Most Accurate BMR Calculator?

mckenzieuk
mckenzieuk Posts: 16
edited November 8 in Health and Weight Loss
I ask this because MFP has told me i need to consume 1580 calories, blah blah, to achieve my weight loss.

I have done numerous BMR calculators and they all say my BMR is around 2805 - 3185calories.

Thats a MASSIVE calorie deficit!!!!!!!!!!

I have been doing it for a month now and have lost 11 Pounds (in 1 month yes!)

but i do alot of gym now also. I am male, 24, 204lbs, moderately active.

ANY ideas????
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Replies

  • random_20
    random_20 Posts: 41 Member
    I'm also curious about this, my bmr is 1565 but my tdee - 500 calories, to loose one pound a week, is 1378 and i've heard your not to eat below your bmr so i'm stuck as to which figure to stick with.
  • princessjarvis
    princessjarvis Posts: 97
    BUMP < interesting to see other responses
  • Missylydia
    Missylydia Posts: 304 Member
    Just personalise your goals, to your BMR, that's what I've done.
    I know that if I aim for much below my BMR I snap and turn into a hungry beast and eat all the bad carbs that I can get my hands on, it's scary stuff! Proper Jekyll and Hyde! :noway:
  • random_20
    random_20 Posts: 41 Member
    sorry i seemed to hijack your thread, i've heard that a few people on this website use this:

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    hope that helps
  • mckenzieuk
    mckenzieuk Posts: 16
    Thats what i want to do but first i need to know my REAL BMR lol.
  • mckenzieuk
    mckenzieuk Posts: 16
    Results of that website;

    Thanks for checking your BMR here on Fat 2 Fit Radio. If you're not already subscribed to Fat 2 Fit Radio, consider doing so today. Please visit the Subscribe page to get the podcast delivered automatically to your iTunes, Juice, e-mail inbox or the podcatcher of your choice for FREE.

    Entered information: 24 year old male, 172.7 inches tall, weighing 204 pounds.

    From the information that you entered, you'd like to weigh 168 lbs.

    Harris-Benedict Formula

    There are a few different methods to calculating yourbasal metabolic rate (BMR). One of the most popular, developed in the early 1900's is called the Harris-Benedict formula. Based on this formula, your current BMR is 3367 calories.

    Activity Level Daily Calories
    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 3772
    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 4322
    **Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 4872**
    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 5422
    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 5972

    From that i should consume 4872 calories a day!!!?? so say a -500 deficit would leave me at 4372calories. I am eating 1580calories but still have plenty of energy to work out.

    I'm lost!
  • random_20
    random_20 Posts: 41 Member
    because i spend most of my day at a desk i choose the sedentary number and i'll eat back any exercise calories, not sure if i'm doing it right or not but i'll play around with mine until i figure out whats right for me.

    sorry if I'm not very helpful, if anyone thinks i'm completely wrong please feel free to tell me.
  • mckenzieuk
    mckenzieuk Posts: 16
    because i spend most of my day at a desk i choose the sedentary number and i'll eat back any exercise calories, not sure if i'm doing it right or not but i'll play around with mine until i figure out whats right for me.

    sorry if I'm not very helpful, if anyone thinks i'm completely wrong please feel free to tell me.

    no thats the right way. as you still need to fuel your body to what you've burnt off, take it to the extreme say you eat 1200cals a day but exercised 1200cals a day, you'd be ill and dead in no time! you need to eat more to provide energy for your workout and then in turn its your workout which gets the metabolism high and burns fat!
  • random_20
    random_20 Posts: 41 Member
    thanks that's what made most sense to me, probably explains why i haven't been that successful with the weight i haven't been eating enough, 5 foot 6 and 82 kg there's definitely weight there to come off.

    so now it appears i'm in the same boat as you which calulator to use?
  • Missylydia
    Missylydia Posts: 304 Member
    I think that BMR calculator includes your exercise calories, whereas the MFP one is just lifestyle calories and you are expected to log your exercise for the day and eat those calories back.
    eg the MFP BMR calculator says I'm about 1400 a day which is 9800 calories a week, if you add +200 calories 4x a week (exercise) thats 16000 calories a week.
    the fat to fit one says 2142 a day ( moderately active, exercise 3-5 times a week) which is 14994 calories a week, pretty close huh?
  • random_20
    random_20 Posts: 41 Member
    thanks that makes sense, mfp says that my bmr is 1565 so if i were to eat that plus my exercise of 350 a day that's a lot of calories to eat very overwhelming.
  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
    harris benedict formula is considered the most accurate
  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
    thanks that makes sense, mfp says that my bmr is 1565 so if i were to eat that plus my exercise of 350 a day that's a lot of calories to eat very overwhelming.

