BMI Question

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christenwypy
christenwypy Posts: 335 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
MFP says my BMI is 1351 and that this is the amount of calories I will burn by doing nothing at all. But it only has me eating 1200 calories. I am not looking to eat more. I have a hard time now that I have gotten going to even make my 1200 calories every day. However, I also want to make sure I am eating enough for my body to function properly. Do I have to eat at least my BMI?

And I apologize if this is one of those questions that is asked all the time like "should I eat back my exercise calories?"

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  • heatherfit1
    heatherfit1 Posts: 9
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    Bump

    I have the exact same question...
  • TinaS88
    TinaS88 Posts: 817 Member
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    If you are trying to loose weight, eat only what MFP is saying to eat. It is giving you a slight deficit to help you loose the weight in a healthy way. Just make sure you update it and put the correct amount of activity you do (active, sedentary, etc...) And eat at least most of your exercise calories.
  • ili_s
    ili_s Posts: 66
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    It's your BMR (Basal Metabolic rate) BMI is your Body Mass Index.

    You need to eat above your BMR, because that is the number of calories your body NEEDS in order to funcion. If you eat below your BMR your body will start breaking down your lean muscles because it takes more effort and energy to fuel your muscles than it takes to maintain fat. Your body will get rid of your muscles so that it can function at this lower calorie level.

    Do you really wnat to just be a ball of fat with no muscles?

    I hear that you say you cannot possibly eat more. So maybe you could look into eating calorie dense foods like nuts just to get you over your BMR.

    I think if you also start exercising and doing strength training to build muscle you might feel hungrier too, but that's just speculation.
  • kellysue48
    kellysue48 Posts: 24 Member
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    yes my question as well! How do you do the math to figure out the calorie allowance a day. I have 50 to lose and my calorie intake was set by mfp to 1200. At that time, i said i would excercise 20 minutes 3 times a week. I excercise has been more like 100 to 200 min. a week . My BMI is 1314 calories. Do i need to reset it all? I haven't been able to weigh myself in the 2 weeks i have been doing this. But i am losing alot of inches around my belly and my neck. I feel like i am still hungry at the end of the day. Can anyone know how to calculate all this so i know if i am on the right track? :huh:
  • ili_s
    ili_s Posts: 66
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    yes my question as well! How do you do the math to figure out the calorie allowance a day. I have 50 to lose and my calorie intake was set by mfp to 1200. At that time, i said i would excercise 20 minutes 3 times a week. I excercise has been more like 100 to 200 min. a week . My BMI is 1314 calories. Do i need to reset it all? I haven't been able to weigh myself in the 2 weeks i have been doing this. But i am losing alot of inches around my belly and my neck. I feel like i am still hungry at the end of the day. Can anyone know how to calculate all this so i know if i am on the right track? :huh:

    I suggest you go here http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ for all your calculation needs. MFP has a BMR calculator under the TOOLS tab but I find that the system MFP uses to be terribly wrong. It calculates my BMR to be 1248 when I know it is actually 1381. I try to always eat 20% above my BMR and if I can't manage that I at least never eat below my BMR.
  • christenwypy
    christenwypy Posts: 335 Member
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    Oh I am exercising. I am kicking my butt every day! I am doing an hour 5 days a week and this past week I did at least 30 minutes of cardio on my rest days. I am doing cardio and just added in strength as well.

    quote]
    It's your BMR (Basal Metabolic rate) BMI is your Body Mass Index.

    You need to eat above your BMR, because that is the number of calories your body NEEDS in order to funcion. If you eat below your BMR your body will start breaking down your lean muscles because it takes more effort and energy to fuel your muscles than it takes to maintain fat. Your body will get rid of your muscles so that it can function at this lower calorie level.

    Do you really wnat to just be a ball of fat with no muscles?

    I hear that you say you cannot possibly eat more. So maybe you could look into eating calorie dense foods like nuts just to get you over your BMR.

    I think if you also start exercising and doing strength training to build muscle you might feel hungrier too, but that's just speculation.
    [/quote]
  • christenwypy
    christenwypy Posts: 335 Member
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    KSR63- Yeah, that is another thing. I plugged in at first that I would work out 3X a week 30 minutes. So 1200 I assumed would create the 500 calorie deficit to lose 1lb per week. Now I am working out 5 days 60 minutes, but it still has me eating the same. And it tells me my BMR is 1351. It says I need 1661 to maintain my weight. I burn about 500 per day with exercise. This whole thing is confusing.

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