BMR and MFP numbers very different...which to follow?

MuddyEquestrian
MuddyEquestrian Posts: 366 Member
edited November 9 in Health and Weight Loss
I have calculated my BMR which puts me at 1545 while MFP has me at 1200 calories whether I put my goal at 2lbs a week or 1.5 a week. I've changed my MFP goal to 1350 but I am not sure where I should be at for calories right now. My job is lightly active (activities coordinator) and I do body resistence work outs at home for 30 mins at least 3 days a week.
STATS
24 year old female
5'5
Start weight/current- 155.2
Goal weight-128

Replies

  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
    Your BMR and your MFP goal are only loosely related.

    Your BMR is how many calories you'd burn per day if you didn't move at all - basically, how many calories your body needs just to perform basic functions. It doesn't take into account any daily activity or exercise or anything like that.

    Your base MFP goal is based off of your BMR + daily activity calories (which is calculated based on the activity level you selected - sedentary, lightly active, etc), less the deficit you select (1000 calories per day for 2lbs per week, 750 for 1.5, etc). You would also earn further calories by logging exercise (though many people choose to "eat back" only maybe half of them). Additionally, MFP will never set a goal below 1200 calories per day, since for *most* people that's the bare minimum calories they can consume per day while still meeting their most basic nutritional needs.

    You're only about 5lbs away from the high end of a healthy weight for your height. I'd suggest that you set your deficit to no more than 1lb per week (even 0.5lbs per week might be appropriate).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    BMR is your Basal Metabolic Rate...these are the calories you "burn" by merely existing...to boot, your BMR is probably slightly lower than what is stated given that most calculators estimate it based on your total weight...the more fat you have, the more off that number will be as you don't need to fuel fat, you only need to fuel lean mass.

    You're getting a 1200 calorie goal because you selected 2 Lbs per week which is pretty aggressive...it is a 1000 calorie per day cut from your estimated maintenance...1.5 Lbs per week is 750 calorie per day cut from your estimated maintenance. 1200 is the lowest MFP will go.

    Essentially, MFP is estimating your maintenance at around 1900 or so calories based on the information you plugged in. Also note that with MFP you account for exercise activity after the fact when you log it and then get calories to "eat back"...you just have to be really careful in how you're estimating those. Most people have a tendency to underestimate their intake and overestimate their burn with the net effect being, "it's not working."
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,660 Member
    As the above posters have said, the BMR is the calories you burn just by existing. Since your BMI is just a hair above overweight and you're male (BMI tends to be less accurate for males), you don't need to lose that much. In fact, 128 is kind of light for a guy (males have more muscle so often can weigh more than females of the same height and still be slim). I know women at 5'5" who weight 128 and are pretty slim; I'm 120 myself and considerable shorter, but still within normal weight range. Anyway, the advice is usually not to set your calorie goal below your BMR if you are fairly close to normal weight because you will begin losing not just fat, but muscle mass, and even put overall health at risk. If you were obese, then your BMR would be higher, and you probably could get away with it. However, 1200 is very low for a young male; many females your size and smaller start beginning to have ill effects. You might even think about weight training and exercise to build muscle, rather than reducing calories to a low level.
  • MuddyEquestrian
    MuddyEquestrian Posts: 366 Member
    rosebette wrote: »
    As the above posters have said, the BMR is the calories you burn just by existing. Since your BMI is just a hair above overweight and you're male (BMI tends to be less accurate for males), you don't need to lose that much. In fact, 128 is kind of light for a guy (males have more muscle so often can weigh more than females of the same height and still be slim). I know women at 5'5" who weight 128 and are pretty slim; I'm 120 myself and considerable shorter, but still within normal weight range. Anyway, the advice is usually not to set your calorie goal below your BMR if you are fairly close to normal weight because you will begin losing not just fat, but muscle mass, and even put overall health at risk. If you were obese, then your BMR would be higher, and you probably could get away with it. However, 1200 is very low for a young male; many females your size and smaller start beginning to have ill effects. You might even think about weight training and exercise to build muscle, rather than reducing calories to a low level.



    Actually I'm a female!
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,660 Member
    Sorry, I think I confused this thread with another one with a similar question. Anyway, since you're so young and close to normal weight, I still think eating below your BMR isn't probably a great idea. You can set a less aggressive goal in MFP so that you can eat slightly more.
  • MuddyEquestrian
    MuddyEquestrian Posts: 366 Member
    rosebette wrote: »
    Sorry, I think I confused this thread with another one with a similar question. Anyway, since you're so young and close to normal weight, I still think eating below your BMR isn't probably a great idea. You can set a less aggressive goal in MFP so that you can eat slightly more.

    Thanks so much! That's what I was thinking but just wanted to make sure that I was in the correct line of thinking.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    MuddyEquestrian wrote: »
    rosebette wrote: »
    Sorry, I think I confused this thread with another one with a similar question. Anyway, since you're so young and close to normal weight, I still think eating below your BMR isn't probably a great idea. You can set a less aggressive goal in MFP so that you can eat slightly more.

    Thanks so much! That's what I was thinking but just wanted to make sure that I was in the correct line of thinking.

    My guess is that if you set MFP to lose 1 Lb per week, you will get something in the neighborhood of 1500 calories which should be just fine. You really don't have enough fat to lose to go much more aggressive than that.
  • MuddyEquestrian
    MuddyEquestrian Posts: 366 Member
    Thanks for the reply! I'm going to set it at 1lb a week and if I end up losing more, great! If not I'm not worried. I feel pretty good around 1300ish-1500 calories generally and tend to lose pretty steadily with it. I've finally figured out that eating when I'm hungry multiple times a day is much more effective than restricting myself to 1200 cals! :)
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