keeps you happy. You can then go into MFP and set your macros to target that range.

    Hopefully that all made sense, if you have any question feel free to friend me or send me a message.
  • bbontheb
    bbontheb Posts: 718 Member
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    Thank you both for your advice and information!!

    I was noticing if I don't eat protein/veggies mostly I have these huge crashes and turn into like a drunkin zombie (been years like that). I don't know if it's a response to wheat, or sugar spikes and crashes or something else but the last couple weeks without eating pasta/rice/bread/muffins etc I am starting to get out of brain fog. I would eat before, be okay for a bit, then get stumbly groggy and then need something else to help pick me back up (more food, coffee, etc). That's why since I added more protein, and have 3/4 plate of veggies and such I feel good for once.

    I am going to re-read about the macro thing as I'm totally new at hearing these words and don't quite understand it yet haha.

    Really appreciate all the suggestions and info. It's my lifeline (mfp) right now and feel very grateful!
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
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    The protein goal for MFP is way low. Most recommendations go about .8 to 1g of protein per lb of lean body mass. If you are just starting out just ignore it honestly and eat what makes you feel full - for me I average between 100 - 120g each day. Once you get more comfortable you can go and manually set goals but before you do that I would highly recommend reading.

    There are a TON of articles that will explain all of these things at the top of this forum - stickies.. to make them easy for new people to find ;)

    Try starting with one of these:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1069268-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1069275-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1069278-acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6
  • bbontheb
    bbontheb Posts: 718 Member
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    Thank you for the links. I'm off to read them :)

    So, I just did the BMR and it says for myself 1576 calories per day and MFP says 1360. I keep going over that and binging on treats ugh. So, do I change the calories for the day to be more towards the BMR? I might be able to plan better small meals in between my meals lol.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    As far as the iron amounts, many listings on here aren't very accurate, especially when it come to those "fine print" categories like vitamin content. Make sure you check the labels of your food against the MFP listings. If you're trying to get more iron rich foods in your diet, google for more info but typically you should be eating things like red meat, whole eggs, dark leafy greens (spinach), dried fruits (raisins), beans/lentils/chickpeas, liver, artichokes, etc.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/976981-welcome-to-mfp-don-t-worry-there-s-cliff-notes
  • smc864
    smc864 Posts: 570 Member
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    I eat a high protein diet and MFP seems to want me to eat a large portion of my calories in carbs which I won't. I would suggest staying away from high carb foods and sticking with high protein foods. This is only a suggestion and this has been working for me. The things you need to worry about is eating too much sugar and carbs, but protein doesn't spike your blood sugar and your body won't store it as fat.

    Your BMR is an estimate of how many calories your body burns without exercising. There are different formulas out there and I'm not 100% which is the most accurate.

    I would feel super hungry during the day before I started drinking more water, and I realized that my body was asking for fluids instead of food.

    Wrong. Your body can store protein as fat. Any calories that are consumed regardless if they are fat, protein, or carbs can be stored as fat if you are in a caloric surplus. Period.
  • skyegsd
    skyegsd Posts: 14
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    From all of the research that I've done, and between similar discussions on other web forums most people are in agreeance that eating below your BMR can actually be dangerous. This is how many calories your body would need to survive if it was in a comatos state. If you are adding activitiy etc. you have to be very careful you don't dip below this number or you can risk damaging your metabolism. I would rather lose weight healthy, eating a comfortable amount of food as I feel it is more sustainable in the long run. I always hear of people eating 1200 calories and working out for 2 hours at the gym, this can't be good for your body. I am eating at my BMR which is roughly 1550, and eating my exercise calories. I should still be able to easily lose weight doing this, according to MFP (on sedentary) activity level I am to eat 1320 calories, this is WAY too low in my opinion! I can lose weight eating 1600-1800 calories and have done so in the past.

    I am also like you as I have a very bad gluten sensitivity... I have been eating gluten free for the last 4 months (actually it's probably been longer) and have never felt better. My biggest challenge at the moment is the scale isn't budging no matter what I do! I might be one of those unlucky individuals whose body is so nutrient deprived from years of eating gluten when I shouldn't have been, that it wants to absorb as much as possible. Hopefully this is only temporary! If you need a buddy let me know :)
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Perhaps actually seeing the figures will make it easier.

    Outside actual tests, here are the best estimate formula's. And what to change in MFP to use the info if desired.

    Spreadsheet link at bottom of post in case you don't need to read about the info.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones

    Stay on Simple Setup tab for your stats, Progress tab to log it.

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