BMR & calories confusion.

Flabberella
Flabberella Posts: 15
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all, I am new to this site (this is my third day here) I have some questions about the BMR, mine calculates at 1,648 a day, but MFP has calculated my caloric intake should be 1,220 a day to loose approx 2lb a week.
I am in the obese range, I was 210 a couple of weeks ago but have lost 7lb:happy: so far by just watching what I eat and stopping snacking. I am an emotional eater and also eat when bored so it has been hard to change the way I eat in that sense but I now have the hang of it (I think)

So my question is do I need to be eating the BMR calculation of calories a day at 1,648 or the MFP calculation of 1,220 calories a day.
Also if I burn calories through exercise do I have to eat them as well? I find I am struggling to eat my recommended 1,220 but I think it is physiological in that I am worried about not loosing any weight at all if I eat the FMP calculation of 1,220 calories a day.

I don't want to get ill from not eating enough, but I don't want to get into bad habits and start over eating again.

Thank you for reading :happy:

Replies

  • JulieG1443
    JulieG1443 Posts: 43
    Play around with it for a few days and experiment with your body, everyone needs a different amount of calories to function and also every person lives a different life with different activity levels throughout the day!

    I'd suggest if you are exercising every day then have around 1400-1500
  • Flabberella
    Flabberella Posts: 15
    Thank you, I tend to be on the go pretty much all day as I have two little girls at home so it is quite rare I get to sit down for very long lol. I think I will aim for the 1400 mark and see how I get on.
    I have noticed since eating only 1,200 I seem to have a constant headache and am quite irritable, I hope this changes once I start easting more calories.
  • lisa28115
    lisa28115 Posts: 17,271 Member
    Thank you, I tend to be on the go pretty much all day as I have two little girls at home so it is quite rare I get to sit down for very long lol. I think I will aim for the 1400 mark and see how I get on.
    I have noticed since eating only 1,200 I seem to have a constant headache and am quite irritable, I hope this changes once I start easting more calories.

    I agree... i recently upped my calories
    it is just too hard to do 1200 calories a day
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    Thank you, I tend to be on the go pretty much all day as I have two little girls at home so it is quite rare I get to sit down for very long lol. I think I will aim for the 1400 mark and see how I get on.
    I have noticed since eating only 1,200 I seem to have a constant headache and am quite irritable, I hope this changes once I start easting more calories.

    I experienced the same as you, and felt lightheaded on 1200.

    I changed to 1750 4 weeks ago, and have lost around 1.5 1lb a week over the last month.

    Also, if you stall at 1200 you really have nowhere to go, at least on the higher allowance you have some flexibility up or down if things are not working.

    Have a look here for an idea of your daily energy, but bear in mind that other sites include exercise, and MFP doesn't include it until you actually do the exercise - http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
  • JulieG1443
    JulieG1443 Posts: 43
    Yeah I was on 1400 calories and upped to 1600 because i run 5 miles on the treadmill every day and it makes me so hungry!
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    The more I read and learn, the more convinced I am that one should never eat below their BMR. BMR is the calories your body needs for the minimal daily functions to fuel your organs (heart, lungs, digestive system, glands, brain, etc.) without getting out of bed all day. There is some evidence that eating below this on a regular basis can slow your metabolism. Who wants that?

    I suggest that you give eating at your BMR+exercise calories a try. I would give this a good month and then evaluate your progress before raising or lowering your calories.

    Since I don't have an HRM to get a more accurate calorie burn, I usually only eat about 80% of my exercise calories back, give or take a bit depending on my hunger level and food choices, to allow for any miscalculations in my calorie burn.

    Anyway, we're all a bit individual in how our body responds but you might give this a try. It's working for me.
  • techiegurl
    techiegurl Posts: 9
    These ~1200 allotments I see from MFP aren't really customized to both your height/age/build and lifestyle.
    Here's one calculator I've seen which matches the other estimates I've gotten from excercise programs like beachbody

    http://www.melcowenfitness.com/calculating-your-caloric-needs

    hth
  • Flabberella
    Flabberella Posts: 15
    Thank you for replying everyone, I think I will increase my calories to my BMR rate and not eat any of the calories I have burned during exercise.

    I have another question, on Sunday it is mothers day and we are going out for a meal, I have been worried about it all week as I don't want to over eat, if I have one day where I do go over my calorie allowance does it make a massive impact, if every other day I have eaten the correct amount of calories? I wont be having a starter or a sweet course as I normally would, just a main. I wont be drinking alcohol, probably just soda water and maybe a coffee after my meal.
    I feel like not going out now but I know my mum and my little girls would be upset if we didn't go out. Is it possible to still enjoy eating out while dieting?
  • Annmarie49
    Annmarie49 Posts: 84

    I have noticed since eating only 1,200 I seem to have a constant headache and am quite irritable, I hope this changes once I start easting more calories.

    You may need to drink a lot more water.... check your daily water intake.

    If you are losing weight on 1200 calories/day, then it works, if you up your calorie intake and don't lose weight, it is not working!!!!
    give it at least a week before changing your calorie intake, this will enable you to monitor your own body response.
    You can eat out quite well when watching calories, choose grilled/steamed/broiled foods and record all your calories. It does get easier as you become more aware of how your body responds over a period of time.

