Followup from the NO starvation thread... net BMR or eat BMR

I am also confused. I hope someone that knows will post.

I get so confused. I read to eat , not to eat, eat, don't eat, LOL

I started eating my BMR cals and gained 2.5 pounds this week. :sad:

BMR= Basal Metabolic Rate
It's the amount of calories we need to just get by, to have our bodies function correctly without going into starvation mode.
Here's the wikipedia article regarding BMR http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate
1200 calories is usually the standard BMR people use, but can be too low for some people. Everyone is different.

And if you eat too few calories and go into starvation mode, your body will try to conserve energy, hence the gain in weight or no lost.

I started eating my calories according to my BMR and gained too. I hope it changes this week! :frown:

I get so confused. I read to eat , not to eat, eat, don't eat, LOL

I started eating my BMR cals and gained 2.5 pounds this week. :sad:

Well I lost that 2.5 pounds and another half. I was starving my body :-(

That's why I'm not weighing in for a month after upping my calories, I know that I will probably gain on the scale and then go back down and I don't want to feel discouraged!!

Definitely net your BMR at least, but really you should be eating WAY more than your BMR.

BMR is how many calories your body needs to EXIST. WITHOUT you moving AT ALL. It is what you need to breath, for your cells to work, for digestion, and other bodily functions.

Your TDEE (Today daily energy expenditure) is what you burn in a day. In order to lose weight, you should be about 300 cals below this number. This TDEE number includes walking around, sitting up, eating food, cooking, cleaning, working, working out EVERYTHING that you do each day. Whatever your TDEE is, eat a little less than that.

My BMR is about 1400, but I eat 1800 cals per day because my TDEE is more like 2100. And I have a sedentary desk job (I'm a programmer)

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538943-how-to-calculate-calorie-goals-according-to-nrolfw
Check out this thread, it helps you calculate what you should be eating. Take into account the "non workout days" category and then whatever you do for your workout, eat those back as well as the non-workout days calories.

I promise you'll feel better and lose weight healthily if you eat more! You'll lose fat and not muscle/organs/bones which you DONT want to lose!

Feel free to message me with questions!

xox