Need some help with calories – BMR and TDEE

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Jameslemond
Jameslemond Posts: 60 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
the basics
37 year old male, 70 inches tall, current weight 235 pounds.
Originally weighed 325 pounds, so have lost about 100 pounds. Have been around 235 or so for about 6 months, now trying to break this plateau… goal weight is about 210 pounds (15% bodyfat)
I work out on average of 5-6 days a week with cardio and some type of weight training. 45-120 mins of cardio depending on the day.
weight training 3-4 days a week alternating days/
My diary is open so please look and offer advice.
MFP has my calories at 1670 a day
My main issues - I haven’t seen any weight loss in a month of using MFP. I am eating healthy and clean but looking to kick start the weight loss again. Need some help!!

So the main question is – how many calories should I eat daily to lose weight???

BMR and TDEE info from FRF2
From the information that you entered, you'd like to weigh 210 lbs.
Harris-Benedict Formula
your current BMR is 2167 calories.

Katch-McArdle Forumla
at BF percentage of 24%, you have a lean body mass of 179 lbs., and your BMR is 2127 calories


TDEE
Activity Level Daily Calories
Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 2414
Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 2767
Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 3119 <
Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 3471 <<<
Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 3823

Replies

  • Jameslemond
    Jameslemond Posts: 60 Member
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    .
  • ladyace2078
    ladyace2078 Posts: 460 Member
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    Based on your info, eat food calories of at least 2100 (BMR). To lose 1 lb/week, take your TDEE minus 500 calories and eat that (not net calories, just eat 500 calories of food below your TDEE). Eating somewhere between 2500 and 3000 calories (probably closer to the 3000 mark given the description of your exercise routine) will likely have you losing weight if you aren't gaining substantial muscle at the same time. Maybe take measurements too, since weight training may cause your fat to be replaced with muscle, which won't show up on the scale, but will show up in inches lost/gained.

    Does that help?
  • Jameslemond
    Jameslemond Posts: 60 Member
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    Based on your info, eat food calories of at least 2100 (BMR). To lose 1 lb/week, take your TDEE minus 500 calories and eat that (not net calories, just eat 500 calories of food below your TDEE). Eating somewhere between 2500 and 3000 calories (probably closer to the 3000 mark given the description of your exercise routine) will likely have you losing weight if you aren't gaining substantial muscle at the same time. Maybe take measurements too, since weight training may cause your fat to be replaced with muscle, which won't show up on the scale, but will show up in inches lost/gained.

    Does that help?
    :-)
    thanks for the info
  • Jameslemond
    Jameslemond Posts: 60 Member
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    Yes, would still like to lose 1-2 pounds a week if possible - until i get closer to my goal.
    so around 2500 calories should accomplish this? with working out the same
  • Jameslemond
    Jameslemond Posts: 60 Member
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    .
  • DixiedoesMFP
    DixiedoesMFP Posts: 935 Member
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    Eek. I eat more than you! EAT. MORE. FOOD. You are eating way below your BMR (A big no-no mister!). The general consensus is to eat 10 - 20 % less than your TDEE for weight loss. Lift heavy weights. Try to get 30 - 40% of your calories from protein. Take measurements and pics for comparison as the scale might not move as quick as you'd like but body recomp (fat loss) should take place.

    Good luck!
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
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    If your BMR is 2,167 I would use the sedentary multiplier (1.2) to get a TDEE of 2,600 BUT add back your cals burned (it's more accurate to add your exercise cals back in). You HAVE to make SURE you are using a Heart Rate Monitor to measure your exercise cals before you add them back in. Your daily goal should be 2,100 (500 defecit) if you want to lose 1 lb a week, 1,600 should be 2 lbs a week (right where you were at).

    Also, I am curious about your previous weight loss. Perhaps your BMR is slightly lower than average, were you losing at the rate you set? (1 to 2 lbs a week is a large difference, were you set for 2 lb/week loss and only losng at 1.5 lbs? this would mean your BMR is 250 cals slower than average, for example) ALSO, I hope that the BMR you gave is your new adjusted BMR at your new weight, not your old BMR at your previous weight.

    Eating below your BMR is common when you are getting close to a healthy weight, so don't let the fear mongers scare you, as long as you aren't going WAY below it you will be fine. My guess is you are eating back to many cals (1,000 cals in exercise?! REALLY?) because you aren't being accurate with your exercise burns. I know you aren't eating back all of them but that is the most obvious reason I see.

    If your weight isn't moving, it's usually because you are eating too much. Like I said, start using a HRM for your burns. If that doesn't work, you might want to try dropping your daily intake by 250 (1/2 lb a week) and then reassessing from there in a week or too.
  • Jade17694
    Jade17694 Posts: 584 Member
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    Eat at least your BMR as another poster has suggested :)
  • devnulldude
    devnulldude Posts: 26 Member
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    try ditching the long cardio sessions and doing hiit a couple times a week. less =more, all that cardio and low calories probably has your body in a highly stressed state. peel back for a week, do you weights 3x a week with high intensity.

    Pick up your calories by 500 this week and next.

    HIIT run
    5 minute warmup
    30 seconds all out (like a lion is chasing you)
    1 minute walk/slow jog
    repeat 7-10 times
    5 minute cooldown

    Also try changing your weight routine, if you haven't lost in a month I would change things out until something popped. It's usually more calories, less calories, more intensity in weights, less cardio, more cardio.

    Since you're doing less calories and more cardio already I'd try less cardio/more calories for two weeks. What could it hurt, you're not losing now anyway :)
  • Jameslemond
    Jameslemond Posts: 60 Member
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    good stuff. thanks for the info.
    changed MFP daily calorie goals today to 2300 and will try that for a few weeks to see how it goes. will also change workouts and cardio routine also.
    i have been eating WAYYY below my BMR
    going to buy a HRM (polar Ft7) this week so i can calculate calories burned during cardio/weight training

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