How far below my BMR should I eat?

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LittleButMightyOne
LittleButMightyOne Posts: 117
in Fitness and Exercise
MFP has set my daily calorie goal at 1200 calories. I know from being tested at a medical fitness center/gym that my BMR is about 1350 calories--lower than it should be at my height because I've already lost nearly 20 pounds (starting very slightly overweight, and now in a normal range), and also because I do more cardio than strength training, which I am now trying to fix. Is a 150 calorie deficit from my BMR too big? And if I gain muscle and get tested at the center again, and it shows that my BMR has increased, should I increase my daily intake goal as well? (I eat most of my calories back, especially on strength training days.)

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  • Madelinew22
    Madelinew22 Posts: 289
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    IM Guessing ur new to this. U don't eat below ur bmr, ever. U set a 300-500 cal deficit from ur tdee. Like example my bmr is 1359 at 119lbs height 5'2. My tdee on the other hand is 1689. So to lose weight I set a 400( in the middle) cal deficit of 1289 but I just set it at 1300. Ull get there. 1200 is the minimum
  • LittleButMightyOne
    LittleButMightyOne Posts: 117
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    If your bmr is 1359 and you eat 1300 calories, aren't you still eating 59 calories below your bmr? Also, how do I figure out my tdee? My bmr plus my exercise calories lost still doesn't take into account calories lost just moving around performing daily activities.
  • Madelinew22
    Madelinew22 Posts: 289
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    Ha opps ya I usually eat way more since I'm kinda in between maintnence and fat loss so I usually eat 1600. There is a tool on here that can figure ur tdee out
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    MFP will do all the maths for you!

    Set up your goals with a realistic weight loss goal (proabably 1/2 pound a week seeing as you are in the healthy weight range)
    Choose your activity level to reflect the things you do each day (work, home etc but not extra exercise).

    MFP will show you a summary of how much you need to maintain your weight without exercise (this is your TDEE minus exercise).
    And will give you a daily calorie allowance to let you lose weight without exercising.

    When you exercise, log it and eat the extra cals.

    Alternatively, if the whole "eat your exercise cals" thing makes you freak out, then pick an activity level that already includes your exercise and don't add extra exercise into your diary.
    The outcome will be pretty much the same, you just need to pick one method and stick to it.
  • LittleButMightyOne
    LittleButMightyOne Posts: 117
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    Rubybelle, I did that when I first signed up a few days ago, and it gave me a calorie allowance I know to be 150 calories below my BMR. That's why I'm asking. If it's that far below my BMR, it must be even further below my TDEE. Knowing that, should I aim to eat more than MFP recommends?
  • thefreebiemom
    thefreebiemom Posts: 191 Member
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    I asked about this same thing in another thread but didn't get an answer. I always thought we weren't supposed to eat below BMR but MFP has my calories at 1670 and my BMR is 1881. My TDEE is at 2585. I would like the answer to this too. I don't see how eating over 1881 would help since I'm already not losing much weight at 1670.
  • LittleButMightyOne
    LittleButMightyOne Posts: 117
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    Exactly, freebiemom. I'm worried that eating below my BMR will slow my metabolism further (which is already slow for my height/weight), and especially when I'm trying to build muscle! Plus, if I do need to eat above the calorie allowance set by MFP, should I set it at my BMR or slightly above?

    Also, I didn't see a tool on MFP that calculates TDEE separate from the calorie intake allowance. Can someone point this out to me? Or did you calculate it yourself, freebiemom?
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Rubybelle, I did that when I first signed up a few days ago, and it gave me a calorie allowance I know to be 150 calories below my BMR. That's why I'm asking. If it's that far below my BMR, it must be even further below my TDEE. Knowing that, should I aim to eat more than MFP recommends?

    Do you exercise? If so, then you add in extra calories when you exercise which brings your calorie alllowance up.

    But, if this doesn't sound good to you - then pick another number. Really, this isn't an exact science, all the numbers we are working with are estimates, so all you can do is pick a number, try it out for a month and see how your body reacts. Then you can change things up or down from there.
  • LittleButMightyOne
    LittleButMightyOne Posts: 117
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    Thanks RubyBelle! I do exercise regularly. I will try it for a month at a 1200 cal net per day, and at a month's end I will get tested again to see if I'm building muscle and whether my BMR has gone up or down. If it has gone up, I will adjust my daily calories slightly upward to compensate.
  • DatRipped
    DatRipped Posts: 12 Member
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    The adult female body requires much more than 1200 calories daily. There will be no muscle growth at that immense deficit. My girlfriend is currently 105lbs and slowly gaining lean mass (no notable fat whatsoever) while eating ~1800 calories daily and resistance training ~4-5 times per week. Cardio is unnecessary.

    For you, I suggest a slow and steady recomp. This can be achieved by eating roughly 1600-1700 calories each day (make sure to consume a MINIMUM of 70-80 grams of protein) and including moderately intense weightlifting at least 3 times per week.

    I urge you to message me with any questions regarding diet or training, I'd love to help!

    For health!

    -Richard

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