help

SuzannaSwider11
SuzannaSwider11 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
so i have a question, my BMR is around 1200, so basically thats how much i need to eat if i were in a coma right? but I work at a busy coffee shop and am on my feet running around for 8 hours a day, then i go to the gym 5 days a week for about an hour and a half, I'm up to about 1300 calories a day, am i doing more harm than good?

Replies

  • Misspinklift
    Misspinklift Posts: 384 Member
    I'm at 1200. How about getting a tracker, see how much you burn and figure out if it should be higher or if it should be 1200.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    SuzannaSwider11 wrote: »
    so i have a question, my BMR is around 1200, so basically thats how much i need to eat if i were in a coma right? but I work at a busy coffee shop and am on my feet running around for 8 hours a day, then i go to the gym 5 days a week for about an hour and a half, I'm up to about 1300 calories a day, am i doing more harm than good?

    BMR is your metabolic rate completely sedentary. When you add in the energy cost of all activity including exercise, plus the energy cost of eating and digestion, you end up with your total daily energy expenditure.

    Generally speaking, taking about 70-80% of your total daily energy expenditure should lead you to a reasonable intake for fat loss.

    Hard to say whether you're "doing harm" eating 1300 calories.

    How fast are you losing weight and are you using a food scale?
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,471 Member
    In addition to the above, what you set your activity level to when setting up the MFP account would also narrow down if you are accounting for enough, or possibly too much activity, with your default settings. In addition, you have options for how to account for the 7+ hours weekly at the gym. If you log every gym session accurately for calorie burn, you have no need to adjust the account, as it will adjust day to day to let you eat back those calories.

    If you're on your feet 8 hours a day, I'd say unless you are really small most likely you could be eating more than you are, even if you want to lose weight. But all of that depends on your physical sizes, and your settings on the MFP setup.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited November 2015
    You need to set your activity level higher. 1300 is ridiculous.

    I don't remember how to do that the MFP way (I screwed up my settings once messing around for interest's sake so am loathe to poke around), but you could try this calculator to get an estimate of your maintenance (TDEE) calories
    http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

    and subtract 10-20% from that. (This is the "TDEE method". Much easier!)

    You'd put all your activity into that calculator and just eat the same amount every day. You wouldn't log your exercise in MFP, either (because it's already counted in). This assumes you do the same amount of activity *most* days (4/7). It's way easier.

    This calculator, by the way, has been *spot on* for me for *years*, within like 10 calories. It's set for men as a default so if you're not, switch the gender. Oh yeah you'd be a woman with 1300, switch it. also your username is Suzanna something so odds are yes.

    But even if you don't go with TDEE, it might be interesting to see what your burns could be like. 1300 sounds way too low, shouldn't be much less than 20% less than your TDEE.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    Yeah it's like this:

    BMR = coma level calories
    + NEAT = non exercise activity calories (from moving around, shopping, working, doing dishes)
    + Exercise calories = exercise calories you'd log on MFP if you do it the MFP way
    Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    SuzannaSwider11 wrote: »
    so i have a question, my BMR is around 1200, so basically thats how much i need to eat if i were in a coma right? but I work at a busy coffee shop and am on my feet running around for 8 hours a day, then i go to the gym 5 days a week for about an hour and a half, I'm up to about 1300 calories a day, am i doing more harm than good?

    You need to set your MFP activity level to "very active". It will give you the extra calories you very much need.

    That's assuming you don't do the more accurate thing and get an activity tracker that will sync to MFP with your steps/calories burned. I use a Fitbit Charge HR and find it excellent.
  • SuzannaSwider11
    SuzannaSwider11 Posts: 2 Member
    I'm actually not even losing weight, which makes me feel like working out isn't doing much. I am 5'6 108 pounds. Im also recovering from and eating disorder so I'm more trying to be healthy rather than lose weight. I wonder if I'm in " starvation mode" and that is causing me to maintain my weight
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    SuzannaSwider11 wrote: »
    I'm actually not even losing weight, which makes me feel like working out isn't doing much. I am 5'6 108 pounds. Im also recovering from and eating disorder so I'm more trying to be healthy rather than lose weight. I wonder if I'm in " starvation mode" and that is causing me to maintain my weight

    You are considered underweight by the BMI standards. You should not be eating at your BMR. You should be trying to gain weight or maybe maintaining.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    Starvation mode isn't a thing, but there is the possibility that your energy expenditure doesn't match up with the calculators - those are averages, so the numbers are gonna be off for many people.

    You're a little underweight as far as BMI goes, but your treatment team would be better able to advise you there.

    How are you going about recording your food? Do you mostly eat at home or eat elsewhere? Are you doing 1.5 hours of cardio at the gym on top of your job?

    I maintain my weight on ~1500 calories before exercise (I'm 5 feet even, 115 pounds) - it's more like 1900+ if I get some extra steps/go for a run, so maintaining on 1300 isn't too likely for someone of your height & weight, especially with your activity level. My guess is your food logging isn't accurate and you're eating more than the 1300 if you're maintaining.

    ~Lyssa
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    Asher_Ethan wrote: »
    SuzannaSwider11 wrote: »
    I'm actually not even losing weight, which makes me feel like working out isn't doing much. I am 5'6 108 pounds. Im also recovering from and eating disorder so I'm more trying to be healthy rather than lose weight. I wonder if I'm in " starvation mode" and that is causing me to maintain my weight

    You are considered underweight by the BMI standards. You should not be eating at your BMR. You should be trying to gain weight or maybe maintaining.

    +1… I'm an inch taller than you, medium frame… 115 lbs wasn't healthy for me… can't imagine 108.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    OP's profile has been nixed.
This discussion has been closed.

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