So what does all this mean?

If your Bmr is 1657 you should not be eating below that. That is what your body needs to just keep you alive. I would eat below your tdee by 400-500cal and be patient.that should get you a 2lb/week loss. Weigh everything, measure your body monthly, and you will lose weight.

BMR = basal metabolic rate. This is the amount of energy your body consumes daily in order to operate necessary functions like your respiratory system, circulatory system, nervous system, digestive system, etc. Basically, the processes that keep you alive. Your BMR increases as you gain weight, because maintaining fat stores is part of your BMR. You can eat below your BMR without harming yourself, as long as you are overweight. Your body can draw on fat stores to power itself, that's how you lose weight. However most medical professionals recommend not eating below 1200 calories in a day. I am four inches taller than you, and I eat 1300-1350 a day, and am perfectly healthy with no ill-effects (except for that first week of headaches from going cold-turkey on refined sugar).

TDEE = total daily energy expenditure. This includes your BMR, but also the energy you expend by moving your body -- even the minimal effort of sitting in a desk chair all day consumes calories. So even if you're very sedentary, your TDEE will always be higher than your BMR. TDEE is the amount of calories you would need to eat to maintain your current bodyweight (or the bodyweight you've calculated for). I chose to calculate the TDEE for my goal weight, then factor in a small deficit from that for my calorie count.

MFP and Fitbit are both notorious for overestimating calories burned. You are more likely burning a fraction of what these devices are suggesting. The easiest and least confusing way to factor in exercise is to calculate your goal weight's TDEE and include your exercise/activity levels, and use the calorie counts suggested there.

At 1248 calories, even if you're not exercising you'll definitely lose weight. Bear in mind, it may not show on the scale right away. Water weight can hang on, especially when you put your body through a change like introducing exercise, cutting calories, or changing your diet. Also, if you are exercising, and especially if you're exercising vigorously, you'll want to eat more than 1200 cal/day. If your day includes an hour of moderate/intense exercise, I'd suggest eating at least 1400 calories, preferably 1500, and make sure you're eating enough protein and drinking a lot of water.

Hope that helps! Good luck on your weight loss journey!

bellarose1207 wrote: »

BMR is 1657
TDEE is 2568
MFP shows me at 1556 with exercise
Fitbit HR on average shows calories burned at 2600
Food log today is 1248 calories
I am 5'5 and 210.
should I be losing weight with these numbers?

I am assuming that you put in 2pds per week as your weight loss goal? MFP number with exercise shows how many calories you should eat taking into account the target weight loss.