    BMR is basal metabolic rate. its what your body needs to intake on a daily basis to just survive (as if in a coma)

    TEE is total energy expenditure..this is when you calculate an activity level into your BMR

    your TEE includes your daily exercise. so its accounted for. so if you eat back you run the risk of over eating.

    my BMR is around 1300, my TEE is around 1750. i consider myself lightly active. I dont hop on the treadmill or elliptical for hours at a time burning tons of cals. if i did, then i'd change my activity level to highly active, and then there ya go its accounted for again.
  • Cathnger
    Cathnger Posts: 72
    Results of that website;

    Thanks for checking your BMR here on Fat 2 Fit Radio. If you're not already subscribed to Fat 2 Fit Radio, consider doing so today. Please visit the Subscribe page to get the podcast delivered automatically to your iTunes, Juice, e-mail inbox or the podcatcher of your choice for FREE.

    Entered information: 24 year old male, 172.7 inches tall, weighing 204 pounds.

    From the information that you entered, you'd like to weigh 168 lbs.

    Harris-Benedict Formula

    There are a few different methods to calculating yourbasal metabolic rate (BMR). One of the most popular, developed in the early 1900's is called the Harris-Benedict formula. Based on this formula, your current BMR is 3367 calories.

    Activity Level Daily Calories
    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 3772
    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 4322
    **Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 4872**
    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 5422
    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 5972

    From that i should consume 4872 calories a day!!!?? so say a -500 deficit would leave me at 4372calories. I am eating 1580calories but still have plenty of energy to work out.

    I'm lost!

    You have entered the info wrong, surely your not 172.7 inches tall ?? I'm 5"3 which is 63 inches so that would make you nearly 15ft tall?
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
    I ask this because MFP has told me i need to consume 1580 calories, blah blah, to achieve my weight loss.

    I have done numerous BMR calculators and they all say my BMR is around 2805 - 3185calories.

    Thats a MASSIVE calorie deficit!!!!!!!!!!

    I have been doing it for a month now and have lost 11 Pounds (in 1 month yes!)

    but i do alot of gym now also. I am male, 24, 204lbs, moderately active.

    ANY ideas????
    Yes, first you must have your settings for 2 lbs weight loss or else your activity settings are set at sedentary.
    Second, you need to log in your cardio exercises and eat back those calories.
    Make sense?
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
    Two posts up - you are NOT 178 inches tall!!!

    That would make you 14 and a half feet!!! I suspect you are 178 cm (70 inches / 5ft 10)

    with 70 inches and the rest the same:


    How Many Calories Should I Eat?
    Based on your goal weight, the following chart was generated. The chart shows the number of calories that you should eat on a daily basis to reach your goal weight. At Fat 2 Fit Radio we advocate eating like the thin, healthy person that you want to become. The calorie levels you see in the chart are not extreme, but they do create that all important caloric deficit that is required to get you to your goal weight in a safe manner. Once you reach your goal weight, you will continue eating the same number of calories for the rest of your life to maintain that weight. You'll never be on a diet again.

    Based on how much activity you do on an average day, the calories in the right column will be the number of calories that you will be able to eat at your goal weight. If you start eating those calories right now (eating like the thinner you), you will eventually become that thinner person. As you get closer to your goal weight, your weight loss will start to slow down. It is OK to eat a few hundred calories less per day (200-300) to speed up your weight loss at this point.

    Activity Level / Daily Calories
    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 2206
    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 2527
    Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2849
    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 3171
    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 3492
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
    Following up on that... Suggest you log exercise & eat back what you earn working out & use sedentary as your baseline, so for a 1lb a week loss you want 1700 cals per day + your exercise cals.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    I ask this because MFP has told me i need to consume 1580 calories, blah blah, to achieve my weight loss.

    I have done numerous BMR calculators and they all say my BMR is around 2805 - 3185calories.

    Thats a MASSIVE calorie deficit!!!!!!!!!!

    I have been doing it for a month now and have lost 11 Pounds (in 1 month yes!)

    but i do alot of gym now also. I am male, 24, 204lbs, moderately active.

    ANY ideas????

    I don;t mean to sound blase, but if you are losing weight, don't worry about your BMR. You are obviously doing it right for you and it is working a treat. Keep going the way you are going and you will do fine :flowerforyou:
  • Cathnger
    Cathnger Posts: 72
    3 Posts up, I know I am not!!!! lol I was telling someone else they entered the wrong info - see my comment underneath lol
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
    3 Posts up, I know I am not!!!! lol I was telling someone else they entered the wrong info - see my comment underneath lol

    I know. I know - bad use of English. Should have said 'as correctly identified by Cathnger'.....
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    harris benedict formula is considered the most accurate

    It's actually not as it doesn't incorporate lean muscle mass. Katch McArdle is a more accurate way of figuring out BMR but HB is a very close simulation.



