BMR - help

I've been trying to read up on this and don't really understand it.

I'm 5' 6" and weigh 154lb. My BMR is 1489 and I have a lightly active lifestyle.

That's as far as I got - I can't figure out what my calorie intake should be, or why MFP suggests 1200, which I would imagine is quite low from looking at BMR-related calculations I can't understand.

Also, does it really work - I find that the idea of eating more goes against everything my brain is screaming at me to do to lose weight!!

It's not about eating more than you need, that would be daft. It's about eating a healthy moderate deficit and providing your body with adequate nutrition.

These should help

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions?page=1

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/510406-tdee-is-everything?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/512956-tdee-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-not-eat-below-your-bmr?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6832-eating-all-of-your-calories-bmr

Thank you, although I think I'm being a bit dense because I still can't figure out exactly what this all means and what my calorie intake should be! I'll keep on reading til I hopefully find a post which explains it in a way I can understand!

This is a good place to start

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map

Thank you, although I think I'm being a bit dense because I still can't figure out exactly what this all means and what my calorie intake should be! I'll keep on reading til I hopefully find a post which explains it in a way I can understand!

A good rule of thumb is to eat 100-200 more calories than your BMR. That should still be a calorie deficit (less than you should eat to maintain your weight) but enough that you'll still be adequately fed.

There are a lot of calculations you can do to be more precise. This site is really easy to follow:
http://www.free-workout-routines.net/tdee.html

I've been trying to read up on this and don't really understand it.

I'm 5' 6" and weigh 154lb. My BMR is 1489 and I have a lightly active lifestyle.

That's as far as I got - I can't figure out what my calorie intake should be, or why MFP suggests 1200, which I would imagine is quite low from looking at BMR-related calculations I can't understand.

Also, does it really work - I find that the idea of eating more goes against everything my brain is screaming at me to do to lose weight!!

You don't mention your age, which is another variable in the BMR calculations. From what you've said, I'm guessing you're about 19.

According to the BMR calculator on MFP ( http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator ), for a 19 year-old woman, 66 inches, 154 pounds, BMR is 1490.

For lightly active, MFP multiplies this by 1.35 to find your daily energy expenditure before exercise.

1490 x 1.35 = 2011 calories per day = Energy expenditure before exercise.

You must have told MFP that you want to lose 2 pounds per week. That's a deficit of 1000 calories per day since each pound of fat is 3500 calories. ( 3500 x 2 / 7 = 1000 )

2011 - 1000 = 1011 calories per day to lose 2 pounds per week.

But MFP will never recommend less than 1200 per day since that is the minimum a woman needs to get basic nutrients. So since a 1000 calorie deficit would put you below 1200 calories per day, MFP told you 1200 calories per day.

Why did it give you a goal below your BMR? Because it is just a calculator that doesn't look at your BMR and believes you when you say you want to lose 2 pounds per week.

In your case, 2 pounds per week seems too aggressive to me. Your BMI is already within the healthy range (24.9), so probably a half a pound per week is a more reasonable goal. That would put you at about 1750 calories. Even one pound a week would put you at around 1500, enough of a deficit to lose weight without endangering your health.

Of course, I'm not a doctor and can't give you medical advice.