Confused about BMR - Mine is huge
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slinda9256
Posts: 6 Member
My BMR is 3000 calories a day. For the past six months, I have worked with a trainer doing strength training and cardio, for an hour ever other morning. I subscribed to a food delivery service and was averaging 1500-2000 calories a day. I am off the food service but have been tracking on the app and am still averaging around 2000 a day. Don't think I could eat any more to get it up to 3000. I eat healthy and don't eat junk food. I am 186 cm (6'2") and weight 172 kg (380 lbs). I feel healthy and have great muscle tone. Fat lost over the past six months? Zero. My weight has barely moved and my clothes are a bit more baggier but not dramatic.
Seriously, this is a pain. My next plan is to increase the cardio by joining a Muay Thai gym when I move to China this fall. Should I eat more food, which seems counter-intuitive or increase the exercise? Nobody believes the fat guy when they say they don't eat much food but (hopefully) the app doesn't lie.
Suggestions?
Seriously, this is a pain. My next plan is to increase the cardio by joining a Muay Thai gym when I move to China this fall. Should I eat more food, which seems counter-intuitive or increase the exercise? Nobody believes the fat guy when they say they don't eat much food but (hopefully) the app doesn't lie.
Suggestions?
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Replies
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I think perhaps you have your terms confused. BMR for your stats is around 2700 calories, this is your Basal Metabolic Rate - the amount of calories your body burns for basic functionality at rest.
Your BMR is then multiplied by an activity factor to determine your TDEE - Total Daily Energy Expenditure or NEAT - Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis(the method that MFP uses)
If your trainer is using the TDEE method of calculation then with the amount of exercise you're doing, your TDEE is likely around the Lightly Active - Moderately Active so around 4000-4300 calories burned per day.
To lose weight you need to be in a deficit (500 cals per day for 1lb weight loss per week) so if you're eating 3000 calories (which is likely your calorie goal based on TDEE - 1000 cals) that should put you on track for around 2lbs loss per week.
If you're not seeing loss, you're probably eating more than you think. At 380lbs you should have absolutely no problem losing weight on 2000 calories per day. I lose on that as a 5'7" 240lb lightly active woman before factoring in exercise.
Are you weighing your food? Are you logging absolutely everything - drinks, condiments, etc, do you skip logging if you have had a bad day?
Weight loss happens in the kitchen rather than the gym so spend more time focusing on your food rather than worrying about increasing your cardio. Eating more food will not help you lose weight, but accurate logging may help!
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It's not the app lying nor you; you're just not as accurate with your logging as you intended to be. If your BMR is 3000, not even your TDEE, and you haven't lost weight on 1500 to 2000 calories per day in six months there are definite logging issues. Eating more food would not do anything but make you gain weight. If you seriously have not lost one pound in six months then you're currently eating at maintenance. If that's the case, eat 500 calories less than you think you're eating right now; that would put you at a loss of one pound per week.17
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What does BARELY moved over six months mean?
When I started losing weight (over-stuffing my too small clothes) to when I bought my first set of used clothes (which was way overdue due to being able to cinch belts and my willingness to wear baggy) was a good 40lb swing. Which in your case could be along the lines of losing 1.5lbs a week. Which would be far from barely, even if it wasn't quite 2lbs a week.4 -
What does BARELY moved over six months mean?
When I started losing weight (over-stuffing my too small clothes) to when I bought my first set of used clothes (which was way overdue due to being able to cinch belts and my willingness to wear baggy) was a good 40lb swing. Which in your case could be along the lines of losing 1.5lbs a week. Which would be far from barely, even if it wasn't quite 2lbs a week.
This is an excellent question because expectations being off makes more sense than accidentally eating at maintenance for 6 months with that kind of calorie deficit. I know a little about this because I have personal experience with carrying that much weight and I know what I lost in 6 months being shorter and less active.5 -
I will echo what others have said: it sounds like you are losing weight, but not at the pace you expect.
Your clothes are looser, which indicates that you're losing fat and/or water. I don't know how you're measuring whether or not you've lost fat, but if you're using one of those home body fat scales, they're not very accurate. There is also a difference between the scale "barely" moving vs. not moving at all, and the way an individual defines "barely" moving depends on their expectations.
You may also be losing more slowly than expected due to logging errors. Whether you eat "healthy" or "junk food" doesn't have anything to do with weight loss; all that matters is taking in fewer calories than your body burns. One can also think they "don't eat much food" yet still be taking in more calories than they realize. If you're not weighing your food, then you don't know how many calories you're taking in. Get a food scale if you don't already have one, and use it for all solid food if you don't already do so.
