Help, please! (I'm so confused...) BMR/BMI/???

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esmecgg
esmecgg Posts: 38
in Introduce Yourself
Hello! I've been on here for a month now, and really found a lot of good information. However, some of it is conflicting and I just don't know where I should be. My main question is how many calories should I actually be eating?

I calculated my BMR with about six different online calcs, (including MFP) and all gave me different numbers, within a range of about 150, from 1440 (MFP's #), to 1551.75.

Averaged out, that gives me a BMR of about 1530. My BMI is about 30.5, so I should supposedly have a calorie deficit of 750 to lose weight, right? From what I've read, that was what someone with my BMI should aim for. However, this would leave me with about 780 calories before workouts a day.

Can anyone tell me where I'm going wrong? Or maybe knows something I must (clearly) be missing? Because I also know that it is (generally) inadvisable to go below 1200 calories/day. Is my (short) height maybe part of this? (see bottom)

My goal is to lose weight ASAP, as much as possible (naturally), but I also don't want to cause myself serious harm or put myself at risk. From what I've read, before I joined the site I was just below my personal starvation threshold. I'm not sure what my caloric intake was (I didn't start keeping track until I joined), but I was not eating that much per day, and still (slowly) gaining. I'm trying to be more aware now, but I'm just hopelessly lost about what my intake goals should be.

In advance, thanks for any/all help you might be able to give me!

~Colleen

*additional info: I'm 19, (female), 162.5, and 5'1.25"

Replies

  • catjrow3
    catjrow3 Posts: 681 Member
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    If it were me, I would eat around 1200 calories, and exercise for at least 1/2 hour every day, hard intensity as you can handle, and dont eat the calories back.
  • esmecgg
    esmecgg Posts: 38
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    catjrow3: I know I do need to exercise more, but the only gym I have access to is at school, and I don't live there. I try to go for at least 20/day 4 days/week during classes, but its hard sometimes. I'll definitely try not to eat the calories back, though. Thank you!
  • kool_maverik
    kool_maverik Posts: 6
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    I am new as well and have been reading extensively, but here's my understanding - your calorie deficit should be measured from TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), not BMR. To get the TDEE number, you need to multiply the BMR with a multiplier, as shown below :

    Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
    Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
    Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
    Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
    Extr. Active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)

    Once you know your TDEE, calculate your deficit from that. But it is recommended to at least get 1500 cal (for men) and 1200 cal (for women), otherwise the body goes into starvation mode. So using that rule, you may not be able to achieve a deficit of 750 cals, which means you will take longer to burn it off (which in my opinion is perfectly fine).
  • chocoholicandbaby
    chocoholicandbaby Posts: 75 Member
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    catjrow3: I know I do need to exercise more, but the only gym I have access to is at school, and I don't live there. I try to go for at least 20/day 4 days/week during classes, but its hard sometimes. I'll definitely try not to eat the calories back, though. Thank you!

    Hey there!!

    Good news! You don't need a gym to exercise :-)
    You can simply add walking/running/jogging to your routine, buy some exercise dvds etc. Also recommend looking at some strength training - plenty of resources on the internet to give you some ideas of what you can do at home with little to no expense.

    Good luck!
  • astroub
    astroub Posts: 289 Member
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    Does the the BMR calculation of 1550 include your exercise routine? Most calculations will have you multiply in your exercise regimen.... Yes, you do want to eat less then your BMR in order to lose weight but you absolutely do not want to go to low or your body will go into starvation mode. Also agree with catjrow3, when you do exercise make aure to eat your calories back, this is the fuel for your body and boosts your metabolism. Not only is it important to get you daily caloric intake but, to do it with healthy foods like complex carbs, proteins, and healthy fats!! If you need more info feel free to add me or send me a message, I would love to help in anyway I can!!
  • MrsVagus
    MrsVagus Posts: 82
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    I am new as well and have been reading extensively, but here's my understanding - your calorie deficit should be measured from TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), not BMR. To get the TDEE number, you need to multiply the BMR with a multiplier, as shown below :

    Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
    Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
    Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
    Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
    Extr. Active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)


    Totally right

    Once you know your TDEE, calculate your deficit from that. But it is recommended to at least get 1500 cal (for men) and 1200 cal (for women), otherwise the body goes into starvation mode. So using that rule, you may not be able to achieve a deficit of 750 cals, which means you will take longer to burn it off (which in my opinion is perfectly fine).
  • esmecgg
    esmecgg Posts: 38
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    kool_maverik: You're exactly right! I knew I was missing something, and that's exactly it (at least for my calcs) :tongue: I had seen that, but forgotten about it. That definitely makes me feel better about where I am. :happy:

    Thanks chocoholicandbab! Those are good things to do, but quite frankly doing them (except for the walking), makes me feel ridiculous. But if I'm serious about this (which I am) I do need to start trying. Thank you!
  • chocoholicandbaby
    chocoholicandbaby Posts: 75 Member
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    kool_maverik: You're exactly right! I knew I was missing something, and that's exactly it (at least for my calcs) :tongue: I had seen that, but forgotten about it. That definitely makes me feel better about where I am. :happy:

    Thanks chocoholicandbab! Those are good things to do, but quite frankly doing them (except for the walking), makes me feel ridiculous. But if I'm serious about this (which I am) I do need to start trying. Thank you!

