Clearing Some Things Up BMR And Weightloss

MsMarie213
MsMarie213 Posts: 21
edited December 19 in Health and Weight Loss
I have just learned about figuring out my BMR & TDEE. When I calulated my BMR it totaled up to 1869. In order to find my TDEE you mutiply it by your level of activity correct.? If so i mutilplied mines by 1.2 and gotten a total 2242. I have been told that to lose 1 pound a week you subtract 500 from your TDEE and to lose 2 pounds a week you subtract 1000. Have I done this wrong?

I have recently changed my calorie intake to a minimun of 1500 instead of the 1800 MFP has reccomended. Im still working on purchasing the correct foods such as nuts,cheeses,yogurt,etc. To give me calorie boosts when needed because i find it hard to eat back all the calories i have worked off. 1500 will be a little more managable for me to begin with. If anyone have any advice on this please share.

Also i was planning to do an hour of cardio in the afternoons and 30 mins of circut training in the evening (30day shred) 5-6 days a week is this to much? Ive been hearing that it is possible to workout to much.


Please feel free to correct me if im wrong about any of this Im still trying to learn about all of this..... :smile:
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Replies

  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    You shouldn't eat less than your BMR. That's not a good idea.
  • cc32676
    cc32676 Posts: 29 Member
    I'm curious about this too. It confuses me when I see drastically different calorie 'goals' for ppl who are at generally the same starting point (lbs). :ohwell:
  • Mindmovesbody
    Mindmovesbody Posts: 399 Member
    I have just learned about figuring out my BMR & TDEE. When I calulated my BMR it totaled up to 1869. In order to find my TDEE you mutiply it by your level of activity correct.? If so i mutilplied mines by 1.2 and gotten a total 2242. I have been told that to lose 1 pound a week you subtract 500 from your TDEE and to lose 2 pounds a week you subtract 1000. Have I done this wrong?

    I have recently changed my calorie intake to a minimun of 1500 instead of the 1800 MFP has reccomended. Im still working on purchasing the correct foods such as nuts,cheeses,yogurt,etc. To give me calorie boosts when needed because i find it hard to eat back all the calories i have worked off. 1500 will be a little more managable for me to begin with. If anyone have any advice on this please share.

    Also i was planning to do an hour of cardio in the afternoons and 30 mins of circut training in the evening (30day shred) 5-6 days a week is this to much? Ive been hearing that it is possible to workout to much.


    You are supposed to subtract 15% from your TDEE and that would be what you would eat daily to lose weight....do not just subtract 500 or 1000. If you wanted to maintain your weight, your TDEE is what you would eat daily. If you want to lose you have to create a deficit there hence the 15%. TDEE minus the 15% is called your CUT. If you eat your cut daily it ALREADY HAS YOUR ACTIVITY FACTORED IN, so you would NOT eat your exercise cals back UNLESS you net under your BMR! Hope this helps!


    Please feel free to correct me if im wrong about any of this Im still trying to learn about all of this..... :smile:
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Run it again here:

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    and read what it says.
    It really helps it make sense.
  • Mindmovesbody
    Mindmovesbody Posts: 399 Member
    Whoops, somehow I screwed up the quote but my reply is in the middle of your original post up there^^^^^
  • MsMarie213
    MsMarie213 Posts: 21
    Whoops, somehow I screwed up the quote but my reply is in the middle of your original post up there^^^^^

    So When i calculate my TDEE do i include the exercises i plan on doing everyday or just my lifestyle not including the exercises i plan to take part in>?
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Whoops, somehow I screwed up the quote but my reply is in the middle of your original post up there^^^^^
    fixed it.

    Glad it helps.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Whoops, somehow I screwed up the quote but my reply is in the middle of your original post up there^^^^^

    So When i calculate my TDEE do i include the exercises i plan on doing everyday or just my lifestyle not including the exercises i plan to take part in>?

    Yes. TDEE stand for total daily energy expenditure... key word: TOTAL.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    OP: with the amount you have to lose your goal should not be to lose more than 1lb/week, this would put you right around your BMR if you did not include exercise in TDEE, so on top of that eat back the cals you burn from exercise.

    If you factored in exercise into your TDEE, set your goal to lose 1lb/week (500 cals below that) and don't log exercise in MFP.
  • andreachirillo
    andreachirillo Posts: 52 Member
    Here's a question...and if you feel the need to be rude or condescending, please don't reply...

    If you shouldn't eat less than your BMR, then why does MFP calculate a net calorie goal that is less than your BMR?
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Here's a question...and if you feel the need to be rude or condescending, please don't reply...

