My BMR is WAY too high...

reformcarnivore
reformcarnivore Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been lurking for a bit but this is my first post. I know this topic may come up a bit but none of the answers really fit my situation.
I'm 25, 6'4" and 495 pounds. I've been large most of my life, but was an athletic kid and nobody in my family is overweight so I know its not genetics, but the way I've always responded to stress. That said, my BMR is calculated at 3945. Over a month ago, I decided it was time to change my weight and the decisions I was making. I made the decision to go vegan, both for health concerns and ethical concerns. When I went vegan I also decided to start making better decisions with regards to what I eat, and how much. I eat very well throughout the day, I'm not hungry, and where I was easily stuffing down 5000 calories a day before, now I'm keeping it down to 2000. I cut out refined grains, animal products obviously, boxed, canned, and other processed foods. My diet mostly consists of fruits, veggies and whole grains (and my guilty pleasure of chips and salsa on occasion). The whole BMR, TDEE stuff confuses me, mostly because when you ask 30 people, you get 30 totally different opinions. The fact of the matter is, I have quite a bit of weight to lose, I lost 30-50 lbs my 3 weeks (the disparity is mostly because I didn't weigh for the first week and 50 lbs would be what it was the last time I had weighed). In any case, I would literally be stuffing myself until sick to hit 3945 calories a day, or be forced to eat processed junk food. So what I want to know is how important is it to stuff myself to hit that many calories? I know that most people could eat "healthy" and hit that number (lots of cheese and meat) but how Do I? For the record, there is no way I am willing to give up my veganism either, so that's really not an option either.

Thanks everyone!

Replies

  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    When you lose weight, you need to eat what you like and follow the type of diet that is right for you.

    Your BMR is high because of your weight and height.

    To get more calories you don't have to stuff yourself, you just need to add in some higher calorie foods. Do vegans eat beans, legumes, peanut butter, nuts, almond butter? Those are high calorie foods for a small amount.
  • reformcarnivore
    reformcarnivore Posts: 2
    SLLRunner, yes, legumes and nuts are fine, just nothing derived from animal products, and I do eat them regularly, the problem is that they are also very high in carbs and can be very high in fat (I'm looking at you, peanut butter).
    I know my bmr is high due to my height and weight, but I also know that 3,500 kcalories equals out to a pound. How am I supposed to lose weight if I'm eating a pound of calories per day? I think my main problem is that there is so much conflicting information on the subject. A work colleague who has a degree in nutritional health advised me that at my weight, eating 2000 calories a day is healthy (at least healthier than wolfing down enough calories to feed 30 African nations a week) and that as it normalizes, I can start eating at my BMR. Of course then I read 15 posts about how one can go into starvation mode for doing so.
    I get my first bloodwork done since going vegan on June 3rd so hopefully they can shed a little light on the subject lol.

    Thanks for your answer!
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
    At your fitness stats, I would try to eat more than 2000 cal/day. Try bumping it up to at least 2500 cal/day and see how that goes. My philosophy is that eat as many calories as you can while still losing weight at a good rate. The problem with you eating 2000 cal/day is that that is a very large calorie deficit for you. Since you have so much weight to lose, eventually you're likely to hit a plateau. When that happens, you don't have much, if any, room to make adjustments or cuts to your diet to get the ball rolling again. The more you eat, the more room you have to break a plateau. Also, you can eat so many calories/day because your body is burning a ton of calories just to get through the day.

    If you're looking for more calorie-dense foods, work in more rice, beans, nuts, and potatoes (white and/or sweet). They'll help you boost up your calories. Also, here is a list of healthy foods for you to look over. The top 2 tiers are the best for you.

    http://www.teambeachbody.com/en_US/eat-smart/michis-ladder

    Allan
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    SLLRunner, yes, legumes and nuts are fine, just nothing derived from animal products, and I do eat them regularly, the problem is that they are also very high in carbs and can be very high in fat (I'm looking at you, peanut butter).
    I know my bmr is high due to my height and weight, but I also know that 3,500 kcalories equals out to a pound. How am I supposed to lose weight if I'm eating a pound of calories per day? I think my main problem is that there is so much conflicting information on the subject. A work colleague who has a degree in nutritional health advised me that at my weight, eating 2000 calories a day is healthy (at least healthier than wolfing down enough calories to feed 30 African nations a week) and that as it normalizes, I can start eating at my BMR. Of course then I read 15 posts about how one can go into starvation mode for doing so.
    I get my first bloodwork done since going vegan on June 3rd so hopefully they can shed a little light on the subject lol.

    Thanks for your answer!

    fat doesnt make you fat if you're in a calorie deficit....

    you're confusing yourself... 3500 calories over your maintenance (TDEE) calories equals a pound of fat...
  • Angylisis78
    Angylisis78 Posts: 32
    The whole BMR, TDEE stuff confuses me, mostly because when you ask 30 people, you get 30 totally different opinions.

    Well the problem here is that BMR, TDEE etc, aren't opinions. They're numbers. Hard facts. One can't have an opinion on them, because of that.

    If you need 3900ish cals a day to "maintain your weight", you should drop that by 1000 per day to lose 2 lbs a week. You can exercise on top of that, and honestly at your weight, I would think that eating back your exercise cals isn't as important, as long as you don't have TOO much of a deficit. Say, you work out for 30 min a day walking, and burn 300ish calories (walking 2mph, if you bump that up, you bump up cals burned). You could get by with a 1300 cals deficit and safely lose 2.5 lbs a week because of your size.

    So in the scenario above you want to be eating about 2900 cals. You can surely do this on a vegan diet. I was eating 2700 a day 7 years ago when I was losing weight after I had my second child and was breastfeeding. I was eating meat, but there are other options out there. Quinoa, pastas, etc are all higher in calories, and most aren't made with eggs unless it's homemade. Quinoa is awesome by the way :) There's things like almond butter, or putting a handful or nuts/dried berries in your oats, etc. It just takes planning :)
  • spmcavoy1
    spmcavoy1 Posts: 60 Member
    I agree with PPs in regard to nut butters, nuts, etc. Some fat isn't bad - don't worry too about the fat content if the food is nutritionally dense. Just keep your portions reasonable.

    Here are some articles on nutrient dense foods:
    http://www.sunwarrior.com/news/15-nutrient-dense-foods-to-eat-more-often/
    http://www.rich-vegan-foods.com/
    http://tv.greenmedinfo.com/nutrient-density-explained-dr-joel-fuhrman/
    http://www.peta.org/living/food/vegetarian-101/vegans-guide-good-nutrition/


    And, if you are doing everything you possibly can, but are having trouble hitting your current goals, I wouldn't get too worried. If you're eating 2000-2500 calories a day, it's not like you are starving yourself.

    Have you talked to a doctor or nutritionist about your weight loss regime? It may be worth a conversation and they could give you some hints and pointers on how to pack the most nutrients into your diet.

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