Help! Another BMR post...

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janx218
janx218 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all. I've been using the MFP app on and off for a while, but this is my first forum post. I know there have been a billion "I exercise all the time but I can't seem to lose weight" posts but, well, here's another. I've been hitting the gym 5 days a week. My routine is basically 45 minutes of cardio MWF, and 30 minutes each of cardio and ST TR. I'm 31 years old, 5'11", and weigh right around 300lbs. I've been reading about BMR and finding a healthy weight loss deficit and all that. The thing is, any time I use a formula or online calculator to find my BMR, then factor in regular activities, they end up telling me my maintenance needs are like 4000 calories. So in order to lose weight, they'd have me eating over 3000 calories a day. MFP has me set for about 2000 calories, or 2500-2600 if I eat back exercise calories. Anyway, I'm looking for some guidance on where I should actually be. The over-3000 figures seem excessive to me, and have me wondering if I calculated something incorrectly. But is it possible that since I'm so heavy I really do need that many calories to LOSE weight? Help me, fitness pals. You're my only hope.

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  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    But is it possible that since I'm so heavy I really do need that many calories to LOSE weight?
    You might lose at 3000, I don't know, but I can assure you there is not a calorie minimum you need to hit to lose weight. The less you eat, the faster you lose.

    Why not try the MFP rec for a few weeks and see how it works out? If you're losing too fast, eat more, if too slow, eat less.
  • janx218
    janx218 Posts: 5 Member
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    I guess I should have mentioned that I have tried the MFP recommendation for about a month and a half and only lost like 2lbs during that time. It seems like no matter what I do, I'm stuck around 300.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    You don't need to increase calories to lose. If you aren't losing there's some other cause. Depending on your actual TDEE you might not want a super extreme deficit, but MFP doesn't give you more than a 1000 calorie deficit anyway, which isn't extreme if your TDEE is high. (I'm losing at what amounts to a 1000 calorie deficit most weeks now, and my TDEE is certainly far lower than yours, since I'm shorter and lighter.) This is not to say that it's wrong to choose a lower deficit if it makes you feel better, is more sustainable, etc., but increasing the amount you eat is not going to help you lose if you currently aren't.

    Also, unless you are using the BMR calculators that include your body fat and actually know your body fat or a decent approximation, the BMR and TDEE they give you are going to be too high. This is the case for anyone who has a body fat percentage above average.

    As for the "can't lose" issue -- [Edit: cross post. Hmm.]
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    2 pounds in a month is a victory. Its a start in the right direction. :)

    The key to losing weight is logging everything you consume honestly and accurately. Weighing all foods, measuring liquids and tracking all the little things. Like condiments, cooking oils, drinks. If you don't have one already, get a food scale.

    Your BMR is higher than others based on current body weight. Try the 2000-2500 range for 4-6 weeks, logging all food, drink, etc. You will see results if you stick with it.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Okay, I checked the iifym.com version of the BMR/TDEE calculator (http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/), and with 5 days/week I'm getting about 2400 calories to lose 2 lb/week if you don't factor in BFP, and probably lower (although I have no way of knowing) if you do. This is without adding the exercise to the goal. So it's basically the same as the MFP goal.

    I know it's the answer everyone gets, but the most likely is the accuracy of your logging/eating more than you think. I checked to see if there was anything obvious in the diary (sometimes there are some tricks to getting more accurate entries), but you haven't logged recently. How do you track your calories?
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    Nice open diary! But there's nothing in it. Do you have some examples on where you weighed your food and logged accurately for six weeks at 2500 calories and only lost 1.5 lbs?

    Read these:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1296011-calorie-counting-101

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
  • mommyrunning
    mommyrunning Posts: 495 Member
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    Your food diary does not have any entries for at least the last 3 weeks. How do you know how many calories you are consuming if you aren't logging it? Are you tracking it another way? (not being sarcastic) The first tip would be to log everything accurately for a couple of weeks then make adjustments based on your results.
  • 1Cor1510
    1Cor1510 Posts: 413 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    Read this and all the links there in. It is worth the time, trust me. I reread this thing about every other month.