    Hahah don't worry - I think most people feel ridiculous doing home workouts etc - I know I do!!
    But you gotta do what you gotta do :p

    Feel free to add me on here if you like! We can encourage eachother to feel ridiculous!
  • vettle
    vettle Posts: 621 Member
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    If it were me, I would eat around 1200 calories, and exercise for at least 1/2 hour every day, hard intensity as you can handle, and dont eat the calories back.

    if you did this, you would be in serious trouble eventually. it drives me crazy that people think they can live off of 1200 calories when their BMR is 1500 (or even 1400). YOU MUST EAT AT LEAST YOU BMR!!!! You body needs this amount just to function. If you were in a coma, nurses would feed you your BMR. wouldn't you be mad if you came out of the coma and found out that nurses were starving you?

    You can ignore this, but eventually you will plateau because your body will protest. you will lose weight initially but your body will be breaking down the fastest thing it can to give your body nutrients (because you're starving it), which is muscle. goodbye muscle! hope you didn't want it! Except muscle is what burns calories faster, so that would be pretty silly.

    if you base you calories on what MFP says, then you absolutely eat those exercise calories back. other sites calculate what you would eat with your exercise level which is generally way higher, about 200-300 calories more a day. So then no, you wouldn't eat those back because it's added into your totals.

    I am 5'6", I eat 1600 calories a day, I exercise 4-5 times a week and I eat back most exercise calories. If i were following a different site, it would tell me to eat 2000-2200 calories a day to lose weight for the amount I work out. i have lost 32 pounds so far and I have never been stronger. I think the answer is obvious but I had to make the big mistake (1300 calories a day) for a bit to realize this.
  • WaRachel
    WaRachel Posts: 17
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    Also, I believe MFP's plan is that you eat back your exercise calories, so that your calorie deficit is constant every day, more or less. You can kind of see that in the food tracker.

    For example, for my ht/wt/age/gender, my BMR is 1929, according to MFP.

    I have mostly sedentary selected as my lifestyle (remember, this is how your whole day is, not that you work out once a day), so my TDEE is about 2315.

    On the food tracker, MFP allows me 1640 a day, which is a deficit of about 675, which means about 5 days to burn an extra 3500 calories (about a pound of fat), which matches me telling it I wanted to lose 1.5 pounds a week.

    So, if I exercise and burn an additional 250 calories, I should add that to my allowed calories for the day. In truth, I aim for more like a 1000 calorie a day deficit, to lose more like 2 pounds a week, but I don't kill myself if I go higher. What I really don't want is to feel like I am hungry all the time, or to put my body in starvation mode and have to fight with that.
  • kool_maverik
    kool_maverik Posts: 6
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    If it were me, I would eat around 1200 calories, and exercise for at least 1/2 hour every day, hard intensity as you can handle, and dont eat the calories back.

    if you did this, you would be in serious trouble eventually. it drives me crazy that people think they can live off of 1200 calories when their BMR is 1500 (or even 1400). YOU MUST EAT AT LEAST YOU BMR!!!! You body needs this amount just to function. If you were in a coma, nurses would feed you your BMR. wouldn't you be mad if you came out of the coma and found out that nurses were starving you?

    You can ignore this, but eventually you will plateau because your body will protest. you will lose weight initially but your body will be breaking down the fastest thing it can to give your body nutrients (because you're starving it), which is muscle. goodbye muscle! hope you didn't want it! Except muscle is what burns calories faster, so that would be pretty silly.

    if you base you calories on what MFP says, then you absolutely eat those exercise calories back. other sites calculate what you would eat with your exercise level which is generally way higher, about 200-300 calories more a day. So then no, you wouldn't eat those back because it's added into your totals.

    I am 5'6", I eat 1600 calories a day, I exercise 4-5 times a week and I eat back most exercise calories. If i were following a different site, it would tell me to eat 2000-2200 calories a day to lose weight for the amount I work out. i have lost 32 pounds so far and I have never been stronger. I think the answer is obvious but I had to make the big mistake (1300 calories a day) for a bit to realize this.

    vettle, I have a question. If I ate at least my BMR, effectively my deficit would be limited to what the activity multiplier would be. As an example:
    BMR = 2000
    Activity multiplier = 1.2
    TDEE = BMR * 1.2 = 2400
    If I ate at least my BMR, my deficit could not be greater than 400 (which is what the activity multiplier adds).

    Is that right?
  • esmecgg
    esmecgg Posts: 38
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    Vettle: So, (just to make sure I understand you correctly), what you're saying is that since my BMR is 1530, that's how many calories I should eat a day? If so, then on days I do actually get to the gym, should I or should I not eat those back? This will help me lose weight?

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