BMR

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pmccausland1965
pmccausland1965 Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So If MY BMR is say " Your estimated BMR is: 1,597 calories/day*

I am actually really confused with this, is it saying I should only be eating 1567 calories a day or lower. Right now my goal for calorie intake is 1540. so I am trying to figure out am I suppose to have 1597 calorie intake a day from the BMR and can lose weight and I set my goal at 1540 per day, or should I'd be going lower like to 1200-1300 to accomplish losing weight.. and btw I have lost 7 lbs since last week , even tho I just really buckled down my this week on eating right than I did last week. original weight 235 weighed this morning at 228.. YAY ME!!!! But can someone help explain this to me please. I am just trying to figure out how many calories a day I am really suppose to have to lose weight.
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  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
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    Tell MFP how many pounds you'd like to lose per week, and what your lifestyle activity level is. Eat the calories MFP says to. Eat back 50-75% of any exercise calories. Re-evaluate in a month to see if you're losing on average what you told MFP you want to.

    You will lose weight eating any calorie level below maintenance. That creates a deficit. The larger the deficit, the faster the loss. However, food is also fuel. The minimum recommended for a female is 1200 net. (1200 + any exercise calories eaten back too.) How are you feeling at your current target? If it is too low, eat a bit more. (Tell MFP you want to lose fewer lbs per week.)

    Don't overthink the calorie target, especially if you're in the beginning stages. You've been losing, so what you're doing is working fine.

    And btw, your BMR is the number of calories your body would burn if you were completely not moving (sleeping 24 hours, in a coma, etc). Your maintenance is BMR + lifestyle (your movement outside of exercise) + exercise. You do not have to go down to 1200 calories unless you want to. It would be a very aggressive goal and it might not be right for you.

    IMO use MFP as your starting point.
  • pmccausland1965
    pmccausland1965 Posts: 10 Member
    edited March 2015
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    thank you , You really cleared that up for me, so really with the calorie intake of 1540 is good then. and yes I am losing the weight. The only thing that concerned me was , I wrote down everything I ate here for March 19th, and my calorie in take that I ate was low and I measured out everything. so I know its right. but it was saying I was very low with my intake and recommended I eat no less than 1000-1200 calories. my calorie intake for 03/19/15 was 874. but I eat like I should or least thought I did, I was not hungry all day. am I doing something wrong, can you go to my profile and see my food intake for 03/19/2015 and see if I am eating properly please.
    Totals 874 121 11 66 492 74
    Your Daily Goal 1,732 217 57 87 2,300 65
    Remaining 858 96 46 21 1,808 -9
    Calories Carbs Fat Protein Sodium Sugar
    *You've earned 192 extra calories from exercise today
  • big2strongCO
    big2strongCO Posts: 41 Member
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    BMR is the amount of calories that if you laid around all day and did no other activity your body would burn just to keep you alive (the calories your body burns to just maintain itself). If you ate to the 1540 cal. any exercise that you would do during the day would be added to your BMR (1540 cal. (life, heartbeat, breathing, digestion, blinking etc.) + 1500 cal. (exercise, movement, brushing your teeth, getting dressed, walking during the day, etc.). So lets say you have 1540 plus 1500 (made up number for your daily exertion) equals 3040 calories burned for the day minus the 1540 cal you consume in food and beverages leaves you with a 1500 cal. deficit for the day which is too much. That is how I understand it as told to me by my dietitian. What I did to maximize my weight loss but keep it at healthy levels was to get a Bod Pod analysis (Google bod pod) to get an accurate BMR (as close to accurate as possible) then we looked at the amount of exercise/movement I was doing on a daily/weekly basis and subtracted the amount of calories that I wanted to give up so I could loose a consistent amount of weight. For me I was at about 1000 cal. a day deficit which is 2lb. per week loss. Any extra exercise i did above my expected exercise was gravy (extra weight loss) so I was averaging 3 lb. a week for the first 6 months of my life change. All the while I was watching my nutrition and especially my protein intake to try to keep as much muscle as possible with my accelerated weight loss. I have a lot more to say about how all this works for me, I am 86lb. down with my target weight with in 20lb. all since September of last year and I am much much stronger and still nutritionally healthy. Send me a message if you or any one would like and we can discuss.
  • fushigi1988
    fushigi1988 Posts: 519 Member
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    futuremanda wrote: »
    BMR is the number of calories your body would burn if you were completely not moving (sleeping 24 hours, in a coma, etc). Your maintenance is BMR + lifestyle (your movement outside of exercise) + exercise. You do not have to go down to 1200 calories unless you want to. It would be a very aggressive goal and it might not be right for you.