    DRINK WATER!!!!!!!!! and good luck.
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    Thank you for replying everyone, I think I will increase my calories to my BMR rate and not eat any of the calories I have burned during exercise.

    I have another question, on Sunday it is mothers day and we are going out for a meal, I have been worried about it all week as I don't want to over eat, if I have one day where I do go over my calorie allowance does it make a massive impact, if every other day I have eaten the correct amount of calories? I wont be having a starter or a sweet course as I normally would, just a main. I wont be drinking alcohol, probably just soda water and maybe a coffee after my meal.
    I feel like not going out now but I know my mum and my little girls would be upset if we didn't go out. Is it possible to still enjoy eating out while dieting?

    One day won't hurt, and you aren't going to be eating like that every day, so go out and enjoy it - but don't weigh for a few days, as restaurant food tends to be higher sodium, and you may gain a few water lbs, so if you are discouraged by the water weight stay away from the scales.

    It takes 3500 calories to add 1lb of fat, so you'd have to eat up to maintenance and an extra 3500 calories to gain fat.

    Just go out and celebrate Mothers Day with your family - it's more important than one day's weight.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,757 Member
    Thank you for replying everyone, I think I will increase my calories to my BMR rate and not eat any of the calories I have burned during exercise.

    When people say "eat your bmr" they actually mean NET your bmr (hopefully!). So if you set your calorie goal to your bmr, eat your exercise calories back or you're just letting your body run on less calories it requires to keep you alive and functioning.
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    Thank you for replying everyone, I think I will increase my calories to my BMR rate and not eat any of the calories I have burned during exercise.

    When people say "eat your bmr" they actually mean NET your bmr (hopefully!). So if you set your calorie goal to your bmr, eat your exercise calories back or you're just letting your body run on less calories it requires to keep you alive and functioning.

    Yes, BMR should be net. BMR+exercise calories. Good clarification.
  • Flabberella
    Flabberella Posts: 15
    Oh my I'm all confused (easily done lol :blushing: ) .

    So if my BMR is approx 1600 calories a day and I burn 500 calories doing exercise how many calories do I eat.

    Sorry to keep bugging you all about it :blushing:
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    Oh my I'm all confused (easily done lol :blushing: ) .

    So if my BMR is approx 1600 calories a day and I burn 500 calories doing exercise how many calories do I eat.

    Sorry to keep bugging you all about it :blushing:

    BMR + exercise calories. At least. That's the level I'm at now and still losing. I'm going to wait about a month for my body to adjust to it more fully and then add another 100 calories/day. I want to see how far I can push this and still lose. If it's working for me, a 54 year old post-menopausal woman, it should work for just about anybody.
  • cbenzerga
    cbenzerga Posts: 65 Member
    The more I read and learn, the more convinced I am that one should never eat below their BMR. BMR is the calories your body needs for the minimal daily functions to fuel your organs (heart, lungs, digestive system, glands, brain, etc.) without getting out of bed all day. There is some evidence that eating below this on a regular basis can slow your metabolism. Who wants that?

    I suggest that you give eating at your BMR+exercise calories a try. I would give this a good month and then evaluate your progress before raising or lowering your calories.

    Since I don't have an HRM to get a more accurate calorie burn, I usually only eat about 80% of my exercise calories back, give or take a bit depending on my hunger level and food choices, to allow for any miscalculations in my calorie burn.

    Anyway, we're all a bit individual in how our body responds but you might give this a try. It's working for me.

    Doing the same and working for me too!
  • bestiamode
    bestiamode Posts: 1
    so is your weight 203lbs? 203lbs/2.2kg=92.2 kg

    40 to 45 calories per kg of body weight to gain weight and/or for intense physical activity (i.e. you are training for an event such as a race or triathlon)

    30 to 35 calories per kg of body weight for weight maintenance and/or moderate physical activity (i.e., 4 to 5 days per week of approximately 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill or elliptical machine)

    20 to 25 calories per kg of body weight for weight loss and/or low physical activity (i.e., you rarely go to the gym or engage in formal exercise


    1200kcals only is ridiculous... don't crash diet .. don't starve.. you are way under calories! i hope this helps.. seeing a registered dietitian would be best.. they have the most accurate info and avoid "diet" mentality... diets will not make your weight loss permanent.. lifestyle change should be in mind as well....
  • techiegurl
    techiegurl Posts: 9
    The more I read and learn, the more convinced I am that one should never eat below their BMR. BMR is the calories your body needs for the minimal daily functions to fuel your organs (heart, lungs, digestive system, glands, brain, etc.) without getting out of bed all day. There is some evidence that eating below this on a regular basis can slow your metabolism. Who wants that?

    I suggest that you give eating at your BMR+exercise calories a try. I would give this a good month and then evaluate your progress before raising or lowering your calories.

    Since I don't have an HRM to get a more accurate calorie burn, I usually only eat about 80% of my exercise calories back, give or take a bit depending on my hunger level and food choices, to allow for any miscalculations in my calorie burn.

    Anyway, we're all a bit individual in how our body responds but you might give this a try. It's working for me.

    Doing the same and working for me too!
    This is working for me too!
    Soo glad I got all this great advice
  • skinnylion
    skinnylion Posts: 213
    An easier way to look at it is that you're not eating to lose weight, you're eating to be healthy. That way you won't feel bad about consuming an adequate amount of food (1200 is not enough, you need to eat your BMR, at least).
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