Is it bad to eat far below your BMR?
Options
Replies
-
I'm 230 pounds and so do I. I think one of us is wrong.karintalley wrote: »1000 calories sounds about tight for a 450 pound person. 3-4 miles is what, an hour - 90 minute walk Op? I am 174 pound and I burn 300 calories in 60 minutes walking.
1 -
I'm 5'11" and currently 264. My BMR is about 2,409. On a cheat day, maybe I'll go over to 2,500 BUT on a regular basis, I do 1,600-2,200 a day and that's not considering my cleaning job at the gym, my weightlifting and walking.
I remember the app telling me I'd be in starvation mode if I don't hit a minimum of 1,200 calories. As for fat loss in the process, lowering my fat content was pretty simple cuz I used to LOVE eating sweets ALL the time but ince eating more veggies, that dropped FAST.0 -
1. When you have 200-300 pounds to lose you don't fit within the 'standard' of 1-2 pounds a week. You can probably aim to lose 1% per week (getting checked out by a doc first would not be a bad thing).
2. Depends on how you feel, and how you prefer to calculate. BMR itself is not a significant # except to estimate total daily burn and such. Again see 1. A 1000-2000 calorie deficit may be safe for you while it isn't even possible for me. (I don't burn 2000 some days.)
3. Myth. Though your body and its systems do work best when you give it proper nutrition, and hydration. Even so there is not a magic # of calories that is ideal.I have done the calculations and my BMR is around 3740 *i am 452 lb and 6'4 tall*. I want to lose 2 lbs a week so i need to cut out 1000 calories so my normal intake should be
2742. Lately i have been doing a ton of walking, between 3 and 4 miles a day and the calories burned walking are around 1000 calories.
Here are my questions
1. should i be eating back the calories i burn when walking/exercising?
2. Is there a harm in eating far below your daily limit like 500 to 1000 calories below?
3. Is starvation mode a real thing or just something people believe?
0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »
I'm 230 pounds and so do I. I think one of us is wrong.karintalley wrote: »1000 calories sounds about tight for a 450 pound person. 3-4 miles is what, an hour - 90 minute walk Op? I am 174 pound and I burn 300 calories in 60 minutes walking.
Maybe, maybe not. What is your pace?
When I walk I average between 3.7 - 4.1 mph.
0 -
You can definitely prevent muscle loss while cutting if you are not already within a normal BMI range. Eat enough protein and work your muscles and your body will consume fat stores for energy and use the intaked protein to ensure it doesn't need to eat muscle tissue to survive. Don't eat enough protein and your body will start to consume your muscle tissue along with the fat. This is why a lot of people who lose weight get down to skinny rails at the end of their loss, rather than just ending up with a normal bodyshape.
Being 5'7-8 and only consuming 50-75 grams will mean while you are losing the 50 pounds you still want to go, you will be cannibalizing your muscles on your deficit. Will you lose all your muscle, certainly not but you will end up being quite skinny...which isn't exactly a bad thing either depending on what you are going for aesthetically. Runners/cyclists don't mind being smaller, makes it easier for them to run/cycle. I also have no idea what jardane1's goal is, however since he weighs so much it would be better for him to maintain his muscle mass now and cut his muscle down later if he wants after he's lost a significant amount of fat.
Even taking a low end 0.5g/lb you will end up at 100-125 pounds in maintenance.
As they say muscle requires more calories to sustain themselves, but the actual truth is muscle requires more protein intake which in turn requires more calories, they are not all made the same.1 -
astralpictures wrote: »I'm about 5'7" - 5'8", and I take in about 50 - 75 grams of protein daily on average. I've had no issues wasting away. Only consuming 1g of protein daily is very unlikely with most people's diets, so is a non-factor.
My point was that while he may reach those protein levels since his calorie allowance is much higher than someone like me, it isn't a necessary to losing weight. There is no way to completely prevent some muscle loss while cutting, as far as I know. But it isn't as dire as losing all muscle either since almost everyone consumes a lot more protein than you'd think (unless you're a vegetarian/vegan and not trying to find other sources than meat).
I don't know why you'd assume that. Many overweight people (myself included) got that way by eating carb-laden and sugary stuff that has very little protein in it relative to the calories, and/or by drinking too much booze.
Now that I've got my macros in order I've actually had to consciously look for ways to increase my protein to the required level. I just am not used to choosing those kinds of foods.
And there are ways to minimize muscle lost while cutting. A very good result is that 15% of the weight you lose will be LBM. A very bad result is 50%. So there's a huge difference in results there.
Sure, it's not necessary to losing "weight", but like Sonic said most people don't want to end up skinny and weak. It takes a lot of time and effort to get that LBM back after you've lost it.
So, this might be something you want to look into further before you lose much more... the subject comes up on an almost daily basis on these forums so there's lots of info available.0 -
About 4.5 ... 13:30 miles.karintalley wrote: »DeguelloTex wrote: »
I'm 230 pounds and so do I. I think one of us is wrong.karintalley wrote: »1000 calories sounds about tight for a 450 pound person. 3-4 miles is what, an hour - 90 minute walk Op? I am 174 pound and I burn 300 calories in 60 minutes walking.
