Low BMR -- Can't eat at real deficit -- what's next?
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rosebette
Posts: 1,660 Member
So, I had my bodyfat and BMR evaluated at my gym, and my BMR is 1136. I am older, 55, and short -- 5'1.5". I hover between 118 and 120. My goal is around 112-115, but I haven't really been able to maintain under 118. I'm kind of a stocky build. Anyway, with a BMR so low, it kind of explains why I've been plateauing on and off since the MFP standard 1200 doesn't even put me at a deficit. Even adding exercise calories to the base 1136 doesn't give me much, usually around 1400-1500 most days. So, if I can't eat at a significant deficit, should I assume that this is maintenance? Also, I hear people talk about a "recomp" for people who are at their base weight, but want to change their body shape more. What does that mean in terms of exercise and diet? Right now, I do a strength training class (low weights, lots of reps and some light cardio) twice a week, some lifting on my own or with a trainer twice a week (heavier weights), walking a minimum of 30 minutes a day, kickboxing once a week, and yoga once a week. Lately I've been easing off the upper body strength due to shoulder injury.
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Recomp takes a while, but it refers to eating at maintenance and lifting heavy weights or using a progressive resistance program.0
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There is a flaw (in a good way) in your numbers. If your BMR was tested at 1136, that's what your body uses to exist, without any movement. For a sedentary lifestyle, you need to multiple that by somewhere around 1.2 to get an estimate for your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). So, that would be around 1363 for you. The standard MFP 1200 would put you at a small deficit. Then, you can add on your exercise calories above that. Looks like (from your numbers above) that you're doing around 250-350 calories a day in exercise. That would put your TDEE at 1600 to 1700 calories a day. So, the standard MFP 1200 would put you at a fairly sizable deficit for you size.
Given how small you are, probably a deficit of 250 a day would work for you, so target eating at maybe 1350 on workout days, and 1150 to 1200 on non-workout days?0 -
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There is a flaw (in a good way) in your numbers. If your BMR was tested at 1136, that's what your body uses to exist, without any movement. For a sedentary lifestyle, you need to multiple that by somewhere around 1.2 to get an estimate for your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). So, that would be around 1363 for you. The standard MFP 1200 would put you at a small deficit. Then, you can add on your exercise calories above that. Looks like (from your numbers above) that you're doing around 250-350 calories a day in exercise. That would put your TDEE at 1600 to 1700 calories a day. So, the standard MFP 1200 would put you at a fairly sizable deficit for you size.
Given how small you are, probably a deficit of 250 a day would work for you, so target eating at maybe 1350 on workout days, and 1150 to 1200 on non-workout days?
This. You don't need to eat below your BMR to lose weight, you need to eat below your TDEE.0 -
BMR is not your total daily burn - so 1200-1300 would have you at a slight deficit depending on how active you are. But weight loss will be slow, and require meticulous logging/weighing of food.0
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As mentioned above, BMR is an estimate of how many calories you would burn if you lay in bed all day. Since most people get out of bed and do stuff, most people burn more than BMR every day.0
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Weight loss needs to be slow too because you don't have that much to lose.0
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There is a flaw (in a good way) in your numbers. If your BMR was tested at 1136, that's what your body uses to exist, without any movement. For a sedentary lifestyle, you need to multiple that by somewhere around 1.2 to get an estimate for your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). So, that would be around 1363 for you. The standard MFP 1200 would put you at a small deficit. Then, you can add on your exercise calories above that. Looks like (from your numbers above) that you're doing around 250-350 calories a day in exercise. That would put your TDEE at 1600 to 1700 calories a day. So, the standard MFP 1200 would put you at a fairly sizable deficit for you size.
Given how small you are, probably a deficit of 250 a day would work for you, so target eating at maybe 1350 on workout days, and 1150 to 1200 on non-workout days?
I know that BMR means just what I need to support my body without exercise. I've pretty much been doing what you suggest as far as eating (don't look at yesterday when I went over), but Wednesday is pretty typical. If I'm more or less plateauing at this eating range, would I be at maintenance? As far as lifting "heavy" what is heavy for my size? Right now, I have a shoulder injury, so it's not possible, but I was doing bicep curls with 8 lb. barbells and could deadlift a 30 lb. barbell prior to the injury. I never could bench press more than 20 lbs. I know, pretty pathetic. Is there some other resistance training I could do? Also, should I change what I eat? I've been trying to add more protein, but I'm not a huge meat-eater.
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If what you are doing now is resulting in no change, then yes, that would be at maintenance for your current activity level.-1
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Looking at your diary, you have your calories too low. You have them at 1000. You should at least have them at 1200 and then add your exercise calories back. You're eating too little calories and that's why you're not losing. You're supposed to net 1200, but you're only netting 1000 even on days you eat exercise calories back. You're eating below your BMR still. You're not giving what your body needs to live. Here are some pages that explain this better.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/3817-eat-more-2-weigh-less
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/680246/tdee-bmr-what-they-are-and-what-to-do-with-them/p10 -
I know that BMR means just what I need to support my body without exercise.