    I put in your stats on the fat2fit radio calculator for BMR, without body fat percentage, (you can find that on the same site, Military BF calculator, but you need your measurements, this would make it more accurate) and it said at sedentary your BMR is 3154. At a 20% deficit you would be at 2525 calories for the day. At lightly active you would be at 2891. This is what you would eat everyday WITHOUT eating back exercise calories.

    The IIFYM calculator puts you at 2575/per day with a 20% deficit as well.

    The calculators are nice, but they can be inaccurate. I personally started out with the sedentary number, which you probably could do because you have quite a bit to lose, and then adjust based on your results after a period of time. If you are not losing at that number, I would lower it by 100 calories for a few weeks and then again, adjust down or up based on results. Conversely, if you're losing too quickly you can adjust up. That said, take a months average to determine this amount. Some people will lose 7 lbs in a week and then nothing the next two, if they adjusted week one because they're losing "too fast", they would be mistaken, as an 7 lb loss over 3 weeks is healthy depending on your situation.

    All of this is good knowledge, but you also need to know HOW MUCH you are eating. Do you have a food scale? It is important to accurately record your intake. My stall came when I wasn't logging my alcohol. I had to have a come to Jesus moment, and though I didn't want to, I started taking it into account.

    Best of luck to you :flowerforyou:
  • 1Cor1510
    1Cor1510 Posts: 413 Member
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    Your food diary does not have any entries for at least the last 3 weeks. How do you know how many calories you are consuming if you aren't logging it? Are you tracking it another way? (not being sarcastic) The first tip would be to log everything accurately for a couple of weeks then make adjustments based on your results.

    Oh, HEAVENS, yes! You have to have to have to log your food! Start by just logging what you're eating without adjusting your habits for the first week, I bet you'll find your answer as to why you're not losing at the rate you want to!
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    Also, unless you are using the BMR calculators that include your body fat and actually know your body fat or a decent approximation, the BMR and TDEE they give you are going to be too high. This is the case for anyone who has a body fat percentage above average.
    I don't understand this. The BMR/TDEE calculators are using averages for a man his age, height and weight. Why would he need to assume he has a higher BF% than most men his age, height and WEIGHT? Odds are he's average. It's not like he's being compared to men of healthy weight.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I don't understand this. The BMR/TDEE calculators are using averages for a man his age, height and weight.

    Not really. It's using a formula that was developed based on people of normal body fat percentages, I believe (iifym.com says athletes, but I've read that it's problematic for both people of high and low BFP elsewhere). The formula is:

    Male BMR = 10 × weight + 6.25 × height – 5 × age + 5
    Female BMR = 10 × weight + 6.25 × height – 5 × age – 161

    Since this was developed for people without above average BFP, it doesn't work as well for those with higher body fat, which is why those people are generally recommended to use Katch-McCardle. If you play around with it the numbers can be quite different.

    Anyway, when I actually ran it -- as I said above -- the M-S formula seemed not terribly out of whack anyway, depending on what his actual BFP is, and most important was consistent with his MFP goal.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    Interesting! This guy thinks the ones that consider BF% should be used by those with HIGHER than usual LBM. Wonder why only them?
    http://www.acefitness.org/certifiednewsarticle/2882/resting-metabolic-rate-best-ways-to-measure-it-and/
  • 1Cor1510
    1Cor1510 Posts: 413 Member
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    Interestingly, I did the fat2fitradio.com BMR calculator just now for myself, I haven't done it in a while. It says my BMR is 1529-1549, and at sedentary should eat 1700 calories per day. That is what I eat now, but I exercise 4-5 days a week! My daily burn according to fitbit is 2100 on average, and if I was using the lightly to moderately active numbers, I would be OVER my maintenence amount and gain weight. So as an aside, a fitbit or some other activity tracker is also a good investment, but log the food and I would start at the sedentary amount on the calculators and adjust from there.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    Grr! I can't take the fitbit envy anymore! I'm about due for a new toy I think :)

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