Keep in mind that if you increase your exercise, you will likely see the scale go up for a while due to temporary water weight gain that is a normal part of the muscle repair process.4 -
I was 174 kg in January and my last weighing had a mass of 172 kg. I used a food delivery system from January to May, three meals a day at 3-500 calories per meal. I weigh everything and rarely get over 2000 calories on this app. Rarely if ever go to a restaurant. For exercise, we are doing multiple sets of 16 reps, most of the time to near exhaustion (using heavy weights). I go at 6am every other day. Have started to incorporate cardio as well as weights as well. Do I see a difference? Sure. I stand taller and I can see a change of shape. The gut is flatter as well and I don’t get swollen ankles anymore. I feel great but just can’t burn off any fat. I know that nobody ever believes the fat guy when he says he does not eat that much but it is true. I have never had a huge appetite. The last time I tried to have a complete hamburger, I felt bloated for hours. I don’t drink soft drinks and don’t snack on junk food.
I think a problem is that I don’t move enough. About five years ago, I was on a running program and dropped quite a bit until I strained a tendon. I am going to increase the physical activity next month and work on the diet. I have a different situation than most since i live overseas and will be moving to Mainland China this fall. I’m living on my sister’s couch until August so I will work on food more after I move to my new country.1 -
Try walking and pool activities, they're easier on the joints.
A visibly flatter gut does not tend to come about with just a 2 kg change in fat level.
Your initial weight is near the limit of many scales. What is the weight limit on the scale you're using? Is there any chance you started higher than you think you did?
You do sound as if you're in decent shape though. Are you also very tall?4 -
I am not frustrated and plan to continue when I settle down this fall. I am just curious why my mass is not decreasing. It is lunch time right now and I have logged everything. Currently I am at 821 calories with 2295 remaining. There is no way in hell I will eat 2295 calories for dinner (it's lunch time here). At most I will have 500-700 at dinner. I didn't go to the gym today, which the app usually records as around 600 calories burned. I am completely full right now and will not eat again until this evening. This is my usual routine.
The reason I was asking about the BMR values is that I am so under this number, should I be trying to get closer to it? Again, nobody ever believes the fat guy about food. I plan to talk to nutritionist when I get back to Canada for the summer.1 -
If you are not losing weight, why would you want to eat more? The myth of the body holding onto weight if you eat too little is just that, a myth. If it were true no one would ever starve to death.
For whatever reason, whether logging error or needing less food than your statistics would suggest, you are eating at maintenance if you have not seen a drop in weight for six weeks or more. The only way forward is to either eat substantially less or move substantially more. From what you have said about your situation, it sounds as if it would be easier for you to cut 500 calories than to add 500 calories worth of exercise every day.
With respect, one reason no one believes “the fat guy” about the amount of food eaten is that multiple studies have shown obese people are terrible at logging calories. One study of long term dieters who claimed not to be able to lose weight on low calories found that not one of them had more than a 5% lower metabolism than expected, and most of them had higher metabolisms than expected for their statistics. On the other hand, they logged, on average, only one third of the actual calories they consumed per day. And these were people who knew they were in a study and knew they were being observed! Imagine what their logging was like when they thought no one was watching. I don’t know you personally and you may be the exception that proves the rule, but before deciding you are a medical anomaly, examine your situation and make doubly sure you are logging accurately. The mind is a tricky devil.10 -
I've been watching Secret Eaters on YouTube. In every episode, people are eating double what they think they are. Underestimating food eaten and overestimating calorie burn really is a common problem that many people have.3
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You guys do realize that it is fairly simple to make sure you don't leave things un-logged, right? The rule is simple, NOTHING goes in mouth before it is weighed and logged. Even if you're fainting because you haven't eaten for too long. Even when you're trying something you're cooking and it will burn while you're logging. Even Costco samples. NOTHING. GOES IN. BEFORE. IT IS LOGGED. Simple!
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I don't really know how to continue then. I record everything. I have two different breakfasts that I cycle through, depending on if I am exercising that day. Everything is measured and set. My snack today was two apples. When I go home, if I am hungry I usually take a protein shake(which I record). I always see articles saying "Wow, I stopped drinking 2 liters of coke for breakfast and the pounds just melted off!". I don't think I have any bad habits when it comes to eating. I have talked to my trainer about this and he thinks that my body is just used to eating smaller amounts of food and that I need to somehow shock it from its stupor. Not very scientific I know. I am not going to worry about it now since everything is in flux (I move in three weeks out of country) but my initial BMR question still applies. Since I am so far below it but nothing is happening, does this mean my number is wrong? I know these things are calculated generically.