    OP, are you looking for BMR or TDEE? I am 5'11, 200 lbs and 14% body fat and my BMR is 2080 but my TDEE is over 3200 calories as I exercise 6 days a week (P90X2). TDEE is where you calculate your deficit from.
  • mckenzieuk
    mckenzieuk Posts: 16
    i am actually 15ft tall :D
  • taygrad
    taygrad Posts: 19
    I have been having the same issue as you, and also tried to be snarky and say you were 14.3 feet tall as well, but i was thwarted by the others. :) Ignore this post! (Why can we not delete?)
  • jaxandmaksmom
    jaxandmaksmom Posts: 262 Member
    i am actually 15ft tall :D

    in the land of feeling like i was sinking and never going to understand nor get past this little bump i am currently on..... you made me laugh with this
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    I ask this because MFP has told me i need to consume 1580 calories, blah blah, to achieve my weight loss.

    I have done numerous BMR calculators and they all say my BMR is around 2805 - 3185calories.

    Thats a MASSIVE calorie deficit!!!!!!!!!!

    I have been doing it for a month now and have lost 11 Pounds (in 1 month yes!)

    but i do alot of gym now also. I am male, 24, 204lbs, moderately active.

    ANY ideas????

    Umm seriousy.... How has noone pointed out....

    MFP @ est 1000 calorie deficit -> 1580 calories
    4 weeks expected loss -> 8 lbs
    4 weeks actual loss -> 11 lbs
    Expected vs. Actual difference -> 3 lbs
    Calories of error (per month) -> 3*3500 = 10500
    Calories of error (per day) -> 10500/28 = 375
    Corrected target intake for 2 lb/wk loss (1000 calorie deficit) -> 1580 + 375 = 1955 calories
    This would put your maintenence intake at 2955 calories, right in line with the other calculators you found.

    Seriously, results are the best way to calculate things, all other calculators are just estimates. Keep reevaluating as you go.

    For a more in depth look:
    http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/

    I'm 6'1", 190 lbs, and that is right around my maintenence amount, so it isn't an out of line #. MFP's maintenence amount for me is over 500 calories too low (and I do count and eat back exercise calories).
  • jaxandmaksmom
    jaxandmaksmom Posts: 262 Member
    I ask this because MFP has told me i need to consume 1580 calories, blah blah, to achieve my weight loss.

    I have done numerous BMR calculators and they all say my BMR is around 2805 - 3185calories.

    Thats a MASSIVE calorie deficit!!!!!!!!!!

    I have been doing it for a month now and have lost 11 Pounds (in 1 month yes!)

    but i do alot of gym now also. I am male, 24, 204lbs, moderately active.

    ANY ideas????

    Umm seriousy.... How has noone pointed out....

    MFP @ est 1000 calorie deficit -> 1580 calories
    4 weeks expected loss -> 8 lbs
    4 weeks actual loss -> 11 lbs
    Expected vs. Actual difference -> 3 lbs
    Calories of error (per month) -> 3*3500 = 10500
    Calories of error (per day) -> 10500/28 = 375
    Corrected target intake for 2 lb/wk loss (1000 calorie deficit) -> 1580 + 375 = 1955 calories
    This would put your maintenence intake at 2955 calories, right in line with the other calculators you found.

    Seriously, results are the best way to calculate things.
    For a more in depth look:
    http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/

    all this math is making my head spin


    i just wish it was this is how many you should eat.. end of story..
  • heidi5k
    heidi5k Posts: 181 Member
    bumpin'
  • urbanitylifestyle
    urbanitylifestyle Posts: 21
    Here is a post I did on my FB Fanpage about calculating your BMR.
    https://www.facebook.com/notes/urbanity-lifestyle/determining-your-daily-caloric-intake/367243833334546

    Make sure that you are taking into consideration your work out intensity level.

    Here is also a link to the article on calculating your calories burned during your work outs:
    https://www.facebook.com/notes/urbanity-lifestyle/how-to-calculate-fat-calories-burned/370240046368258

    I will be starting a blog page on this site also that will have this info. I will be working on it this week.
    Please feel free to Friend request me and keep up with helpful tips and support on your fitness journey.

    Blessings
  • RCtransformed
    RCtransformed Posts: 34
    I love the Fat 2 Fit podcasts, too! That's how I found out about MFP & they've motivated me tremendously... That being said, their Calorie Calculator (including projected per week workouts) has me eating almost 500 calories more that the MFP calculator....

    Does anyone have an opinion as to which one I should go with? If I go with the F2F #'s, does anyone know how I can change the MFP calculations?

    Thank you so much for your help!
  • seamonkey789
    seamonkey789 Posts: 233
    You can change your calorie goals under "my home" then there's a goal setting under the main tabs.

    I think the most accurate way to get your BMR is to have it tested at a gym or doctors office.

    MFP has mine at 1400. Fat to fit has it somewhere around 1500. I actually had it tested at a medical facility who recruited me for a study and it's closer to 1700
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