    If you shouldn't eat less than your BMR, then why does MFP calculate a net calorie goal that is less than your BMR?

    MFP is just a calculator that gives you an output based on your inputs. If you set the proper weekly weight loss goal given your stats, unless you are obese, the goal should be near or above your BMR.

    Those with 75+ lbs to lose can eat under BMR without doing any harm to their body or risk of losing a lot of muscle.
  • Mindmovesbody
    Mindmovesbody Posts: 399 Member
    Whoops, somehow I screwed up the quote but my reply is in the middle of your original post up there^^^^^

    So When i calculate my TDEE do i include the exercises i plan on doing everyday or just my lifestyle not including the exercises i plan to take part in>?





    It already includes your exercise because you will chose your activity level based on how often you exercise. Make sure not to under estimate how active you are for fear of over eating!! Go to Www.scoobyworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Here's a question...and if you feel the need to be rude or condescending, please don't reply...

    If you shouldn't eat less than your BMR, then why does MFP calculate a net calorie goal that is less than your BMR?

    The site is only so "smart" - everything is based on numbers, calculations, and a whole lot of assumptions.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Here's a question...and if you feel the need to be rude or condescending, please don't reply...

    If you shouldn't eat less than your BMR, then why does MFP calculate a net calorie goal that is less than your BMR?
    It can only do so much. That's why I like the link I posted earlier.

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    then plug THOSE numbers in to MFP (the custom approach, or whatever they call it).
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Whoops, somehow I screwed up the quote but my reply is in the middle of your original post up there^^^^^

    So When i calculate my TDEE do i include the exercises i plan on doing everyday or just my lifestyle not including the exercises i plan to take part in>?





    It already includes your exercise because you will chose your activity level based on how often you exercise. Make sure not to under estimate how active you are for fear of over eating!! Go to Www.scoobyworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/.

    Not everyone does it that way though. The lifestyle or activity level or whatever this site calls it (don't remember off the top of my head) can be used to factor in workouts/exercise, or simply how "busy" your normal day-to-day life is, for lack of a better word. That's how I've set mine up. My activity level factors in my job, errands, house work, chasing my kids around, etc etc, but not my workouts.
  • Mindmovesbody
    Mindmovesbody Posts: 399 Member
    Here's a question...and if you feel the need to be rude or condescending, please don't reply...

    If you shouldn't eat less than your BMR, then why does MFP calculate a net calorie goal that is less than your BMR?


    That is a great question actually and I wish I had the answer to it. But to give you an example, I was set at 1200 calories and so was a friend of mine who is 72 lbs heavier than I am and we had the same exact goals. 1200 calories is not enough for most people unless it happens to be your BMR. I'm a petite person and my BMR is 1373. That means I need to eat AT LEAST that much just for my organs to function. I'm telling ya, check out eat more to weigh less. I was so freaked out to up my calories at first because when I first joined I lost 7 lbs, then I hit a 4 week plateau. I started eating more and about 10 days later my body must have started trusting that I was going to continue to feed it because I dropped 1.2 lbs. I would not advocate this if I had not tried it myself! Eat more to weigh less, you will not be sorry you did!
  • MsMarie213
    MsMarie213 Posts: 21
    OP: with the amount you have to lose your goal should not be to lose more than 1lb/week, this would put you right around your BMR if you did not include exercise in TDEE, so on top of that eat back the cals you burn from exercise.

    If you factored in exercise into your TDEE, set your goal to lose 1lb/week (500 cals below that) and don't log exercise in MFP.

    Thank You
  • andreachirillo
    andreachirillo Posts: 52 Member
    Here's a question...and if you feel the need to be rude or condescending, please don't reply...

    If you shouldn't eat less than your BMR, then why does MFP calculate a net calorie goal that is less than your BMR?

    MFP is just a calculator that gives you an output based on your inputs. If you set the proper weekly weight loss goal given your stats, unless you are obese, the goal should be near or above your BMR.

    Those with 75+ lbs to lose can eat under BMR without doing any harm to their body or risk of losing a lot of muscle.

    Thanks for the info! And, I appreciate a direct answer without any snide side remarks. :smile:
  • MsMarie213
    MsMarie213 Posts: 21
    Whoops, somehow I screwed up the quote but my reply is in the middle of your original post up there^^^^^

    So When i calculate my TDEE do i include the exercises i plan on doing everyday or just my lifestyle not including the exercises i plan to take part in>?





    It already includes your exercise because you will chose your activity level based on how often you exercise. Make sure not to under estimate how active you are for fear of over eating!! Go to Www.scoobyworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/.