I didn't mention I was 52 so the fat is probably set like concrete on me. I am 6'2" and I think for my mass, I am in good physical shape. I had a medical last year and I was at the bottom-end of the middle borderline range of many things (my blood pressure is a touch high, etc). I have seen people that weigh much more than I do and they are huge. I think if I dramatically increase the fitness level, that might get things burning. My friend in China started Muay Thai training and he plummeted in weight. Granted, he is blessed with the Chinese ability to eat bucketloads of food and not gain weight but I think I might need some super cardio to get things going. Like I mentioned before, when I was running the weight came off pretty quickly. I was up to 5km runs at a time and was at 150 kg (330 lbs) so with my newly-created muscles and this, hopefully things will start moving.
I appreciate al the replies and I know that nobody believes me but that's ok. It just pisses me off that I don't get any of the benefits of being a huge fat guy. Polishing off a chocolate cake in one go or drinking root beer by the case or deep-frying everything. It's not fair.
PS. I know I don't cheat on junk food because I don't have any in my apartment. My brother struggles since his wife buys tons of crap and leaves it all over but I don't buy processed anything. A plus living in Asia is that we don't have nearly the selection the Western countries do when it comes to snacks.
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The first step is to admit that you are eating more in a day than you think you are. You can not change what you do not acknowledge. There are logging errors somewhere. If you make your diary public then we may be able to help you by spotting where these errors may be. Just remember that many of us have been around a long time and made many of these same errors when we first began logging our food.13
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Are you sure that your meals from the food service are the calories you think they are? Is it possible that they're much higher than you realize?8
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So at no point were you weighing yourself regularly?
Moving more will help your general state of fitness but calorie consumption is the easiest path to losing weight if you do not have a large appetite.
It really comes down to this you either started higher than you think and you did lose more weight during that time or the meal service was much higher calories than you realized.
It is impossible to not burn fat in a body energy shortage when you carry a large supply.
At your weight I wasn't moving nearly as much as you and I lost weight in a way my doctor characterized as "pounds just fall off you." Of course he sees me every 4 months and it doesn't seem as fast week to week.
How long have you been eating your own food and logging? Have you weighed since then?
I suggest weighing at least once a month for awhile. You need more data points.4 -
You've been working with a trainer, but have you seen a doctor? If you truly are tracking as carefully as you say you are, then there is a chance that you could have an undiagnosed hormonal imbalance that is affecting your metabolism and weight loss.2
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You've been working with a trainer, but have you seen a doctor? If you truly are tracking as carefully as you say you are, then there is a chance that you could have an undiagnosed hormonal imbalance that is affecting your metabolism and weight loss.
A medical condition could account for less than expected weight loss but not a result of 2kg in 6 months. That small of a change could be a difference in scale calibrations clothing worn, a normal body weight fluctuation, etc.3 -
Oh and OP I definitely believe you on the food and your appetite. Even when I was gaining weight it was not uncommon for me to order off the "light" menu. Most of my weight gain was poor choices over a very long time not huge feasts of food. I wouldn't be surprised if 20 pounds of where I started came from just snacking on almonds.6
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You use a food scale?
Check out these threads:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10697068/how-i-stopped-kidding-myself/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p16 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »You use a food scale?
Check out these threads:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10697068/how-i-stopped-kidding-myself/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
This. You don’t mention a food scale despite being asked repeatedly if you’re using one. That means you are probably not using one, which means you’re probably eating more than you think you are. This is not anything negative about you; almost everyone who isn’t using a food scale is underestimating their calories.
It’s not true that no one believes you. Very experienced people are here giving you good advice. You need to listen to that advice.6 -
Your profile says you joined here May 6th. Were you tracking somewhere else before that? Or just assuming that the meal delivery company was accurate? I can't recall exactly where, but I did read that some of those services are way off on their calorie counts.
Congratulations on the success you've had so far. Although the scale isn't reflecting it, you obviously have been having some success if your clothing is fitting differently, and you are seeing a visible difference.
Have you been using the same scale for your weight?4 -
There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings1
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I still die a little inside when I remember the first day I weighed what I thought was the right portion size.....9
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Your fat is not set in concrete at age 52. Trust me, I know from experience. I celebrated 70 pounds of lost concrete just yesterday, and I’m older than you. I think lots of people on this thread could claim the same. Weighing food has been my savior, and I still struggle with accuracy. You have to be mindful and weigh,6
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I have mentioned many times I weigh everything with a food scale. As of today, I am sitting at 932 calories (it is 3:18 pm here). According to my Apple Watch, I burned off 641 calories at the gym this morning. My gym breakfast is 100g of oatmeal in which everything was weighed and measured. Lunch was a recipe I found on this site, so hopefully its numbers are correct as I followed the instructions exactly. Snack was two apples and I am not hungry. According to the app, I still have a deficit of 2799 calories for the rest of the day.
I used a free version of the app but only purchased premium recently, which is why the dates start from last month.
I have a digital body scale connected to my phone for tracking.
I really don't know how much more accurate I can weigh everything since I already check every meal but with the current deficit of 2799 for the rest of the day, I could eat half a cow and still be under the daily remaining. That's my main issue. Even if I am not weighing everything accurately, that deficit is huge. Something doesn't seem right.
I know this is going around in circles so I will end by saying I still intend to continue but will have a tricky time accurately weighing everything for the next few months as I leave Macau forever and live on my sister's sofa until I get to China in August. I am going to continue eating small portions and record what I can and keep on exercising but won't be able to get a good routine going until August. Hopefully then I will start to see some results.
Thanks for all the advise.0 -
I'd still recommend opening your food diary to public because others might be able to spot errors. If you don't know why you are where you are at, you can not fix the problem.3
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I wouldn't take calories from a recipe, but would weigh and log the ingredients.
Beyond that, I concur that you might get better advise from opening the diary, but will also say that BMRs vary and the calculators just provide estimates. Have you ran your BMR on a calculator that includes body fat percentage? There can sometimes be wide ranges at the same height and weight.5 -
If you are not losing on 2,000 cals/day and you are sure that is what your intake is, then your TDEE is 2,000, not the 3,000+ this site told you it was.
2 things I would suggest:
1. lower cals by 250/day and eat that for 3-4 weeks and see if you lose.
2. Get your thyroid checks, as your TDEE should be much higher than 2,000 with your current stats.5 -
slinda9256 wrote: »I have mentioned many times I weigh everything with a food scale. As of today, I am sitting at 932 calories (it is 3:18 pm here). According to my Apple Watch, I burned off 641 calories at the gym this morning. My gym breakfast is 100g of oatmeal in which everything was weighed and measured. Lunch was a recipe I found on this site, so hopefully its numbers are correct as I followed the instructions exactly. Snack was two apples and I am not hungry. According to the app, I still have a deficit of 2799 calories for the rest of the day.
I used a free version of the app but only purchased premium recently, which is why the dates start from last month.
I have a digital body scale connected to my phone for tracking.
I really don't know how much more accurate I can weigh everything since I already check every meal but with the current deficit of 2799 for the rest of the day, I could eat half a cow and still be under the daily remaining. That's my main issue. Even if I am not weighing everything accurately, that deficit is huge. Something doesn't seem right.
I know this is going around in circles so I will end by saying I still intend to continue but will have a tricky time accurately weighing everything for the next few months as I leave Macau forever and live on my sister's sofa until I get to China in August. I am going to continue eating small portions and record what I can and keep on exercising but won't be able to get a good routine going until August. Hopefully then I will start to see some results.
Thanks for all the advise.
How often did you weigh yourself during the 6 months?
How long have you been off the food service and tracking food on MFP?
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I weighed myself this morning and am down 2kg. I also found my medical report from 2016 from when I moved to Macau (government regulated medical) and I was 185 kg. Considering I am at 170 kg now means the diet and exercise is working, albeit slowly. I will be moving back to Canada for the summer the first week of July, when I plan to turn my account to public. I will use my Mom's kitchen to experiment with recipes using stuff I can easily get in China. I find that most recipes online are hard for me to replicate due to the inability of finding the ingredients. Western food is not exactly plentiful here. In Shanghai in the fall, I have access to western supermarkets and food delivery companies, which will make tracking easier. Right now I am cleaning out the freezer and will probably be living out of restaurants the last week. When I get to Canada in the summer I will ignore my sister's cooking (when I can) and work on my own stuff. Once i get some good recipes down, I will be ready for China.
Again, thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I will keep at it. I think one advantage i have is that food has never been a huge attraction to me, even though I am monstrous in size, which is sort of weird. I have never pigged out of junk food or sit with a bucket of Doritos in front of the TV. Usually I feel quite queezy after eating junk. Hopefully with the exercise and taking more control of the diet, things will change.2
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