Net calories vs. BMR....

Kneener
Kneener Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I just started back on MFP this week. I said I wanted to lose 1.5 lb a week and based on my age, weight, etc. it gave me a net calorie goal of 1500. However, my BMR is 1467. So if I did 1500 calories and ate back my exercise calories then I wouldn't lose weight, right? Shouldn't net calories be less than my BMR if I want to lose weight? What am I missing?

My first time to this community. I appreciate any help.
Thank you.

Replies

  • hollyjoelle
    hollyjoelle Posts: 1 Member
    As I understand it, BMR accounts only for the number of calories you would burn if you did nothing but rest for 24 hours. Even a sedentary person would burn more than that through their daily activities. The number MFP gives you depends on the activity level you set for daily activities (walking/standing/working/etc), but does not reflect your exercise -- you add that separately, and then can consume a bit more. Hope that helps :)
  • cindym29
    cindym29 Posts: 60 Member
    your BMR is the very basic need for survival, pretty much what your body uses as if you were only laying in bed all day. Your Net Calories is what you need to aim for. you should eat back some of your exercise calories, but not all of them because MFP tends to over estimate calories burned sometimes, so general rule of thumb from what I've noticed, is to eat about half of your exercise calories back.

    Net Calories should be more than your BMR because you don't just lay in bed letting your body live, you go out and walk around or drive, or shower, etc. all of those daily things add up, PLUS whatever exercise you endure throughout the day.

    I might be wrong here, so fellow MFPers, if I am wrong, please feel free to correct me.

    Best of luck Kneener! (and hopefully I wasn't too confusing)
  • Anteater94
    Anteater94 Posts: 1 Member
    Your BMR represents how many calories you burn, in a day, from simple existence. Your TDEE (Total Daily Estimated Expenditure) takes your BMR and tacks on the calories you would burn from daily activities.

    For instance, I'm a 6'1", 172lb, 19 year old male. My BMR, or how many calories I would burn if I did literally no daily activity, is 1,929. I happen to do physical labor all day, though, which tacks on ~1,000 calories on top of that. If I was eating to maintain my weight, I'd need 2,929 calories in a given day.
  • Kneener
    Kneener Posts: 4 Member
    That does explain it well... Thanks!
  • Kneener
    Kneener Posts: 4 Member
    So if my BMR is 1467 and my net calories (without exercise) is 1500 then that has to be cutting back a few hundred so if I eat back like 3/4 of my exercise calories then I am prob 400-500 down from what would normally sustain me and I should lose weight.

    Got it ... Thanks!
  • Kneener
    Kneener Posts: 4 Member
    Great explanation... Thanks so much!

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