    Not everyone does it that way though. The lifestyle or activity level or whatever this site calls it (don't remember off the top of my head) can be used to factor in workouts/exercise, or simply how "busy" your normal day-to-day life is, for lack of a better word. That's how I've set mine up. My activity level factors in my job, errands, house work, chasing my kids around, etc etc, but not my workouts.

    Thats how i did mines i just included my normal daily activity. I didnt include the workouts i was planning on adding in
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Oh, goodness. Look, I don't mean to cause offense, but I think you're over-complicating it.

    Go back through the goals setup, choose "guided". Enter your stats - the site will calculate the calories you burn at rest. Be honest about your daily activity - for lifestyle you can enter something that you think includes your exercise daily, or do like I did and choose "sedentary" so you can log all your exercise more precisely.

    Choose a realistic weight loss goal - the site will calculate the calories to consume (it will subtract these calories from what it thinks you'd burn given your stats and chosen activity level). These are your "remaining calories" every day.

    Eat food and "remaining calories" goes down. Log exercise (over and above your chosen lifestyle level) and "remaining calories" goes up. Try to make "remaining calories" as close to zero as possible. Watch the pounds start to disappear.

    If you're always hungry, track your fats/carbs/proteins and try to get those numbers as close to zero as possible in addition to eating your calories. This will balance your diet so your food is more efficient at feeding your body.

    So, in my case:

    - MFP thinks my body burns, at rest, about 2450 calories a day.
    - I told MFP that I wanted to lose 2 pounds a week, so it took away 1000 calories a day.
    - "Calories remaining" starts the day for me at 1,450 (2,450-1,000).
    - I eat a 400 calorie breakfast and the calories come off "remaining". I now have 1,050 calories
    - I hit the elliptical for an hour, and burn 700 calories. Those calories are added to "remaining". I now have 1,750 calories.
    - I eat sensible meals for the rest of the day and try to eat 1,750 calories for the remainder of the day (so adding my 400 calorie breakfast, I ate 2,150 calories today).

    NET RESULT:

    - My body has burned a base level of 2,450 calories
    - I have burned an additional 700 calories due to exercise
    - I have burned a total of 3,150 calories (2,450 + 700)

    - I have consumed 2,150 calories

    - I have burned 1,000 more calories today than I have consumed.

    At the end of a week, I should have lost approximately 2 pounds.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Whoops, somehow I screwed up the quote but my reply is in the middle of your original post up there^^^^^

    So When i calculate my TDEE do i include the exercises i plan on doing everyday or just my lifestyle not including the exercises i plan to take part in>?





    It already includes your exercise because you will chose your activity level based on how often you exercise. Make sure not to under estimate how active you are for fear of over eating!! Go to Www.scoobyworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/.

    Not everyone does it that way though. The lifestyle or activity level or whatever this site calls it (don't remember off the top of my head) can be used to factor in workouts/exercise, or simply how "busy" your normal day-to-day life is, for lack of a better word. That's how I've set mine up. My activity level factors in my job, errands, house work, chasing my kids around, etc etc, but not my workouts.

    Thats how i did mines i just included my normal daily activity. I didnt include the workouts i was planning on adding in

    Right, and my sense is that's how most people set theirs up. As such, the daily caloric goal calculated by MFP does not factor in the cals burned during exercise, which, as a general rule, it is suggested that people eat back their exercise cals.
  • MsMarie213
    MsMarie213 Posts: 21
    Here's a question...and if you feel the need to be rude or condescending, please don't reply...

    If you shouldn't eat less than your BMR, then why does MFP calculate a net calorie goal that is less than your BMR?


    That is a great question actually and I wish I had the answer to it. But to give you an example, I was set at 1200 calories and so was a friend of mine who is 72 lbs heavier than I am and we had the same exact goals. 1200 calories is not enough for most people unless it happens to be your BMR. I'm a petite person and my BMR is 1373. That means I need to eat AT LEAST that much just for my organs to function. I'm telling ya, check out eat more to weigh less. I was so freaked out to up my calories at first because when I first joined I lost 7 lbs, then I hit a 4 week plateau. I started eating more and about 10 days later my body must have started trusting that I was going to continue to feed it because I dropped 1.2 lbs. I would not advocate this if I had not tried it myself! Eat more to weigh less, you will not be sorry you did!

    So since my bmr is 1869 thats what i should at least be eating? Gosh it seems so difficult because since i began to eat meals throughout my day and not just eat 1 big meal like i used to i tend to stay more full my protien shakes and the constant drinking of water add on to the fullness as well. Sometimes its hard to reach my limit. Maybe i should stop being so scared to eat certain things like i am now and actually EAT to boost my calories.
  • MrsORourke
    MrsORourke Posts: 315 Member
    Here's a question...and if you feel the need to be rude or condescending, please don't reply...

