BMR Question. I don't want no drama!

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stephaniecrg
stephaniecrg Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, I just have a really quick question about eating below my BMR. I'm not trying to ignite a heated debate, just some insight.

My BMR is 1754. Lessing 20% of my TDEE leaves me at 1684. I know you're technically not supposed to eat less than your BMR, but does the 70 calorie deficit really matter? I'm not planning on eating 1200 calories when I need 1754 or anything like that. Does the whole "don't eat less than your BMR!!" rule really matter for such a small amount? Just curious! :)

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  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Depends............the more total weight you have to lose....the less it matters. When you are closer to goal (and under BMR) it's more likely you will be losing lean muscle....along with fat.

    Many people here dial down TDEE less 20% as they get closer to goal. Some are even as low as TDEE less 5%
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1058378-oh-noes-i-am-eating-below-my-bmr
    with 45lbs to lose I wouldn't worry about it.
  • mrsmarit
    mrsmarit Posts: 229 Member
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    Okay, I just have a really quick question about eating below my BMR. I'm not trying to ignite a heated debate, just some insight.

    My BMR is 1754. Lessing 20% of my TDEE leaves me at 1684. I know you're technically not supposed to eat less than your BMR, but does the 70 calorie deficit really matter? I'm not planning on eating 1200 calories when I need 1754 or anything like that. Does the whole "don't eat less than your BMR!!" rule really matter for such a small amount? Just curious! :)

    BMR and TDEE are two different things


    BMR - is the minimum number of calories you should eat a day for your body to function
    TDEE- is your total calories expenditure per day. This includes all daily activities and exercise.

    You want to do -20% on your TDEE not your BMR
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    I know you're technically not supposed to eat less than your BMR,
    This is probably what you'll call 'drama' but there is no such 'rule' outside of this forum (and even here it's fading fast).
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    Okay, I just have a really quick question about eating below my BMR. I'm not trying to ignite a heated debate, just some insight.

    My BMR is 1754. Lessing 20% of my TDEE leaves me at 1684. I know you're technically not supposed to eat less than your BMR, but does the 70 calorie deficit really matter? I'm not planning on eating 1200 calories when I need 1754 or anything like that. Does the whole "don't eat less than your BMR!!" rule really matter for such a small amount? Just curious! :)

    BMR and TDEE are two different things


    BMR - is the minimum number of calories you should eat a day for your body to function
    TDEE- is your total calories expenditure per day. This includes all daily activities and exercise.

    You want to do -20% on your TDEE not your BMR

    Taking 20% off the TDEE landed them at a bit less than BMR. From the numbers provided their TDEE is 2105
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Okay, I just have a really quick question about eating below my BMR. I'm not trying to ignite a heated debate, just some insight.

    My BMR is 1754. Lessing 20% of my TDEE leaves me at 1684. I know you're technically not supposed to eat less than your BMR, but does the 70 calorie deficit really matter? I'm not planning on eating 1200 calories when I need 1754 or anything like that. Does the whole "don't eat less than your BMR!!" rule really matter for such a small amount? Just curious! :)

    I think thats fine. "Don't eat below your BMR" is more of a guideline to make people think critically about creating overly large caloric deficits than a hard rule. Your body will be burning your fat so it will of course supply you with enough energy for your body to function. The question just becomes how large of a deficit are you creating vs how much weight you have to lose.

    If, for example, you only had 10 pounds left to lose a -20% off your TDEE may be overly aggressive.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Okay, I just have a really quick question about eating below my BMR. I'm not trying to ignite a heated debate, just some insight.

    My BMR is 1754. Lessing 20% of my TDEE leaves me at 1684. I know you're technically not supposed to eat less than your BMR, but does the 70 calorie deficit really matter? I'm not planning on eating 1200 calories when I need 1754 or anything like that. Does the whole "don't eat less than your BMR!!" rule really matter for such a small amount? Just curious! :)

