bmr/ calories, etc

lin7604
lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I am confused on this bmr stuff.... can anyone help me. i am wondering if i should be re adjusting my calories a day, i seem to loose very very slowly and wondering if i should adjust things... my bmr is 1252, maintenance calories are 1570 ( i of course don't want to maintain and still loose) so what do you think my magic number should be? I have in the past been trying to stick with a 1200 diet but zig zag from 1200-1400 on days i don't exercise and less on days i do. some days i find it hard to stick to 1200 if i am not exercising, and i kept thinking that as long as i don't go over 1300-1400 i'm still kinda "safe". still will loose as i'm in a deficit but just not a huge one. This month i have been in a huge slump, out of routine, etc I was just wondering if i should play with my numbers, up it or just keep things the way they were? oh so confused....

Replies

  • DixiedoesMFP
    DixiedoesMFP Posts: 935 Member
    Your BMR is the number of calories it takes to keep you alive. What is your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure)? Your daily calories would have to be less than this to lose.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    If your maintenance is 1570 then you should eat 1320 to lose half a pound a week. But did you say you eat less on days you exercise? Why would you do that? Anyway, if you've been out of your routines for this month then I would try to get back into the routine before changing it up.
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    no i eat more, i find it hard some days to do 1200 when not exercising b/c i am hungry! when i exercise i can keep my calories around 1200 no prob b/c i always eat back my exercise calories without problems,lol....i just not sure when i will get back into routine as i quit my job a week and a half ago and that is what is throwing me off completely. I was able to eat at certain times, and i kept busy, so i wasn't as hungry unlike now. I tend to be a boredom eater..... I had a set routine daily even with my exercise routine and now everything is thrown off and i'm not sure when it will ge back on track and when it does it will probably change because my shift will probally be different when i find a new job,etc...
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    Your BMR is the number of calories it takes to keep you alive. What is your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure)? Your daily calories would have to be less than this to lose.

    how do i figure this out?
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    i found on site :http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced but gosh that is hard to figure out. I have no idea how to break up things i do daily and how long i do them for plus every day is so different..... but with a quick look at it, it showed my tee to be around 2400, bmr 1356. not sure how accurate that is
  • DixiedoesMFP
    DixiedoesMFP Posts: 935 Member
    http://thefitgirls.com/tdee-calculator.aspx is a quick calculator.

    However, if your TDEE truly is 2400 and you are only eating 1200, then yes, your deficit is probably too large.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,458 MFP Moderator
    What are you using to identify your TDEE? Are you saying you are sedentary or do you workout 5-6 days a week for an hour a day? Below are the general TDEE multipliers for active. You would take your BMR x TDEE multiplier to get your TDEE. Then you take 80% (20% deficit) and that is what you should eat each day. I suggest adding exercise into your TDEE multiplier so you don't have to worry about eating back exercise calories.



    * 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.)
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    see it ranges for me. some days i don't do much of anything, and then the next i will exercise for 45 min. I was working out 5-7 days a week and then the past 2 weeks nothing.... so i was hoping to keep a neutral number that was in between, so when i do work out i'm still ok but if i don't then i'm not way over...
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    http://thefitgirls.com/tdee-calculator.aspx is a quick calculator.

    However, if your TDEE truly is 2400 and you are only eating 1200, then yes, your deficit is probably too large.

    this site gave me a TDEE of 1625.with little to no exercise and 1862 if i work out 1-3 days a week
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,458 MFP Moderator
    http://thefitgirls.com/tdee-calculator.aspx is a quick calculator.

    However, if your TDEE truly is 2400 and you are only eating 1200, then yes, your deficit is probably too large.

    this site gave me a TDEE of 1625.with little to no exercise and 1862 if i work out 1-3 days a week

    Take 20% off of 1900 and there is your caloric needs.
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