    If you shouldn't eat less than your BMR, then why does MFP calculate a net calorie goal that is less than your BMR?
    It can only do so much. That's why I like the link I posted earlier.

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    then plug THOSE numbers in to MFP (the custom approach, or whatever they call it).

    Because I'm learing too...If someone uses this approach, do you still track/eat back exercise calories? Or no?
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Maybe i should stop being so scared to eat certain things like i am now and actually EAT to boost my calories.

    Pure gold right there!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Here's a question...and if you feel the need to be rude or condescending, please don't reply...

    If you shouldn't eat less than your BMR, then why does MFP calculate a net calorie goal that is less than your BMR?
    It can only do so much. That's why I like the link I posted earlier.

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    then plug THOSE numbers in to MFP (the custom approach, or whatever they call it).

    Because I'm learing too...If someone uses this approach, do you still track/eat back exercise calories? Or no?
    It depends on HOW you use it. Tell fat2fit how much you work out (your lifestyle), then plug the suggested number into MFP and then THAT'S IT. You don't need to track exercise or "eat back". If you tell fat2fit "sedentary" and then consistently exercise, then you'll need to consider your exercise calories in MFP.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Here's a question...and if you feel the need to be rude or condescending, please don't reply...

    If you shouldn't eat less than your BMR, then why does MFP calculate a net calorie goal that is less than your BMR?
    It can only do so much. That's why I like the link I posted earlier.

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    then plug THOSE numbers in to MFP (the custom approach, or whatever they call it).

    Because I'm learing too...If someone uses this approach, do you still track/eat back exercise calories? Or no?

    Yes. BMR is the calories your body needs to sustain itself at it's most basic level (breathing, blood flowing, etc). Ideally you want your daily calorie goal to be somewhere between your BMR and your TDEE. The closer to your BMR it is (or the higher your exercise burns are), the more important it is to eat back your cals.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Here's a question...and if you feel the need to be rude or condescending, please don't reply...

    If you shouldn't eat less than your BMR, then why does MFP calculate a net calorie goal that is less than your BMR?
    It can only do so much. That's why I like the link I posted earlier.

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    then plug THOSE numbers in to MFP (the custom approach, or whatever they call it).

    Because I'm learing too...If someone uses this approach, do you still track/eat back exercise calories? Or no?

    Yes. BMR is the calories your body needs to sustain itself at it's most basic level (breathing, blood flowing, etc). Ideally you want your daily calorie goal to be somewhere between your BMR and your TDEE. The closer to your BMR it is (or the higher your exercise burns are), the more important it is to eat back your cals.
    If you tell fat2fit how much you're working out, it tells you the calories to eat (in addition to BMR).
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Here's a question...and if you feel the need to be rude or condescending, please don't reply...

    If you shouldn't eat less than your BMR, then why does MFP calculate a net calorie goal that is less than your BMR?
    It can only do so much. That's why I like the link I posted earlier.

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    then plug THOSE numbers in to MFP (the custom approach, or whatever they call it).

    Because I'm learing too...If someone uses this approach, do you still track/eat back exercise calories? Or no?
    It depends on HOW you use it. Tell fat2fit how much you work out (your lifestyle), then plug the suggested number into MFP and then THAT'S IT. You don't need to track exercise or "eat back". If you tell fat2fit "sedentary" and then consistently exercise, then you'll need to consider your exercise calories in MFP.

    The link given doesn't factor in lifestyle... it's a BMR calculator, not TDEE.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Here's a question...and if you feel the need to be rude or condescending, please don't reply...

    If you shouldn't eat less than your BMR, then why does MFP calculate a net calorie goal that is less than your BMR?
    It can only do so much. That's why I like the link I posted earlier.

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    then plug THOSE numbers in to MFP (the custom approach, or whatever they call it).

    Because I'm learing too...If someone uses this approach, do you still track/eat back exercise calories? Or no?
    It depends on HOW you use it. Tell fat2fit how much you work out (your lifestyle), then plug the suggested number into MFP and then THAT'S IT. You don't need to track exercise or "eat back". If you tell fat2fit "sedentary" and then consistently exercise, then you'll need to consider your exercise calories in MFP.

    The link given doesn't factor in lifestyle... it's a BMR calculator, not TDEE.
    Oh, right. this one gives you choices AFTER you click. (which I like better).
    Same outcome. How you use MFP will depend on which "activity level" you choose versus reality, and how much "control" you want.
  • MrsORourke
    MrsORourke Posts: 315 Member
    Thanks so much for the info!
This discussion has been closed.

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