Question about BMR

if you only want to lose 10 pounds, then you should as least be eating your BMR. i'm assuming that the reason that is gives you 1200 calories a day is because you said you want to lose 1.5 or 2 pounds per week. since you don't have that much weight to lose, in order to lose 2 (1.5?) pounds a week, you would have to go below 1200 but the system is set at a 1200 minimum.

now, depending on whatever you set your activity level on, you would add the amount of calories associated with that to your bmr to get the number of calories required t maintain your weight. to cut back 3500 calories a week or 500 calories a day, you want to cut back 500 calories from your maintenance.

hope this helps
aisha

I think the answer lies in your question.

If you were lying still for 24 hours, and you most certainly do not.

I burn approx 90 cals an hour with just standing up. Add in dishes, stairs, cooking, eating, laudry, working...etc and I burn around 2400 cals in a day.

The BMR is the lowest possible cals you should eat (IMHO)

There was a simple calculation I heard many years ago from a doctor.
It takes approx 15 cal per pound to maintain your weight.

15 x 138 = 2070 (there was also another calc for high energy ppl-but I dont have that)

So it takes 2070 to maintain my weight. If I eat 500 less each day then I will lose 1 pound a week. 500 x 7 = 3500
Add in exercise and you loose a bit more.

I go for what has worked for my body, which has changed over the past year

My BMR says I burn 1388 calories a day by doing nothing. That's with my current weight, age and so forth.
Now, if I eat 1200 calories, how is this going to help when you have to take off 3500 calories a week?
I'm really confused. I'm sure the answer is quite simple; I'm just not getting it.

Thanks if you can help.

Your BMR is not what you burn on a daily basis... it's a minimum you need to keep your bodily functions thriving. Your BMR does not take into account any of your normal activities. Therefore, you are consistently burning MORE than your BMR everyday, even if you don't make it to the gym. You use calories to put on your clothes, to walk, to do housework, to type, etc. Your actual daily calories burned are probably 400-700 calories higher than your BMR. And that's not including exercise.