Conflicting views on calorie consumption

mine tells me to eat less too.. my BMR is 1497 and my daily goal for calories is 1330. I dont understand it at all..

It also depends on how much weight per week you entered that you want to lose. MFP is programmed not to suggest lower than 1200. I tried the 1200 (my BMI is about where your's is) and did not lose weight for 2 weeks. I upped mine to close to my BMR (nealy 1500) and lost 2 pounds the next week!

Nothing is set in stone. Play with it. If 1200 is enough for you and you lose weight on it...go for it. Personally I need more than that to feel satisfied at the end of the day. If you are hungry and nt losing much weight then up it a bit (even 100 cals) and see where that gets you.

MFP recommends 1 pound loss per week, just like a doctor. If you want to lose more, because you are morbidly obese, it will tell you to eat below your BMR.

1200 is the MINIMUM it will tell you to eat. It is a dumb tool, it will tell you to eat whatever you want to reach your goal.

BMR =/= BMI. BMR is the number of calories you should eat per day just to exist.

Another thing to note is that once you reach over about 200 pounds the BMR calculator is inaccurate.

You shouldn't be eating the same amount as your BMR, you should be eating 500 calories less than your BMR if you want to lose 1 pound per week (recommended). 500 calories X 7 days = 3500 calories = 1 pound of weight loss.

All of that said, as others have mentioned, MFP won't recommend less than 1200 calories per day.

Depends on how you set your goals. If you set them for a 2 pound weight loss for instance, MFP will give you a deficit below your BMR and above 1200 Calories (for women), because the reasoning is that it is very difficult to get sufficient nutrients below 1200 Calories a day.

So why would MPF tell me to eat a number that is technically "unhealthy" (according to all the preachers on here) since it is below my BMR?

1200 Calories/day is not necessarily unhealthy, but you need to be very careful about what you're eating. I've also noticed that usually I underestimate if I'm eyeballing portions and entering them in MFP. When I started weighing my food, I found out I had been underestimating sometimes by as much as 300 Calories/day.

I've heard from a couple people that the amount of calories you should be eating every day is proportional to your goal weight; and the way to figure this is multiply your GW by 100.
So for example if your GW is 135, then try to eat 1350 calories a day.
Of course this is an over-simplified way of figuring, but it makes it easier for me.
According to BMI charts the least a 5'6 female can weigh while being in the healthy range is 115, so I tinkered a bit with my goals and MFP still told me 1200 was the lowest calorie intake they recommended for anyone (instead of 1150).
Everyone is different and it's not a perfect science for a website, so I think they assign 1200 calories to anyone with an un-active lifestyle, because it is a healthy amount while still allowing for maximum weekly weight loss. This is unrelated to any other information you give as far as I can tell.
So just do the 100 trick, and expect to lose 1.3 lbs a week it seems.

Depends on how you set your goals. If you set them for a 2 pound weight loss for instance, MFP will give you a deficit below your BMR and above 1200 Calories (for women), because the reasoning is that it is very difficult to get sufficient nutrients below 1200 Calories a day.

So why would MPF tell me to eat a number that is technically "unhealthy" (according to all the preachers on here) since it is below my BMR?

When you log below 1200 calories MFP will tell you that you are eating to little.
Now, you BMR is not how much you should eat, it's how many calories you burn in a 24 hr period if you did nothing all day.
You need to add 10-20% to that for your lifestyle and that gets you your Maintenance Calories. Then you subtract from that a daily deficit as to how much weight you want to lose weekly. When you eat below 50% of your maintenance calories for a prolonged period you risk starvation and your body will start to store the food you give it. But you also have to keep in mind that eating below 1200 calories is dangersous unless under a DR. Care because you're not getting enough nutrients.
Hope this helps.

The only way to lose weight is to consume less than your BMR. Simple answer. Research BMR and weight loss - there are zillions of sources out there.

This article may be helpful to you.

http://www.shapefit.com/basal-metabolic-rate.html

Calorie needs change from day to day and from person to person. A person who is obese can dip into their calorie needs without harm, unlike a person who is just trying to lose a pound or two. I did the calculations for my BMR and my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), and found that my calorie needs are 100 calories LESS than my BMR and this is FINE> as long as you're not creating a deficit of more than 1000 calories of your TDEE (calculation based on activity level multiplied times your BMR), you won't go into starvation mode:

Example:
Female, 28, 199 pounds:
BMR = 1786
TDEE= 1786 x 1.46 (moderate activity level) = 2609

Method 1: Subtract 500-1000 calories from TDEE to get weight loss calories per day goal = 1609 - 2109 calories per day
Method 2: Decrease calories consumed according to TDEE by 15-20% =
15% decrease : Decrease calories by 391.35 = 2217.65 calories
20% decrease: Decrease calories by 521.8 = 2087.2 calories

Method 1 - recommended for heavier people, those with more fat to lose : Eat 1609 - 2109 calories per day
Method 2 - recommended for those trying to lose less fat: Eat 2087 - 2217 calories per day

Note: I will not lose ANY weight if I do method 2. I'm just too big. Method 1 is at leas 100 calories less than my BMR. Method 2 is 300 to 430 calories OVER my BMR. I have been eating according to Method 1 (around 1600 calories per day) and haven't gone into starvation mode. I am losing weight and feel just fine.

Finally - (pasted from article) : The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day for women or 1800 per day for men. Even these calorie levels are extremely low. A more individualized way to determine the safe calorie deficit would be to account for one's bodyweight or TDEE. Reducing calories by 15-20% below TDEE is a good place to start. A larger deficit may be necessary in some cases, but the best approach would be to keep the calorie deficit through diet small while increasing activity level.

This article may be helpful to you.

http://www.shapefit.com/basal-metabolic-rate.html

From that website:

Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the minimum calorific requirement needed to sustain life in a resting individual. It can be looked at as being the amount of energy (measured in calories) expended by the body to remain in bed asleep all day!

That is NOT where you pull your calorie deficit from.

KEEP READING!!! HAHAHAHAH. I have argued this point so many times, and will continue to do so until my lips turn blue. The initial question, that started this thread is from a girl who is considered obese - meaning a considerable amount of fat to lose. The bottom line is NO FEWER THAN 1200 CALORIES FOR A FEMALE AND 1800 CALORIES FOR A MALE. When you are obese, your BMR is MUCH HIGHER than a normal person, therefore they can EAT LESS to LOSE WEIGHT. It's pretty simple when you get down to it.