Completely confused with BMR!

natajane
natajane Posts: 295 Member
edited September 28 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello!

I've just read somewhere that you should always eat your BMR as a minimum.

My BMR is 1650 according to this site............

MFP gives me 1540 a day to play with though in order to lose 1lb a week. Is that bad?!

I exercise 3 times a week burning about 1000 cals as well. I usually eat half back to give my weight loss a boost nearer to the 2lb a week mark.

I am well Confused!

x

Replies

  • rfcollins33
    rfcollins33 Posts: 630
    I am no help. I've been losing, but lately I've been trying to understand it. My BMR is 1350, I'm supposed to eat 1200, so if I don't work out, that leaves me with a deficit of only 150. I thought you needed 500 to lose??! I'm so confused. lol Hopefully someone can shed some light on this.
  • Ashalahn_LMT
    Ashalahn_LMT Posts: 342 Member
    My understanding is your BMR is the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight (excluding any forms of exercise). So in order to lose weight you need a calorie deficit. Whether you do that via exercise, or eating fewer calories is up to you. Not sure about never eating below your BMR. Although I know females generally aren't supposed to go under 1200 calories, and males around 1600.
  • Ashalahn_LMT
    Ashalahn_LMT Posts: 342 Member
    I am no help. I've been losing, but lately I've been trying to understand it. My BMR is 1350, I'm supposed to eat 1200, so if I don't work out, that leaves me with a deficit of only 150. I thought you needed 500 to lose??! I'm so confused. lol Hopefully someone can shed some light on this.

    150 x 7 days = 1050 for the week. MFP bases weight loss on a weekly basis. Granted I thought it was more like 3000 calories for a lb. But I could be wrong on that one.
  • rfcollins33
    rfcollins33 Posts: 630
    I am no help. I've been losing, but lately I've been trying to understand it. My BMR is 1350, I'm supposed to eat 1200, so if I don't work out, that leaves me with a deficit of only 150. I thought you needed 500 to lose??! I'm so confused. lol Hopefully someone can shed some light on this.

    150 x 7 days = 1050 for the week. MFP bases weight loss on a weekly basis. Granted I thought it was more like 3000 calories for a lb. But I could be wrong on that one.

    Okay, maybe I need to focus more on the weekly deficit. That makes sense. Thanks
  • SarahC75
    SarahC75 Posts: 45
    I am no help. I've been losing, but lately I've been trying to understand it. My BMR is 1350, I'm supposed to eat 1200, so if I don't work out, that leaves me with a deficit of only 150. I thought you needed 500 to lose??! I'm so confused. lol Hopefully someone can shed some light on this.

    150 x 7 days = 1050 for the week. MFP bases weight loss on a weekly basis. Granted I thought it was more like 3000 calories for a lb. But I could be wrong on that one.

    I believe its 3500 for 1 lb.
    So for a 2lb a week loss, it works out a 1000 cal deficit per day.

    If you have a lower BMR, it's likely you don't have as much weight to lose. So as per MFP calculations (Not liking to go below 1200) it will take longer to lose 2lb. (without exercise)
    Also depends what goal per week you have it set at. Looks like it is .5 per week.
  • carlfry
    carlfry Posts: 62
    3500 calories to lose 1lb of fat/week. Your going to want a deficit of 500 calories per week (however you choose to do this is up to you) to lose 1lb/week. My BMR is 1990. Calories are 1490. I get a 500 deficit from just eating right. I work out on top of that and eat back my exercise calories, making sure I stay around 1300-1400 calories/day.
  • W0zzie
    W0zzie Posts: 262 Member
    From the tools page => Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is an estimate of how many calories you'd burn if you were to do nothing but rest for 24 hours. It represents the minimum amount of energy needed to keep your body functioning, including breathing and keeping your heart beating.
    Your BMR does not include the calories you burn from normal daily activities or exercise.

    BMR is an estimate of what you burn if you stay in bed all day. MFP then adds your "daily activity" - the norm of what you burn on top due to your lifestyle. But it takes away a deficit amount depending on what you say you want to lose per week - for 1lb that's 500 cal a day off. "If" you do exercise that gets added to your allowance too.

    My guess is if you said 1lb a week then your entry for lifestyle activity made MFP add 390 - ie. 1540 (allowed) + 500 (for loss) = 2040 - BMR 1650 = 390.

    Don't know where you read that about the minimum but the general rule of thumb is as per Lifebloom - 1200 for ladies.
    Basically you need your body to be burning stored fat instead of incoming energy - LOL if you ate your BMR "and" stayed in bed all day - you wouldn't lose anything.

    PS - Lifebloom is right on the 3000 per lb too as far as I know.

    Hope that helps rather than confuses further.

    Soz - yes as above 3500 p/lb
  • jaimejean478
    jaimejean478 Posts: 152 Member
    BMR is the resting rate of calories per day, if you were to just sit on the couch and not move basically. If you go to the goals section, it should tell you how many calories you burn in a "normal" day based on your activity level selected. That's the daily number you want to create a deficit from.
  • W0zzie
    W0zzie Posts: 262 Member
    Another PS

    For anyone interested in the dynamics of the site in relation to weight loss - ie. why MFP does what it does and how - this post is a pretty good all-rounder.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/225765-how-mfp-works?hl=how+mfp+works&page=1#posts-2976434
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
    My BMR is 1650 according to this site............
    I'll check, what's your current weight, height and age?[/quote]
    My BMR is 1350, I'm supposed to eat 1200, so if I don't work out, that leaves me with a deficit of only 150.
    BMR is what you'd burn if you lay flat on your back all day, even someone who sits at a desk all day burns 1.2 x their BMR = 1620 a day.

    At 1200 calories a day that's 1620 - 1200 = 420 a day deficit, which is 2940 a week, which is 0.84lb a week.
    I thought you needed 500 to lose??!
    You only need 1 calorie to lose, but it would be very VERY slow LOL.

    500 calories deficit a day = 1lb a week.

    All figures are approx, it's not quite that straightforward, but it's a good starting point.
    Your going to want a deficit of 500 calories per week (however you choose to do this is up to you) to lose 1lb/week.
    I think you meant to say "per day" not "per week" :smile:
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