MFP Put me below BMR = Weight Gain?

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moolfson
moolfson Posts: 29
in Health and Weight Loss
So i'm 6'5", 349.1 (today) male, I've lost maybe 9 lbs in the last six months while tweaking with my calories through MFP. I'd been stalled out for months after a promising start, so I set my goal to "two pounds a week" with a "lightly active" activity level (I'm a security officer at a hospital, I do lots of foot patrol and walk betwen 4-6 miles a day at work) which put me below my calculated BMR of 2,666 by about 100 cal. I do 5/3/1 4 days a week and could probably stand more structured cardio, and I weigh and measure my food the best I can working shift work. My strength has shot up, i'm doing 400lb Deadlift, 290 on the squat, 180 on the ovehead press and 220 on the bench. I've only lost about 1.5" on my measurements (waist, hips). Evebody tells me I look much more healthy and strong, and I feel much better than I used to, so NSV there, but how do I get this scale moving?

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  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    I would ignore your BMR estimate. There's no reason you need to consume that much daily if you're trying to lose weight.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    If you're 6'5 350, walk several miles/day and strength train, and you're not losing weight, you're eating more than 2700 calories/day.
  • LilBritGettinFit
    LilBritGettinFit Posts: 106 Member
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    Or........ you aren't eating enough.

    Perhaps put in your exercise calories and eat those back. Check out this website too........

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • kwantlen2051
    kwantlen2051 Posts: 455 Member
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    maybe muscle weight? Have taken your measurements lately? maybe you're losing fat? Some people quickly lose weight when switching to more cardio after doing strength routine for some time.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    So i'm 6'5", 349.1 (today) male, I've lost maybe 9 lbs in the last six months while tweaking with my calories through MFP. I'd been stalled out for months after a promising start, so I set my goal to "two pounds a week" with a "lightly active" activity level (I'm a security officer at a hospital, I do lots of foot patrol and walk betwen 4-6 miles a day at work) which put me below my calculated BMR of 2,666 by about 100 cal. I do 5/3/1 4 days a week and could probably stand more structured cardio, and I weigh and measure my food the best I can working shift work. My strength has shot up, i'm doing 400lb Deadlift, 290 on the squat, 180 on the ovehead press and 220 on the bench. I've only lost about 1.5" on my measurements (waist, hips). Evebody tells me I look much more healthy and strong, and I feel much better than I used to, so NSV there, but how do I get this scale moving?


    How long have you been on a resistance training program in terms of weeks/months? Were you lifting weights the entire 6 months or did you recently begin resistance training?

    Are you using a food scale and do you track everything on a daily basis?
  • moolfson
    moolfson Posts: 29
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    I"ve been doing resistance training for 11 months 1 week. 6 months doing Stronglifts 5x5. 5 on Wendler's 5/3/1. I use a food scale on all my meals at home and my best guess when I'm at work. I track everything, all the time, except water apperantly.
  • lrmall01
    lrmall01 Posts: 377 Member
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    Nice numbers on the lifts - that combined with your height and size makes you sound like a beast! I probably wouldn't give you any *kitten* if you were patrolling my area.

    Anyway, I would just try to lower your calories by 200 a day and try eating at that level for two weeks. If you don't see any changes after that time, consider dropping it another 200.

    Don't get too carried away - just make some small reductions and see what happens after a little while.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    Bottom line is if your weight is consistent over a couple months, you're eating at maintenance.

    Given a maintenance of at least 3700, the most likely issue is input errors. Could be a metabolic disorder, but probably just undercounting.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    I"ve been doing resistance training for 11 months 1 week. 6 months doing Stronglifts 5x5. 5 on Wendler's 5/3/1. I use a food scale on all my meals at home and my best guess when I'm at work. I track everything, all the time, except water apperantly.

    Your average intake over the past 4 months is as follows based on what's logged:
    3058.877778kcals
    288.3777778carbs
    131.0222222fat
    155.5555556protein


    I would consider reducing intake by about 10 to 20%, pulling most of it from carbs, perhaps some from fat.
    It may also be helpful to increase protein.
    You may also want to consider increasing fiber another 10-15g on average.
  • moolfson
    moolfson Posts: 29
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    That was along the lines of what I was thinking. I just made the switch to a 1000 cal deficit about a week and a half ago, maybe I got over-eager to see an immediate change. Also: You're a boss for doing math for me!

    More leafy greans I suppose, time to unthaw all the kale from this spring.
  • lisajsund
    lisajsund Posts: 366 Member
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    Or........ you aren't eating enough.

    Perhaps put in your exercise calories and eat those back. Check out this website too........

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    ^^^This.

    If you are lightly active, you should take your BMR and multiply it by 1.375. Then reduce your calories from there.
    I also eat my exercise calories back most of the time and I'm still losing.
  • lisajsund
    lisajsund Posts: 366 Member
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    Do you know your body fat percentage?
  • moolfson
    moolfson Posts: 29
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    I do not know my body fat percentage.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Using online calculators for BMR only works if you fit into the "normal" category. When you get outside the norm on either end the numbers start to get wonky. You don't need to feed the fat and while lifting will help you maintain muscle mass it isn't a huge calorie burner. If you're maintaining where you are then drop a few more calories until your weight starts to move.
  • lisajsund
    lisajsund Posts: 366 Member
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    A number is just a number, whether it's the number on the scale or the amount of BF someone has.
    Calculating my BMR and setting my goal from there seems to work for me. Seems to work for a lot of people, but not all people.
    It's still good to know your BF%, because then you can get a more accurate BMR.
    What are your goals?

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