At the risk of sounding dim....calorie and BMR Q..

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mummabee
mummabee Posts: 16
in Health and Weight Loss
....Ive read all the posts on calorie deficits etc but my question is this:

My BMR is approx 1800, Im eating approz 1100-1200 cals a day. I was doing lots of exercise in the form of aerobics but ive really really hurt my back, i think i may have sciatica which started in pregnancy. I now cant do my high impact workouts so am having to keep to taking some good walks, although at a slow pace. Sooo...will I lose weight based on the BMR etc, or because im 234llbs at the mo, will i merely maintain without adding exercise into the equation.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated xx

Replies

  • juldga
    juldga Posts: 119
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    I dont know the physics behind weight loss but I know from personal experience at 300+ lbs that if I dont exercise I can lose 1 or so pounds per week at best with diet alone. Exercise is a must (for me at least) to lose weight not just maintain
  • dawnemjh
    dawnemjh Posts: 1,465 Member
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    In theory if your BMR is really 1800 and you consume 1200 calories per day, thats a defecit of 600 calories per day. If you do that 7 days per week that comes out to 4200 calorie defecit in a week (600/day X7days). That is a little more than a pound of weight per week. (3500 is one pound). So yes you should lose weight. If you dont follow this every day, like for example if one day you go over, then you may not hit the 3500 defecit mark for the week and wont see the loss. I hope this helps and is not too confusing.

    (that being said, I have had many weeks of 3500+ defecits and not lost any weight. You also have to take into consideration your time of month, water intake, sodium, etc.)
  • Townsend143
    Townsend143 Posts: 14 Member
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    I have been dieting since Halloween and have lost 27 pounds with diet alone. I rarely (if ever) exercise even though I should. So, it can be done with diet alone but I think exercise would tone you up and make you lose more (if you are able).
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    You will lose weight eating your BMR calories as this is the amount your body needs to maintain your weight in a coma, the moment you eat, wake up, move you burn more than BMR, that is why MFP sets you maintenance calories 350-1200 above BMR, based on your activity level. To see you maintenance calories go to goals tab, on the top right the site says calories burned from normal daily activity. If you eat less than that number you will lose weight. 500 under per day will give you a 1lb/week weight loss.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    In theory if your BMR is really 1800 and you consume 1200 calories per day, thats a defecit of 600 calories per day. If you do that 7 days per week that comes out to 4200 calorie defecit in a week (600/day X7days). That is a little more than a pound of weight per week. (3500 is one pound). So yes you should lose weight. If you dont follow this every day, like for example if one day you go over, then you may not hit the 3500 defecit mark for the week and wont see the loss. I hope this helps and is not too confusing.

    (that being said, I have had many weeks of 3500+ defecits and not lost any weight. You also have to take into consideration your time of month, water intake, sodium, etc.)

    You are confusing BMR and maintenance calories. if her BMR is 1800 most likely her maintenance is 2200ish, meaning at 1200 calories her deficit is 1000 cals/day (2200-1000), and she should lose 2 lbs/week without exercise.
  • fushion243
    fushion243 Posts: 29
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    Supposedly walking burns close to what you burn running if you do the same distance, although walking is much slower. I've been told, don't have any proof, that if you walk 5 miles or run 5 miles, you can pretty much burn the same amount of calories. I've had sciatica, so I know the pain. For me, walking made it feel better. I don't know why, because I needed surgery to resolve my issue. I went turkey hunting one morning after waking in total pain. I learned during the hunt that the more I walked, the better I felt. I started walking 3 miles each morning and my day went much better. Unfortunately, my disc completely ruptured, so I still needed surgery. Now, I can run and bike pain free. So, try walking and see if you get relief and exercise. I'm sorry to hear about the pain, because I've been there and know it isn't fun. Good luck!
  • wriglucy
    wriglucy Posts: 1,064 Member
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    You will lose weight eating your BMR calories as this is the amount your body needs to maintain your weight in a coma, the moment you eat, wake up, move you burn more than BMR, that is why MFP sets you maintenance calories 350-1200 above BMR, based on your activity level. To see you maintenance calories go to goals tab, on the top right the site says calories burned from normal daily activity. If you eat less than that number you will lose weight. 500 under per day will give you a 1lb/week weight loss.

    Yep...at your BMR, that would be you laying in bed all day, not moving. So any movement would burn some calories...so even eating the BMR, you will lose.
  • ♥_Ellybean_♥
    ♥_Ellybean_♥ Posts: 1,646 Member
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    You will lose weight eating your BMR calories as this is the amount your body needs to maintain your weight in a coma, the moment you eat, wake up, move you burn more than BMR, that is why MFP sets you maintenance calories 350-1200 above BMR, based on your activity level. To see you maintenance calories go to goals tab, on the top right the site says calories burned from normal daily activity. If you eat less than that number you will lose weight. 500 under per day will give you a 1lb/week weight loss.

    Agree!

    Take a look here:

    Calories Burned
    From Normal Daily Activity 2,420 calories/day

    Net Calories Consumed*
    Your Daily Goal 1,410 calories/ day

    Daily Calorie Deficit 1,010 calories

    Projected Weight Loss 2.0 lbs/ week


    So if I stuck with 1,410 calories per day I could probably lose 2lbs per week, adding in exercise is only going to help me. I could eat 2,420 calories per day and most likely maintain my weight.
  • Crystals422
    Crystals422 Posts: 382 Member
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    Just from person experience I would raise your calories to 1400-1500 because as you loose weight you will have know where to drop them down to. I stated MFP at 1200 and lost some weight but them my body stopped. I do workout 3-4 times a week. I upped my calories to 1400 and I lost 1.4 so far this week. A guy I used to work with is a personal trainer and I called him yesterday to see what he thought and he said 1500 is what I should be eating. I weight 218 so I know that 1200 is a tad bit to low.
  • mummabee
    mummabee Posts: 16
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    thankyou all so much for your replies. Thats all really helpful info, much appreciated xxx

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