is it true you should not eat below your BMR?

From what I understand, eating below your BMR is a surefire way for eventual organ failure.

EDITED TO ADD: This assumes you haven't sufficient fat on your body to be drawn from as a fuel source, of course.

Look up RMR and BMR and compare... I think RMR is what Cindibryce is referring to :P

http://www.bioweblogic.com/bmr.asp

"What are Basal and Resting Metabolic Rates?
(BMR and RMR)

These two terms are used interchangeably, although they are not technically the same. Resting metabolic rate is really what most lay people mean when they say basal metabolic rate. Resting metabolic rate is the energy required by a human to stay alive with no activity. Your real metabolic rate is always significantly higher than your RMR. Calculating RMR is a very useful first step in calculating your real metabolic rate."

BUMP curious about this as my BMR is 1526 and MFP wants me to eat 1200 cals a day and my trainer wanted me to eat 1500, I have my settings set at 1400 and I can do well with that #.

You are all incorrect. My BMR is 984. No registered dietician would recommend that anyone go on a diet of less than 1000 calories per day. You should be directing the question to your primary physician.

SUGGESTION: You can print off your daily food diary for as many days as you like. Staple them together and bring them to your next appointment for your primary physician to review.

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the amount of calories needed to MAINTAIN.
If you want to lose weight, you have to eat below your BMR.

Wrong. BMR is the amount of energy your body uses at rest, before you do anything and before any food has been consumed, because that requires energy not only for the action of eating but for the digestion of that food, which is called the thermic effect from food. If you consume below BMR bad things happen. To lose weight properly a slight deficit, generally about 20% from our TDEE is my recommendation. TDEE means our total daily energy expenditure/requirements, maintenance in other words, which would include all daily movement, eating exercising etc.

BMR - Basal metabolic rate
BMR is pretty much the amount of calories your body burns just doing its regular physiologic functions. Now, for you to maintain your current body weight, you would eat the amount of calories that equals your BMR.

It takes 3500 calories to burn one pound of fat. To lose weight safely, you want to decrease your caloric intake by 500 calories a day and in seven days (one week) you would have excluded 3500 calories, which means, you should have lost one pound of fat. If you want to gain one pound of fat, you would do the opposite, eat 500 extra calories a day. You generally do not want to go below 1000-1200 calories a day because then you will start to starve yourself and that will ruin the metabolic processes in your body. When your body senses its not getting enough energy (food), it will start to go into "conservation mode". Meaning, your body will conserve most of the calories you put into your body into fat for storage; so you will not lose the weight as you wanted.

Understanding all this, it is important to eat a well balanced diet, keeping to your daily caloric range and exercising. You will lose the weight faster if you begin to exercise. Something simple as going out for a walk is great!

You will not go into multisystem organ failure unless you are anorexic (not eating).

You are all incorrect. My BMR is 984. No registered dietician would recommend that anyone go on a diet of less than 1000 calories per day. You should be directing the question to your primary physician.

SUGGESTION: You can print off your daily food diary for as many days as you like. Staple them together and bring them to your next appointment for your primary physician to review.

I don't think you even read our answers.

errr, my BMR is 1600 and I have set my calorie intake at 1200 a day. Am I going to die?