Help! TDEE/BMR does not allow for a 500 calorie deficit per day

MSQUARED7 wrote: »

Thank you for your reply. I am just starting out and am 50 pounds overweight. So as it appears that I am getting closer to my weight, I have a lot to go.

Then I would go with the above advice and try a 15 % deficit, which would put you at 1567 calories. Try that and adjust accordingly as you go along. If you increase your activity then your calories will increase as well (BMR will stay the same).

MSQUARED7 wrote: »

I have heard of this. Is this what you did and you found success?

Yep, I run a TDEE - 20% deficit. Has me losing about 2 lbs per week

MSQUARED7 wrote: »

Awesome! I read not to eat below my BMR and I had a feeling that I wasn't eating enough.

The "don't eat below your BMR" thing is groundless and best ignored. Practically all sedentary people wishing to lose 1 pound/week will get a target below BMR.

MSQUARED7 wrote: »

I have a scale, but was "eyeballing" portions. Good idea to dust it off. I eat pretty clean too. 2 weeks of working hard with zero results calls for an adjustment. Thank you both so much for your help! Let's see what happens...

You've received good advice, so I'm not actually going to add anything regarding deficit. I will say, however, that weight loss isn't linear. Not losing for two weeks doesn't really call for an adjustment. You may want to look at your logging and see if you can tighten it up, but it's not a reason to make major adjustments. If you're not losing for more like 4 - 6 weeks, then it's time to make adjustments. I just see thinking in your comment about not losing for two weeks "yikes!" that could potentially lead you to a lot of unnecessary frustration if you don't adjust your expectations a bit.

I eat below my bmr because I'm lazy lol. I've steadily lost weight and had no negative ramifications of eating below bmr. I need to exercise and plan to start but that is about as far as I've gotten. Like I said, I'm lazy.

People who are sedentary frequently won't have 500 calories between TDEE and BMR. But BMR doesn't matter anyway except in calculating TDEE -- this idea that you should not eat below BMR is a myth. What is important is to avoid an overly aggressive deficit, but 500 off TDEE if you have 50 to lose and are still over 1200 isn't overly aggressive.

If you aren't sedentary, you may have a mistake in the calculation of the TDEE.

nordlead2005 wrote: »

Ignore BMR, it is only a tool for calculating NEAT or TDEE. If you eat less than BMR or more than BMR has no bearing on the healthiness of your weight loss. The eat below BMR thing seems to be an arbitrary internet forum thing with no scientific backing. Even TDEE-20% doesn't always make sense. Using activity level to determine maximum weight loss is faulty, as someone who is in peak condition and extremely active shouldn't be losing 1-1.5lb/week and someone who is obese and sedentary shouldn't be restricted to losing 0.5-1lb/week.

At 50lb overweight you have tons of energy stored in fat to fuel your day. You could have a 1000 calorie deficit and the fat will cover the energy needs, the problem is that you might not get the nutrients your body needs, so don't go eating 800 calories/day.

Keep weight loss under 1% of your body weight per week, get sufficient protein and fat, do some resistance training (to preserve muscle) and try to get at least 1200 calories of healthy food per day.

^Truth. I love this post.

MSQUARED7 wrote:

TDEE is 1844 and BMR is 1533.
... to lose a pound at a 500 calorie deficit per day, I will be going below my BMR and I have read not to do that.
So guess what? Now I am confused as to exactly what my caloric intake should be.
...
I just don't want to be starving my body of nutrients nor put my body in starvation mode.

First off, welcome to MFP.

Secondly, while starvation is a real thing, it's hard to get there - takes a long time of malnutrition.
Most people in the First World (which I'm assuming you're in because you have a computer) won't ever be there.
Starvation is when your body starts consuming vital tissue such as muscles & organs in a desperate attempt to
stay alive long enough for you to find & eat food.

Third, what most people refer to as "starvation mode" isn't a real thing.
(Some people think that if they don't eat enough, their body will magically stop burning calories to live and instead
somehow make fat so they'll gain weight. This defies thermodynamics as well as common sense.)
If that's what you were referring to, read this: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/
Then read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2015-07-29-starvation-mode-757847


Fourth, here are some more helpful posts. Definitely read sexypants

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819925/the-basics-dont-complicate-it/p1

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/872212/youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1


Fifth, here's a post I did about goal setting, including weight, calories, and macros.
It has links to calculators.
The one I like best is in the last section, and it's from the Baylor College of Medicine.
It takes into account your weight, height, age, & activity level to tell you a calorie goal. It also tells you how many
servings of the food groups you should be eating. Put in your healthy goal weight, eat what it says. Don't eat back
exercise calories; they're a bonus toward weight loss, but important for overall health.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-setting-goals-667045

Sixth, unless you're going _very_ low, don't worry about eating below your BMR.
I did it for months and my doctors were perfectly happy with my health, as well as my gradual weight loss.
Generally, I was 300-500 cal/day below BMR.
If you're concerned, check with your doctor.
And as others have said, the less you need to lose to get to a healthy weight/BMI, the more slowly you should/will
be losing, and the smaller a deficit you will have.