Not understanding BMR w/ MFP... please help!

sbfitz
sbfitz Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm hoping someone on here who's much more seasoned in the MFP weight loss ways can help me to understand whether I am doing the right thing when it comes to my weight loss goals.

I've started to get back on track with MFP and according to the profile I set, with my age as 21, my height as 5'7, and my initial weight as 148 with a goal weight of 130 pounds. From this, my fitness goals were set to show me consuming 1200 calories a day, and burning 810 cals per week.

So far I have been keeping to my calories, working out (I go running and do the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred), and I often end up with a 100-200 cal deficit left at the end of the day from exercising.

Here's the problem: I keep reading on here that you should eat your exercise calories, but I'm not really understanding how you can lose weight , especially if you're supposed to "burn more than you consume" in order to lose weight. Wouldnt that mean I have to burn all 1200 of the calories I've consumed in order to lose any weight?

On the other hand, I looked up my BMR on Fat2FitRadio.com upon recommendation from a post on this board, I've learned that my current BMR is 1696 cals, and that based on a moderate level of activity each week, I should be consuming 2455 calories daily, in order to become the thinner person at my goal weight.

None of this makes sense to me, and I really need help trying to make sense of it all. I'm being told so many different numbers and none of them make sense -- it's like I have to overeat in order to lose weight. Can someone help me to make sense of all this, and explain to me the differences?

Replies

  • mrsmel55
    mrsmel55 Posts: 168
    Join the group "Eat More to Weigh Less". There is a lot of good info there and they will explain it to you. You are not eating enough that is for sure. You need to net at least 1200 calories, no less than that. You should eat at least your BMR....which is how MFP figures your calores and exercise calories. They don't explain it to you but if you take the 1200 and add your exercise calories it should come close to your BMR number. That is the least you should eat to fuel your body. Good Luck!
  • jenniejengin
    jenniejengin Posts: 784 Member
    Join the group "Eat More to Weigh Less". There is a lot of good info there and they will explain it to you. You are not eating enough that is for sure. You need to net at least 1200 calories, no less than that. You should eat at least your BMR....which is how MFP figures your calores and exercise calories. They don't explain it to you but if you take the 1200 and add your exercise calories it should come close to your BMR number. That is the least you should eat to fuel your body. Good Luck!

    :smile:
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    Here's the problem: I keep reading on here that you should eat your exercise calories, but I'm not really understanding how you can lose weight , especially if you're supposed to "burn more than you consume" in order to lose weight. Wouldnt that mean I have to burn all 1200 of the calories I've consumed in order to lose any weight?
    Yes, you have to burn all 1200 calories. You burn them by living. Do you think it takes zero calories to run your body when you aren't exercising?
  • sbfitz
    sbfitz Posts: 4

    Yes, you have to burn all 1200 calories. You burn them by living. Do you think it takes zero calories to run your body when you aren't exercising?

    And how exactly am I supposed to factor that in and figure out how much I need to be burning? Everyone is telling me that 1200 is not enough but I always thought I needed to be consuming less calories than I burn.
  • Glucocorticoid
    Glucocorticoid Posts: 867 Member
    You don't need to count the expenditure from exercise. Here is an alternative, simpler, and just as effective approach:

    1. Forget about the deficit that MFP calculated for you.

    2. Figure your maintenance intake (this is not your BMR, this is how many calories you'll need to eat per day to neither gain nor lose weight - 13-16x your body weight is usually a good estimate). Read this for details. http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/how-to-estimate-maintenance-caloric-intake.html

    3. Set the deficit. A modest deficit is fine, 10-20%. Read this for the pros and cons of small vs large deficits. http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/setting-the-deficit-small-moderate-or-large.html

    4. Set protein intake
    5. Set fat intake
    6. The rest is carbs.

    Read this link for assistance with steps 4-6
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/setting-the-deficit-small-moderate-or-large.html

    This way, you don't have to count your exercise calories, nor do you have to eat them back. Adjust the deficit based on real-word changes.
  • nannabannana
    nannabannana Posts: 780
    You don't need to count the expenditure from exercise. Here is an alternative, simpler, and just as effective approach:

    1. Forget about the deficit that MFP calculated for you.

    2. Figure your maintenance intake (this is not your BMR, this is how many calories you'll need to eat per day to neither gain nor lose weight - 13-16x your body weight is usually a good estimate). Read this for details. http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/how-to-estimate-maintenance-caloric-intake.html

    3. Set the deficit. A modest deficit is fine, 10-20%. Read this for the pros and cons of small vs large deficits. http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/setting-the-deficit-small-moderate-or-large.html

    4. Set protein intake

    bump tks for all the input.
    5. Set fat intake
    6. The rest is carbs.

    Read this link for assistance with steps 4-6
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/setting-the-deficit-small-moderate-or-large.html

    This way, you don't have to count your exercise calories, nor do you have to eat them back. Adjust the deficit based on real-word changes.
  • moe0303
    moe0303 Posts: 934 Member
    Im coming from a different perspective.
    Wouldnt that mean I have to burn all 1200 of the calories I've consumed in order to lose any weight?

    No. Your body burns about 1700 calories just living. If you don't exercise, and you eat just 1200 calories a day, you will have a deficit of 500. That is a healthy weightloss goal of 1 pound per week. If you exercise, the amount of extra calories you burn will be added to that deficit. This could take your goal out of the healthy range depending on the amount of calories you burn,

    The design of the MFP program is that at the end of the day, you will want the remaining calories to say "0" or close to it.


    Hypothetical:
    You start the day with 1200 calories remaining.
    You eat a 1200 calorie meal.

    You now have 0 calories remaining.

    You burn 600 calories running.
    You now have 600 calories remaining.

    You can now (and should) eat 600 more calories and still meet you caloric deficit goal.
  • seniorfaye
    seniorfaye Posts: 295 Member
    bump for later....

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