I don't believe in the BMR thing. Anyone else?

I suggest not even counting calories burned when not exercising. I never even consider it. The only calories I count as burned are the those that are worked off actually exercising! Anything over and above that is cake.

Yes - cake that you should eat.

But seriously, that's a ridiculous thing to say. Unless you are doing very intense workouts, the majority of your calories are burned by things that are not exercise... like powering your brain, keeping your heart beating, and so on. If I go by what you're saying, if I don't exercise at all, I could live my whole life without eating.

Trolling.

you would be surprised how much you burn. I have bodymedia fit. I was actually kind of shocked that I burn 2300 calories on a rest day. I mean I don't sit around all day, but just cooking, dishes and light cleaning.

I don't believe in the easter bunny.

Oh my gosh, I'm not doubting science or anything like that. It's just that the concept is weird.
We have some unnecessarily mean people here

Sorry if the science comments sounded mean. I meant mine as a joke. It's just that the topic of your post "I don't believe in the BMR thing" is funny because BMR is science, so it's like saying you don't believe in science.

Anyway, yeah like everyone else has said, you'd be surprised how hard your body is working even when you're just sitting around! It takes a lot of energy to do that much work, which burns a lot of calories. Be glad for it!

Some of you guys are so mean, it's actually offputting. I've so many questions I'd love to ask but then I see replies like the ones on this thread from patronizing know-alls who have been here a lot longer than either myself or the OP are. The girl just joined in March, how about a little support and correct explanation without all the bashing?

Can none of you with hundreds or thousands of posts think back to when you first learned about BMRs, TDEEs, Fitbits, HRMs? It's goddamn confusing for someone who's never heard these terms before and it would be really beneficial to everyone here if you could use some of your knowledge to HELP US rather than mock and be condescending. We're all after the same goal here - to be fit and healthy.


THIS is why I hate the message boards on this site.

Fitness "Pal" my *kitten*...

I certainly believe in the BMR thing from the simple perspective that a lot of the calories that we burn in a day are not actually tied to physical activity. According to McArdle, roughly 70% of the calories that our bodies use are for the bare essentials of staying alive like heart, liver, brain, and breathing functions. About 10% is used on digestion. Only about 20% is actually used on our physical activity.

It says I burn 1,450 calories at a sedentary lifestyle, but I feel as if I burn waaaaay less than that.
How can it take your weight and height or whatever and tell you accurately how many calories you burn daily?
I really don't get how that works... lol

It's called physiology. Gravity of Earth, your weight, your actual movement ends up with a calculation of how much energy is expended. There's much more to it than that (age, gender etc.) but it's a calculation that's approximated.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I went to a lab with my husband last week and we both got tested at rest and during exercise. We had to wear masks and breath through a tube into an analysis machine. Stuff like this is not subject to belief.....there is real science behind it. You can have your own opinions, but the facts remain the same.

I've had that test, too, many years ago. I would trust the results in that case because they are measuring your CO2 output as well as having much more detailed information about you. They also test you in an exercising and rested state.

What's not to believe? It does exist. The actual number will vary every day. You "can" get a true number with certain devices like fitbit or bodyugg and things like that, which also cost a lot of money. For most people, an average number is sufficient to determine caloric goals. Nothing is 100% exact in this game unfortunately.

I repeat: trolling.

I went to a lab with my husband last week and we both got tested at rest and during exercise. We had to wear masks and breath through a tube into an analysis machine. Stuff like this is not subject to belief.....there is real science behind it. You can have your own opinions, but the facts remain the same.

I've had that test, too, many years ago. I would trust the results in that case because they are measuring your CO2 output as well as having much more detailed information about you. They also test you in an exercising and rested state.

I had mine tested as well.... if you are questioning what yours is, I highly recommend it. We are all different and I don't believe 1 formula works for all, there are many variables that need to be considered. There are people out there that the estimated BMR is not accurate, could be medical reasons (thyroid etc) or metabolic/hormonal issues... I will agree that the basic calculation of BMR does work for most people ... but that does not mean everyone. Good luck!

I'd like some clarity: when you say "the BMR thing", are you talking about what BMR represents, or how MFP calculates it? Because BMR is very real, but calculations only guess at what your BMR is.

One of the things most people don't understand about the formulas is that the lowest activity level would be used if you were bed ridden and possibly in a coma. Sedentary does not apply for 99% of the people on here, which causes the calculated BMR to be lower than it should be.

The best thing to do, in the end, is to simply keep track of your weight over time. If you try to lose 1 pound each week (3500 calorie deficit each week/500 each day) and find you are averaging more than that each week, your BMR is too low. If your average is under, your BMR is too high. So make manual adjustments to your own numbers to get your accurate BMR. It's a time consuming process, but in the end, it will prove the BMR is not fiction!