    Yes, do not go below BMR
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to just exist. You should really never eat under that for a prolonged period of time. Your body needs fuel to continue operating properly.

    What you need to figure out is your TDEE (totaly daily expenditure). MFP uses this equation:

    TDEE - deficit for weight loss + exercise calories = daily calories.

    If you enter things into MFP as it prompts you to and use it as you are supposed to, it takes all the guess work out of it :)
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
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    pmccausland1965 wrote: »
    thank you , You really cleared that up for me, so really with the calorie intake of 1540 is good then. and yes I am losing the weight. The only thing that concerned me was , I wrote down everything I ate here for March 19th, and my calorie in take that I ate was low and I measured out everything. so I know its right. but it was saying I was very low with my intake and recommended I eat no less than 1000-1200 calories. my calorie intake for 03/19/15 was 874. but I eat like I should or least thought I did, I was not hungry all day. am I doing something wrong, can you go to my profile and see my food intake for 03/19/2015 and see if I am eating properly please.
    Totals 874 121 11 66 492 74
    Your Daily Goal 1,732 217 57 87 2,300 65
    Remaining 858 96 46 21 1,808 -9
    Calories Carbs Fat Protein Sodium Sugar
    *You've earned 192 extra calories from exercise today

    Your food diary is private so we can't see it. But if you open it up, I'm sure people will be happy to take a look.

    Sometimes when we severely undereat, we are not hungry for a variety of reasons. It doesn't make it a good idea though. You'll notice that you were way under on all of your nutrition targets, for example. Every once in awhile won't hurt you, but you do need to fuel your body properly on a regular basis.

    And I'm not sure what you mean by eating like you think you should. There is no one right way to eat. And getting enough calories IS part of eating properly. You do not have to use fat free things (fat is good for you, you need it in your diet) or diet things or sugar free things. You don't have to avoid food groups or packaged foods or takeout. You just have to make everything fit in your calorie target, time your eating so that it keeps you feeling well, and meet any nutrition goals you may have. (Nutrition goals vary per person.) Make sure you get some treats and things, or you'll crash at some point. Think long-term sustainability.

    Also, weighing solid foods is more accurate than measuring. A cup of cereal measured out and compared to the calories on the box may be very different than if you weigh it to get the grams. It may not matter right now but if you ever plateau or stall (no weight loss for a month or two) then it would be good to grab a kitchen scale. (I like having one anyway, it makes things like chicken much easier!)
  • pmccausland1965
    pmccausland1965 Posts: 10 Member
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    thanks to the response this makes more since now. it really does... I am going to get this weight off , I am so proud to have lost 7 lbs in just 9 days... I know some is water weight, but hey I will take that.. but it all makes perfect sense now :)
  • pmccausland1965
    pmccausland1965 Posts: 10 Member
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    ok I went in and changed my setting on my diary, so if someone has time to look at it for 03/19/2015, I would appreciate it. let me know if I am getting enough food intake? I dn't won't to get sick with not enough food. or lose too fast and get sick....and again thanks for the tip , I really appreicate it.. I am a starter so its all new
  • determined_14
    determined_14 Posts: 258 Member
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    Can I piggyback on this with a BMR question, rather than creating a whole separate thread?
    Someone posted in the forums recently that he/she had "eaten below my BMR for over a year, and it's working well for me."
    Am I right in thinking that this cannot be true, that he/she is only eating below some number they THINK is their BMR? Because if we eat below BMR for an extended period of time, we're essentially dying, right? Or does someone have more info on this that I'm missing? Thanks! :)
  • pmccausland1965
    pmccausland1965 Posts: 10 Member
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    sure go ahead piggyback.. no problem.... we are here to help each other :)
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
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    determined_14 wrote: »
    Can I piggyback on this with a BMR question, rather than creating a whole separate thread?
    Someone posted in the forums recently that he/she had "eaten below my BMR for over a year, and it's working well for me."
    Am I right in thinking that this cannot be true, that he/she is only eating below some number they THINK is their BMR? Because if we eat below BMR for an extended period of time, we're essentially dying, right? Or does someone have more info on this that I'm missing? Thanks! :)

    According to http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ my current sedentary BMR is 1477 and I ate under that level almost every single day for about 6 months. I am currently eating over that because I ramped up my exercise. I think it can be done safely, but I began suffering ill effects because I was not properly fueling my workouts.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    BMR is not a hard line to never eat under ... if it were, some people could never generate a sizable enough deficit to lose weight. It is just one data point in the calculations for weight loss. For those with more to lose, there is a greater chance of initial caloric goals dipping below BMR to generate that needed deficit for loss. As one gets closer to goal weight, the deficit should shrink which eliminates the need to eat below BMR.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    brianpperkins wrote: »
    BMR is not a hard line to never eat under ... if it were, some people could never generate a sizable enough deficit to lose weight. It is just one data point in the calculations for weight loss. For those with more to lose, there is a greater chance of initial caloric goals dipping below BMR to generate that needed deficit for loss. As one gets closer to goal weight, the deficit should shrink which eliminates the need to eat below BMR.