Maybe, maybe not. What is your pace?
When I walk I average between 3.7 - 4.1 mph.
ETA: This week has been 13:19, 13:23, 13:35, and 13:29 per mile for 4.5 miles.
0 -
Then you are not burning much at all. ..hmmm.
If you are using a HR monitor, as am I, it pretty much proves you can't trust those either .
You are practically jogging and only burn 300 calories.0 -
,../
0 -
SonicKrunch wrote: »You can definitely prevent muscle loss while cutting if you are not already within a normal BMI range. Eat enough protein and work your muscles and your body will consume fat stores for energy and use the intaked protein to ensure it doesn't need to eat muscle tissue to survive. Don't eat enough protein and your body will start to consume your muscle tissue along with the fat. This is why a lot of people who lose weight get down to skinny rails at the end of their loss, rather than just ending up with a normal bodyshape.
Being 5'7-8 and only consuming 50-75 grams will mean while you are losing the 50 pounds you still want to go, you will be cannibalizing your muscles on your deficit. Will you lose all your muscle, certainly not but you will end up being quite skinny...which isn't exactly a bad thing either depending on what you are going for aesthetically. Runners/cyclists don't mind being smaller, makes it easier for them to run/cycle. I also have no idea what jardane1's goal is, however since he weighs so much it would be better for him to maintain his muscle mass now and cut his muscle down later if he wants after he's lost a significant amount of fat.
Even taking a low end 0.5g/lb you will end up at 100-125 pounds in maintenance.
As they say muscle requires more calories to sustain themselves, but the actual truth is muscle requires more protein intake which in turn requires more calories, they are not all made the same.
This is my second go around losing the weight. I already almost hit my goal 2 years ago, losing 60 lbs and hitting 160-165 lbs. I actually maintained quite a bit of muscle mass that time around still eating the same amount of protein I am now and lifting about 3 times a week. Did I lose some muscle? Of course, I lost 60 lbs of weight! I put back on some of the weight lost, not all, because I got derailed with quite a bit of stuff all at once. I do agree that a lot of people have trouble becoming "skinny fat" when getting to their goal weight and should pay more attention to macros as the goal becomes closer to being achieved if they want their body composition to be more fit.0 -
Ameliorate.SonicKrunch wrote: »You can definitely prevent muscle loss while cutting if you are not already within a normal BMI range.
0 -
Given your weight, your BMR is likely inflated. Most calculators use total body weight in estimating BMR...and if you're overly fat then your calculation is going to be inherently inflated given that you don't need to fuel fat, only lean mass.
Even then, at your size you can sustain a pretty substantial deficit...but I would also be consulting a doctor on this as well.0 -
Chrysalid2014 wrote: »
I don't know why you'd assume that. Many overweight people (myself included) got that way by eating carb-laden and sugary stuff that has very little protein in it relative to the calories, and/or by drinking too much booze.
Now that I've got my macros in order I've actually had to consciously look for ways to increase my protein to the required level. I just am not used to choosing those kinds of foods.
And there are ways to minimize muscle lost while cutting. A very good result is that 15% of the weight you lose will be LBM. A very bad result is 50%. So there's a huge difference in results there.
Sure, it's not necessary to losing "weight", but like Sonic said most people don't want to end up skinny and weak. It takes a lot of time and effort to get that LBM back after you've lost it.
So, this might be something you want to look into further before you lose much more... the subject comes up on an almost daily basis on these forums so there's lots of info available.
Because many people eat a ton of meat. One big 8oz piece of chicken has enough protein to get most people close to recommended levels for the day.
And like I said, this is my second time around losing weight after already getting close to my goal before. I was not skinny and weak on this much protein.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »
Ameliorate.SonicKrunch wrote: »You can definitely prevent muscle loss while cutting if you are not already within a normal BMI range.
fair enough.0 -
Everyone gives you advice based on their own experience. I believe your TDEE is 3740 per day for sedentary. Simply means you'll burn about that many calories a day doing zero exercise..simply your normal day. I would suggest rethinking your calories burned by walking 3-4 miles per day..down to maybe 600-800 depending on your pace. Let's say 800. Now you have burned 3740 + 800 =4540 for the day. If you reduce your calories by 1000 per day (eat 3540 calories) you will lose 1000 calories times 7 days which would equal 7000 calories in a week. You need to lose about 3500 calories to lose a pound..roughly. This would mean you are set at losing 2 pounds a week if you follow this formula.
Adjust it down..TDEE (3740) + calories burned during exercise =Total calories Out for the day.
I would say..you can afford to eat fairly low for the first month perhaps...maybe eat 1500 calories less..as a bigger guy, you'll drop weight quickly the first month, by reducing calories IN and adding exercise..then adjust as your body tells you if it can sustain your plan.
I also suggest you consult your Dr. I wish you success on your journey!0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.6K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.2K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 916 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions