still confused about BMR...

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codykitty
codykitty Posts: 729
in Health and Weight Loss
ok, so I have read all of the posts about BMR and starvation mode and all that jazz, but I am still a little confused...Here is my question, I need to lose about 59lbs, I am female and my BMR is 1685 calories per day . If I calculate in MFP that I want to lose 2lbs a week then I am given 1270 calories per day, however if I calculate 1 1/2 lbs per week then I am given 1520 calories per day. To me this is a big jump, however they are all still under my BMR, I would like to aim for over 1 lb a week.

I guess my question is, should I be eating my minimum BMR calories, even if MFP says I should be under??? I am aware of starvation mode etc...and I work out pretty often and am fairly active. I do intend on eating my exercise calories, I just am still confused at what should be my starting point/base calories. It is very difficult for me to lose weight, I recently turned 30 and it is just harder and harder, so I would really appreciate any advise from anyone who has been where I am...thanks. xxoo

Replies

  • codykitty
    codykitty Posts: 729
    Options
    ok, so I have read all of the posts about BMR and starvation mode and all that jazz, but I am still a little confused...Here is my question, I need to lose about 59lbs, I am female and my BMR is 1685 calories per day . If I calculate in MFP that I want to lose 2lbs a week then I am given 1270 calories per day, however if I calculate 1 1/2 lbs per week then I am given 1520 calories per day. To me this is a big jump, however they are all still under my BMR, I would like to aim for over 1 lb a week.

    I guess my question is, should I be eating my minimum BMR calories, even if MFP says I should be under??? I am aware of starvation mode etc...and I work out pretty often and am fairly active. I do intend on eating my exercise calories, I just am still confused at what should be my starting point/base calories. It is very difficult for me to lose weight, I recently turned 30 and it is just harder and harder, so I would really appreciate any advise from anyone who has been where I am...thanks. xxoo
  • FletcherChic
    FletcherChic Posts: 158
    Options
    if you're just starting on MFP i would follow the guidelines that it is telling you and then try to work from there...if you find that you aren't losing any weight or if you hit a plateau then you can make adjustments to your calories....also - the BMR that MFP calculates isn't 100% accurate - it is based on averages (people of same sex, same age, same ht and wt)...your BMR is very specific and the only way to know your EXACT BMR is to have it tested by someone who has the equipment to test for BMR. My predicted BMR on MFP (or any BMR calculator) is 1435, but i have had mine tested and my actual BMR is 2016 (that's a 600 calorie difference!!!!)...the calculators don't take into account muscle mass (which is metabolic - the more you have the higher your metabolism is)...so i was using MFP for about a year and was actually gaining weight by not eating enough cals (and the more i gained the more i worked out and the less i ate - it's all a terrible cycle! It's not MFP's fault - they were giving me the avg BMR for a female of my ht & wt , but i am not the norm and it was awful to be following the program religiously and be getting fatter! aghhhh!!!!!)....also - your BMR is the minimal amt of cals that your body needs just to live (so just lying in bed and breathing means i have to take in 2016 cals to maintain my body), add in daily activity (grocery shopping, ruuning errands) and working out and that adds in additional calories....so if you feel like you are more active or more muscular than you're being given credit for - or if you aren't losing, try adding in a few more calories...good luck with your weightloss!
  • marisa0918
    marisa0918 Posts: 178
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    Your BMR is how many calories you burn doing your daily routine. I have mine calculated as sedentary because I have a desk job. If I eat that amount of calories I will not gain or lose.

    One pound is 3,500 calories soo to lose one pound you would need to eat 3,500 calories less then your BMR.

    If you want to lose one pound a week that would mean you would need to eat 500 calories less then your BMR per day.
  • writer4him
    writer4him Posts: 225 Member
    Options
    if you're just starting on MFP i would follow the guidelines that it is telling you and then try to work from there...if you find that you aren't losing any weight or if you hit a plateau then you can make adjustments to your calories....also - the BMR that MFP calculates isn't 100% accurate - it is based on averages (people of same sex, same age, same ht and wt)...your BMR is very specific and the only way to know your EXACT BMR is to have it tested by someone who has the equipment to test for BMR. My predicted BMR on MFP (or any BMR calculator) is 1435, but i have had mine tested and my actual BMR is 2016 (that's a 600 calorie difference!!!!)...the calculators don't take into account muscle mass (which is metabolic - the more you have the higher your metabolism is)...so i was using MFP for about a year and was actually gaining weight by not eating enough cals (and the more i gained the more i worked out and the less i ate - it's all a terrible cycle! It's not MFP's fault - they were giving me the avg BMR for a female of my ht & wt , but i am not the norm and it was awful to be following the program religiously and be getting fatter! aghhhh!!!!!)....also - your BMR is the minimal amt of cals that your body needs just to live (so just lying in bed and breathing means i have to take in 2016 cals to maintain my body), add in daily activity (grocery shopping, ruuning errands) and working out and that adds in additional calories....so if you feel like you are more active or more muscular than you're being given credit for - or if you aren't losing, try adding in a few more calories...good luck with your weightloss!

    Thanks for sharing this interesting information. I think I also have a higher muscle mass than the average person...it seems to go against the grain to add calories to lost weight. I am currently at where I always end up when I try to lose weight. I have been at this for two weeks and have dropped five pounds quickly and easily, but I know from the past that it gets much harder from here on out. I want to make life changes to make my diet more healthy, but this information is helpful because it is possible that I need to add calories, as much as it seems odd to do that.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    Your BMR is how many calories you burn doing your daily routine. I have mine calculated as sedentary because I have a desk job. If I eat that amount of calories I will not gain or lose.

    One pound is 3,500 calories soo to lose one pound you would need to eat 3,500 calories less then your BMR.

    If you want to lose one pound a week that would mean you would need to eat 500 calories less then your BMR per day.

    No no. BMR is the Basil Metabolic Rate. BMR is how many calories your body needs just to function.

    your daily maintenance calories is BMR + thermogenisys+ activity burn

    BMR is about 60%, daily activity is 25 and thermogenisys is 15

    FYI thermogenisys is heat generation from chemical reactions.

    BMR is basically what you would need if you were in a coma and had very little movment or organ function, like when an animal hybernates.

    Don't confuse BMR with Maintenance calories, BMR is far lower.

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