    BAM
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
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    pmccausland1965 wrote: »
    ok I went in and changed my setting on my diary, so if someone has time to look at it for 03/19/2015, I would appreciate it. let me know if I am getting enough food intake? I dn't won't to get sick with not enough food. or lose too fast and get sick....and again thanks for the tip , I really appreicate it.. I am a starter so its all new

    No, that is not enough food.

    The number of calories MFP told you to eat is what you should eat, as per my prior comments. But 1200 would be your minimum, if you must.

    You barely had any fat. Did you not cook your meat or veggies in anything? Oil or butter?

    Your breakfast was very low in protein and fat. Protein and fat are essential.

    Your lunch had... no fat, somehow, despite including chicken. I am pretty suspicious of that entry actually.

    Stop eating fat free foods, low fat foods, etc if you aren't going to eat more food overall. You really do NEED to have fat in your diet. Use oil (carefully portioned) to cook your meat and veg. Consider adding some protein to breakfast -- egg or greek yoghurt, for example. Add cheese to your salads (though if you don't have a scale, be careful, as cheese is notorious for being tough to measure accurately otherwise).

    And watch your entries. Why are you using a Generic entry, when presumably you have the package for your cottage cheese?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    Why are you eating under 800 calories?
  • pmccausland1965
    pmccausland1965 Posts: 10 Member
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    I did not know I had only had that much intake on the 19th,until I saw it at the end of the night but I felt fine .My husband cooked my Grilled chicken on the grill nothing added. my veggies were steamed and no added butter or oil or anything. The cottage cheese I scanned with my phone , so I know all that I put in the diary is correct, but I won't do that again, I know eating that low of calories can make you sick if I did that everyday. but I guess once in awhile if I do that low of calories again it could not hurt me .... today I am better with what I ate I think.. if someone would look at my entries today and let me know. I am very new to about losing weight , I have never really known what is good or bad to eat for my weight to lose the weight. so I am going to need alot of help. I pretty much have eaten anything I wanted and never thought about the consequences of the weight I have put on... but now I feel it in my health... so any help would be greatly appreciated...
  • pmccausland1965
    pmccausland1965 Posts: 10 Member
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    my problem is I don't know what good fats to eat, what good proteins to eat, what or how much sugar and carbs I can have. I just know I want to get this weight off. My doctor told me if I don't lose weight , I am borderline from being a diabetic and my over all cholestrol is borderline... she recommended I slow down on the carbs alot and the sugar....
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    pmccausland1965 wrote: »
    I did not know I had only had that much intake on the 19th,until I saw it at the end of the night but I felt fine .My husband cooked my Grilled chicken on the grill nothing added. my veggies were steamed and no added butter or oil or anything. The cottage cheese I scanned with my phone , so I know all that I put in the diary is correct, but I won't do that again, I know eating that low of calories can make you sick if I did that everyday. but I guess once in awhile if I do that low of calories again it could not hurt me .... today I am better with what I ate I think.. if someone would look at my entries today and let me know. I am very new to about losing weight , I have never really known what is good or bad to eat for my weight to lose the weight. so I am going to need alot of help. I pretty much have eaten anything I wanted and never thought about the consequences of the weight I have put on... but now I feel it in my health... so any help would be greatly appreciated...

    The day before that was 765. This is not acceptable for your nutritional needs.
    All that is necessary is a deficit for weight loss. Getting lots of proteins and fats (avocados, nuts etc), as that will keep you sated longer. Pretty much everything else goes. Move more and eat less, but do so in a healthy sustainable way. You want to keep what you earn here.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    Here is the simplest way of approaching this ... MFP gave you a number that has the deficit built in. Find foods you like and eat them in quantities that reach that number ... a little over or a little under one day is no big deal, those average out. No food in moderation is bad ... too much of any food can be ... too little food is bad. If you like steak, eat it, just keep the portions reasonable. Calorie management is the key to weight loss ... within that framework you can juggle the foods to ensure you meet your macronutrient needs.
  • mirrim52
    mirrim52 Posts: 763 Member
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    Also, make sure the entries you are using are accurate. 850 calories for a chicken sandwich at TGIF and 0 fat? Very suspect.

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