No; what you need to support your body without exercise is BMR + NEAT + TEF.
NEAT= non-exercise activity thermogenesis, i.e., energy burned in your daily activities, from getting up in the morning, brushing teeth, making the bed, going to work, etc.
TEF = thermic effect of food, the energy required to consume and digest food and extract its energy.
BMR is what you need to support your body if you're in a coma.0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »If what you are doing now is resulting in no change, then yes, that would be at maintenance for your current activity level.
I agree, though oftentimes when we're losing slowly (or losing fat but gaining something else, call it water to be fair), we think we're plateaued.
To the people flagging posts you disagree with, maybe you should read the new sticky on what that function is for.
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I know that BMR means just what I need to support my body without exercise.
No; what you need to support your body without exercise is BMR + NEAT + TEF.
NEAT= non-exercise activity thermogenesis, i.e., energy burned in your daily activities, from getting up in the morning, brushing teeth, making the bed, going to work, etc.
TEF = thermic effect of food, the energy required to consume and digest food and extract its energy.
BMR is what you need to support your body if you're in a coma.
Recently, I bought an activity tracker, which measures my calories for all the activity I do during the day. Basically, what I've done is set a base at 1000, which is 136 below my BMR, since at least it gives me a tiny deficit. Then, I input whatever I have at the end of the day from my tracker (which measures my daily 2 mile walk, plus any other walking I do --- work, housework, errands), plus MFP estimates for any other exercise I do, such as stationary bike, strength training, or yoga. So my calorie calculations are really BMR + activity, with a very tiny deficit. I'm netting more than 1000 most days. I had used the 1200 formula for a long time, but was stuck, not surprisingly, since it's above my BMR, so if I do have an inactive day, 1200 is actually more than what I burn. However, if you look at my diary, except for days I don't track, I always have a couple of hundred of activity calories.
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1200 still won't be more than what you burn. If you read again what has been said, you will see that 1136 is what you would burn if you were in a coma. ie your body wouldn't burn calories moving around, digesting food etc. Every movement you make will burn calories.
What does your activity tracker tell you that you burn?
Try doing a search for a TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). If you input your stats to that, it will tell you a rough amount of calories you burn in a day - that number is what you need to eat below, not your BMR. If you eat below your BMR over a long time you will make yourself ill.
If you're not losing its probably because you're eating more than you think.0 -
On an average day, such as Friday, my tracker said I burned 284 calories.
I must admit I probably do eat more than I think, since I usually have one day a week when I eat out and don't track, which might be killing my deficit. That's the other issue -- how much more I'm willing to give up to meet my goals -- such as socializing or having a night out with spouse. That being said, eating at a deficit on the other days I guess is my hope that it covers the "cheat day."
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How come people keep thinking their BMR is their maintenance calories?
OP...your BMR is the calories your body burns by you merely existing. Your total calorie requirements go above and beyond you just existing....0 -
On an average day, such as Friday, my tracker said I burned 284 calories.
I must admit I probably do eat more than I think, since I usually have one day a week when I eat out and don't track, which might be killing my deficit. That's the other issue -- how much more I'm willing to give up to meet my goals -- such as socializing or having a night out with spouse. That being said, eating at a deficit on the other days I guess is my hope that it covers the "cheat day."
What kind of tracker are you using? Mine tells me a total for the whole day, not just a separate amount for movement or exercise. Yours should be somewhere around 1200-1500 ish, even if you're fairly sedentary.
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When you have small numbers to begin with, and 6 lbs. to lose, and are already well within normal/healthy BMI, a cheat day is usually enough to blow a week of small deficits out the window, in my opinion. Bear in mind that when you log 1000, you're probably eating at 1100-1200. So between logging error, BMR/exercise estimate error and unlogged meals... it's easy to maintain.On an average day, such as Friday, my tracker said I burned 284 calories.
I must admit I probably do eat more than I think, since I usually have one day a week when I eat out and don't track, which might be killing my deficit. That's the other issue -- how much more I'm willing to give up to meet my goals -- such as socializing or having a night out with spouse. That being said, eating at a deficit on the other days I guess is my hope that it covers the "cheat day."
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You MUST weigh and log EVERYTHING. It is human nature to underestimate the calories in food and weighing and logging made the difference between me being successful at weight loss and not. Guessing and hoping does not cut it.
As for giving things up - well it depends on whether you are serious or not. If you are serious, you will give things up willingly. But think, once you have reached your goals, you can take the brakes off and some of the things you gave up can be reinstated.0
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