BMR - how do I calculate it?

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BuffyKicksButt
BuffyKicksButt Posts: 95
in Health and Weight Loss
I am confused on how to calculate my BMR, here are my stats:

weight 180 lb
age 36
Activity - desk job but do 60 minutes cardio or strength 5-6x per week

I just sat at my desk and wore my heart rate monitor to try and see if I could get an idea of how much I am burning daily. So it says I have burned 115 cals in the last hour my last workout was over 9 hours ago.

Help please :) I am not losing anything and I think its because I am not eating enough but I don't know how much I should eat - I don't want to gain.

Replies

  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    Go to "Tools" along the top tabs there and you will find BMR link. :)
  • sarahgilmore
    sarahgilmore Posts: 572 Member
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    do you want your BMR or your maintenence level?

    They're not the same.

    Your BMR does not count for incidental exercise (dressing, eating, cooking, bathing, walking around home and work, going to and from the car, etc. even just being upright sitting or standing vs lying down)
  • BuffyKicksButt
    BuffyKicksButt Posts: 95
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    ok that makes sense and then I should be eating my exercise cals too - I don't get why I am not losing :(
  • sarahgilmore
    sarahgilmore Posts: 572 Member
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    How long have you been doing this for?
    Have you just started new/more exercise in the last month?
    Do you drink enough fluids during the day?

    It can take a few weeks for any loss to show sometimes.
    Starting new exercise can result in some temporary water weight gain which can mask any weight loss, this can last a couple of months sometimes then it'll start to level off (it is highly unlikely bordering on impossible to be "gaining muscle" right now)
    If you don't intake enough fluid then you can hold onto water weight, too.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,391 MFP Moderator
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    ok that makes sense and then I should be eating my exercise cals too - I don't get why I am not losing :(

    How many calories do you eat? But yes you should at least eat 50%-75% of you exercise calories back.
  • jc1229
    jc1229 Posts: 220 Member
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    Mfp had my brm set too low by almost 400 calories so I was stuck for over a month and a half with losing no weight. Here's a website to go to that you can figure out what it is...

    www.muscleandstrength.com/tools/brm-and-daily-calorie-calculator.html

    Depending on how much weight you want to lose a week. 1 lb a week you would minus 500 calories from you total brm, 2lbs you would be minus 1000 calories. Hope this helps! Good luck! :)
  • sarahgilmore
    sarahgilmore Posts: 572 Member
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    Depending on how much weight you want to lose a week. 1 lb a week you would minus 500 calories from you total brm, 2lbs you would be minus 1000 calories. Hope this helps! Good luck! :)

    bmr is not maintenence level
    bmr is 'just enough to keep you alive and your organs functioning if you were in an extended coma' level
    simply being awake adds caloric needs, sitting, standing, moving around, even more so.
  • jc1229
    jc1229 Posts: 220 Member
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    Depending on how much weight you want to lose a week. 1 lb a week you would minus 500 calories from you total brm, 2lbs you would be minus 1000 calories. Hope this helps! Good luck! :)
    [/quote]

    bmr is not maintenence level
    bmr is 'just enough to keep you alive and your organs functioning if you were in an extended coma' level
    simply being awake adds caloric needs, sitting, standing, moving around, even more so.
    [/quote]

    If you look on mfp under brm it has an amount..mine was 2400. For me to lose 2lbs a week I was suppose to eat only 1400 calories ( that's minus 1000 calories from my brm). I wasn't losing...someone on this site told me it was way under and gave me the formula and the site I mentioned earlier and it told me my brm was 2800. Now I'm eatting 1800 calories and the weight is finally coming off.
  • BuffyKicksButt
    BuffyKicksButt Posts: 95
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    How long have you been doing this for?
    Have you just started new/more exercise in the last month?
    Do you drink enough fluids during the day?

    It has been about 3 months
    In the last month I went from 3x per week to 5x week on the exercise
    I drink a ton of water nearly always over 100 oz per day
    I usually eat 50 - 75 % of my exercise cals back
    I am set at 1400 cals per day so I usually end up eating between 1600 - 1800 after the exercise

    I should note that I quite smoking 6 months ago not sure if that will affect it - I think so but don't want to use it as an excuse.
  • sarahgilmore
    sarahgilmore Posts: 572 Member
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    If you look on mfp under brm it has an amount..

    What, the one that says
    "BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) Calculator
    Your BMR is how many calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day — basically, how many calories you burn just to stay alive. Determine your BMR using our handy online calculator"
    ?
  • sarahgilmore
    sarahgilmore Posts: 572 Member
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    It has been about 3 months
    In the last month I went from 3x per week to 5x week on the exercise
    I drink a ton of water nearly always over 100 oz per day
    I usually eat 50 - 75 % of my exercise cals back
    I am set at 1400 cals per day so I usually end up eating between 1600 - 1800 after the exercise

    I should note that I quite smoking 6 months ago not sure if that will affect it - I think so but don't want to use it as an excuse.

    Hmmmm.... Sounds like you're eating an acceptable amount, and 3 months should be long enough to get past the beginning hurdles!

    Do you have 'cheat' days? I just ask because I know what I could pack away without even trying on a 'cheat' could easily be 3000 calories (i.e negating a 500 deficit over 6 days in 1 day).
    And I assume you measure or weigh things where possible?

    Only other thing I can think of is sodium, but that amount of water a day should help manage that even if it is high.
  • BuffyKicksButt
    BuffyKicksButt Posts: 95
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    I do have cheat meals not the whole day though......I suppose I will just keep trucking along. At least I am getting healthier.
  • jc1229
    jc1229 Posts: 220 Member
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    If you look on mfp under brm it has an amount..

    What, the one that says
    "BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) Calculator
    Your BMR is how many calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day — basically, how many calories you burn just to stay alive. Determine your BMR using our handy online calculator"
    ?

    If you go under settings, then go to goals it has "calories from normal activity" (its the same amount that my brm is)
    "Under daily goal" for calories its 1000 calories less from "calories from normal activity"
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,391 MFP Moderator
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    If you look on mfp under brm it has an amount..

    What, the one that says
    "BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) Calculator
    Your BMR is how many calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day — basically, how many calories you burn just to stay alive. Determine your BMR using our handy online calculator"
    ?

    If you go under settings, then go to goals it has "calories from normal activity" (its the same amount that my brm is)
    "Under daily goal" for calories its 1000 calories less from "calories from normal activity"

    you are confusing BMR and TDEE. TDEE is the amount of energy you expend throughout the day including normal activities and your basic metabolism. Your BMR does not include that. I can tell you that I am 200 lbs an 14% body fat and my BMR is only 2080. I add in my TDEE and my caloric burn is 3200+ calories.
  • BuffyKicksButt
    BuffyKicksButt Posts: 95
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    Thx psulemon - I think I am undereating. I went over my cals yesterday by about 400 and then I weigh in this am and I am down. I am going to try and up my cals for this week and see what happens.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,391 MFP Moderator
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    Thx psulemon - I think I am undereating. I went over my cals yesterday by about 400 and then I weigh in this am and I am down. I am going to try and up my cals for this week and see what happens.
    awesome job. Just remember food is fuel so its important in your journey for energy and your metabolism. And feel free to friend me if you eant more help later.

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