Help with daily Calorie set and BMR

caseynjason
caseynjason Posts: 96 Member
edited September 23 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I have lost well so far, but have hit a little wall. Lost nothing last week, and I have been reading like crazy all the important threads that seem to be the go-to for any questions we have about how things work here at mfp.

I just read and learned about BMR, and I calculated mine and it was 1526. Does that mean that since I have mine set at 1360 that I am starving myself?

I am 32, 5'9, weight 173, goal is 150.

So should I set it at 1526 and when I exercise it will be around 1800 and I should eat every last calorie to start seeing better weight loss?

Replies

  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
    I'm kinda lost on this myself. When i work out the calories go up for the day and I don;t know if I should eat more or not?
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    The less you have to lose the closer to your BMR you should be. It is fine to be under BMR as long as you are not too far under, once you get to the last 10 pounds you want to be closer to BMR or even above nearing maintenance.
  • Aimee_PD
    Aimee_PD Posts: 177 Member
    i really have no idea about the bmr. i read something earlier about having it set the same and then making sure to eat those exercise calories back...there's alot of talk on that and i've been doing good to eat mine back but not seeing loss yet so im not sure!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    I'm kinda lost on this myself. When i work out the calories go up for the day and I don;t know if I should eat more or not?

    Yes you should eat the extra calories. MFP already gives you a caloric deficit to lose your goal amount of weight; if you don't eat the exercise cals that deficit becomes larger and you can potentially hurt your metabolism not to mention burn off more muscle than fat.
  • namrettik
    namrettik Posts: 127
    BMR is if you did nothing all day - that's how many calories it would take to stay the same weight. My BMR is 1486, but I don't go over 1200 in a day, even if I exercise. I am not starving myself (I have to make myself eat more on some days just to reach 1200), but you need to be under your BMR if you're going to lose any weight. If not, you'll stay constant. If you go over, you'll gain.
  • Carley650
    Carley650 Posts: 14 Member
    No, I don't think you're starving yourself, but make sure you eat the extra calories that you gain from exercise, or else you might. The daily calorie goal that MFP gave you is meant to allow you to achieve your goal, so it will be very low if you want to lose 2 or more lbs a week (losing1-2 is considered safe). If you've hit a wall, the best thing to do is bump up your workouts. Intensify them, and change your routine, also consider trying new foods...gotta keep the body guessing!

    So, if your weight loss expectations (the ones you set for your account) are high, your calories will be lower, but don't eat too much under that and be sure to eat more if you exercise to prevent yourself from going into "starvation mode"

    Good luck!
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,759 Member
    BMR is if you did nothing all day - that's how many calories it would take to stay the same weight. My BMR is 1486, but I don't go over 1200 in a day, even if I exercise. I am not starving myself (I have to make myself eat more on some days just to reach 1200), but you need to be under your BMR if you're going to lose any weight. If not, you'll stay constant. If you go over, you'll gain.

    That's only if you're trying to lose weight while in a coma. :smile:

    To find your maintenance calories, it's bmr x activity level + exercise calories. There's something about the thermal effect of food in there too somewhere.

    Maintenance doesn't always equal bmr calories.
  • caseynjason
    caseynjason Posts: 96 Member
    So with my stats, would you say that 1450 calories a day (not counting exercise calories) would be a healthy way to lose 1 lb a week? I still plan on sticking with my exercise plan, even upping it. I am at 1360 now.
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