BMR

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.

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.

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

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!

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 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

Why are you eating under 800 calories?

Jumping on board this conversation...my total calorie consumption per day according to MFP is 1200. If I burn 500 calories per day exercising and I don't eat those back will it accelerate or hinder my weight loss?

pmccausland1965 wrote: »

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....

Can you ask your doctor to refer you to a registered dietician? That might be very valuable for you. I think you are going way overboard avoiding fat, for example--fat is good for you, you need it. You say in your profile that you have had trouble sustaining a diet in the past. One reason for that, I think, is that people think they must eat very strictly and without anything that might seem too tasty when dieting--that they must avoid fat in particular or eat no meat but chicken breast or the leanest fish. In fact, all you need to do is eat at the calorie deficit that MFP gives you (and if you ask for 2 lb/week, that might not even be necessary, of course--you could eat more and still lose 1 lb/week, depending on your current weight and how active you are).

I think one thing that is helpful for new people is to log a more normal version of your diet for a few days rather than going overboard and trying to cut everything and then use the tool to look at where you are getting the most extra calories and what you can cut. Some things are obvious--if lots of high calorie fast food or restaurant meals or lots of sweets, cut down on those. Other things may be a matter of excess calories due to larger portion sizes or a lack of mindful eating (I used to get excess calories from various foods I don't even like that much, like rice, so I just mostly stopped eating it).

After a bit you will start to understand also what makes you feel more satisfied vs. less (a lot of times people are satisfied on very little at first, but that doesn't last), and be able to play around with that. Keep track of when you are hungry and not.

Eating well (although a RD will help more) is really IMO a matter of common sense and the things everyone knows about nutrition. People make it too complicated. MFP helps by giving you certain nutrition goals, such as a good breakdown of fat, protein, and carbs (many find different breakdowns help them, but this is a decent one to start with, especially since you may struggle with eating enough protein and fat at first). It is not good to always try to stay below everything--your balance matters. But also don't panic about these--you will lose weight if you eat at or below your calorie level (but going too low is unhealthy and not sustainable). Instead, if you are low on fat and protein think of ways to get more in your diet.

What helps me is to think first of getting protein at each meal and then also getting veggies and add extras on to that to try and reach my calorie goal. I cook my veggies in olive or coconut oil or sometimes butter (not a lot, but a little--it helps you use the nutrients from them, and fat is filling). For example, for breakfast I like eggs (which have protein), add veggies (a vegetable omelet), some cheese in the omelet, and more protein (usually dairy) and sometimes fruit on the side, depending on how many calories I want. For lunch I have some kind of protein with veggies (maybe meat on a salad) or perhaps a wrap with protein and veggies in it. I'd add dressing with a little olive oil to the salad. I might have a snack with fruit or nuts (nuts are another great source of fat that are non-controversially considered healthy). For dinner I'll pick out a protein (any lean meat or fish is good), veggies, and then depending on my calories add a reasonable portion of something like potatoes or sweet potatoes.

All this depends on your preferences, though--I am just illustrating how I approach it. The point is that you can eat what you like and also meet your nutrition goals. If you are pre diabetic you will probably want to be especially careful to eat carbs only with protein and fat--another reason to not cut fat too much.

the data for "Rotisserie Chicken Salad Sandwich" looks wrong - zero fat. Calories probably right

pmccausland1965 wrote: »

thank you to all of you , this information is really helping me. I am a beginner of this diet thing , so I am learning and appreciate all the help. I know my diary is pretty much about what I had... and yeah , I am scared to use things like butter, or oils in my cooking,I am scared to use breads, anything that might cause me to put on weight, I am a woman in her menopausal stage ( over a yr now) and I packed on 10 more lbs in one year, seemm like everything I ate , made me gain weight. when I was 18-20 years old I was 110 lbs, and then I had 4 children and put on 70-80 pds with each child, everytime I have one of my children, I would lose most of the weight except maybe 10-15 lbs, til my last child, I got up to 226 and really never lost it.. and just this last year being menopausal, I gained 10lbs. so I want to get this weight off, my lower back hurts alot, my legs, , I am not as physically active anymore because of the weight, and messing with my mental and emotional feelings as well, I am proud that I have lost 7 pds just in 10 days now, and my goal and determination is to keep going and lose this weight and feel good at age 49 almost 50! Thats my goal and I know its a slow process and it just don't come off over night, or days, but I am determined. I know MFP is going to be great, I see it already , great place and great people for support!

You should be really proud of yourself for getting your diet back on track and losing excess weight! 7 pounds in 10 days is great. You will feel the benefits and your body will thank you down the line since excess weight contributes to diabetes, heart disease, and many others.
MFP is great for logging calories and communicating with others that have similar goals as you. Getting active will also greatly help you reach your goals!
Best of luck with your journey!