    Are these numbers from online calculators, or do you know your TDEE and BMR from testing and trial and error? If it's an online calculation I wouldn't worry about the 70 calories too much. Calculators can only give you the average BMR / TDEE for others of your size who have been tested. Likewise, calories counts in any listing are just averages. There's a pretty good chance that something will be off my 70 calories on any given day.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    OP, the TDEE you're using is based on being sedentary - is this correct? If so, you would need to make sure that if you do exercise, you log it and eat back at least half of the calories earned. Otherwise, yeah, I'd say you're probably ok to go with that 1684
  • jraymond
    jraymond Posts: 25 Member
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    All medical advice I have received is that BMR needs to be adjusted for body fat%. Fat burns little to no calories, but lean muscle burns lots. So, your BMR should be adjusted based on body composition--if very overweight, it could be 500 calories or more! If you are very lean and muscular, then you may need to adjust up! Most people are just fine, eating their BMR. If you trying to lose weight, you would want net calories for the day to meet your BMR, adjusted for body composition. For me, that is 1100 cals, as opposed to my BMR of about 1200. I don't have any knowledge I would trust about whether it is safe or unsafe to eat under your adjusted BMR. I do know I have received medical advice from MDs, specialized in weight loss, not to eat below 1,000 calories. Of course, you need to keep adjusting--as you lose weight, your caloric needs go down. However, as you exercise and build muscle, your caloric needs go up. So, keep tweaking and measuring...Hope that helps.
  • stephaniecrg
    stephaniecrg Posts: 13 Member
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    Not drama at all! I just meant I wasn't looking for any of the heated arguments that happen around here sometimes. :)

    EDIT: I meant for there to be a quote from someone in here, but alas... I screwed up.
  • stephaniecrg
    stephaniecrg Posts: 13 Member
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    Okay, I just have a really quick question about eating below my BMR. I'm not trying to ignite a heated debate, just some insight.

    My BMR is 1754. Lessing 20% of my TDEE leaves me at 1684. I know you're technically not supposed to eat less than your BMR, but does the 70 calorie deficit really matter? I'm not planning on eating 1200 calories when I need 1754 or anything like that. Does the whole "don't eat less than your BMR!!" rule really matter for such a small amount? Just curious! :)

    Are these numbers from online calculators, or do you know your TDEE and BMR from testing and trial and error? If it's an online calculation I wouldn't worry about the 70 calories too much. Calculators can only give you the average BMR / TDEE for others of your size who have been tested. Likewise, calories counts in any listing are just averages. There's a pretty good chance that something will be off my 70 calories on any given day.

    Both? I did online calculators and worked the equations myself and got right around the same results (give or take ~10 calories).
  • stephaniecrg
    stephaniecrg Posts: 13 Member
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    OP, the TDEE you're using is based on being sedentary - is this correct? If so, you would need to make sure that if you do exercise, you log it and eat back at least half of the calories earned. Otherwise, yeah, I'd say you're probably ok to go with that 1684

    Definitely sedentary! Until until a couple of weeks ago I was working out a lot, but I just changed jobs and I'm trying to find the right time in my schedule to workout. Once I do get back into a rhythm, I intend to eat back most if not all workout calories.
  • stephaniecrg
    stephaniecrg Posts: 13 Member
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    All medical advice I have received is that BMR needs to be adjusted for body fat%. Fat burns little to no calories, but lean muscle burns lots. So, your BMR should be adjusted based on body composition--if very overweight, it could be 500 calories or more! If you are very lean and muscular, then you may need to adjust up! Most people are just fine, eating their BMR. If you trying to lose weight, you would want net calories for the day to meet your BMR, adjusted for body composition. For me, that is 1100 cals, as opposed to my BMR of about 1200. I don't have any knowledge I would trust about whether it is safe or unsafe to eat under your adjusted BMR. I do know I have received medical advice from MDs, specialized in weight loss, not to eat below 1,000 calories. Of course, you need to keep adjusting--as you lose weight, your caloric needs go down. However, as you exercise and build muscle, your caloric needs go up. So, keep tweaking and measuring...Hope that helps.

    I have about 60 lbs to lose, so I know I'll have to tweak it as I lose. I think you're supposed to re-run the numbers every 5-10 pounds.

    Interesting insight into adjusting BMR based on body type. Since I'm heavy, I would almost certainly need to adjust down, based on what you said. I'm going to leave it as is for now and if I don't see much results, I'll play with the adjustments until I find what works. Thanks for the info!
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    Since I'm heavy, I would almost certainly need to adjust down
    Not necessarily. To adjust down, you'd have to believe you are a significantly higher body fat percent than the average person your gender, age, height and weight.

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