Base metabolic rate question

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EmBlazes
EmBlazes Posts: 374 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello people. I know that this has been mentioned on here ad infinitum but I'm a little concerned after my personal trainer did my measurements at the beginning of the year. He did one of those tests where they put current through you to test your body fat, water percentages etc. and it also tells you your basal metabolic rate. Mine came in as just over 1900. So doesn't this mean I need to consume at least this amount every day? I'm confused as I've been having about 1600 calories a day which is much less than my base rate. Should I just stick with MFP rate or up my calories?

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  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
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    If you tell mfp you want to lose weight, it will create a deficit for you to lose what you've entered. This is why it's important to eat the calories you burn while exercising because otherwise your deficit will be too great. The calculations between your trainer and mfp might be slightly different for your bmr so if you feel like you're not eating enough, you can manually increase your calories. Most people have to play with the numbers a little to find what works for their body.
  • mirrim52
    mirrim52 Posts: 763 Member
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    Are you sure that was you BMR or was it the amount of calories you burn in an average day (TDE or total daily expenditure)? It seems pretty high for a BMR.
    Have you tried using the BMR calculator on this site? How does it compare?
  • susanswan
    susanswan Posts: 1,194 Member
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    I just checked my BMR for 137.4 pounds and it was 1224. So I started at one pound a week for loss and my calories were 1200 per day. Then add the exercise calories and remember MFP had created a 500 calorie deficit to lose that 1 pound per week. I have since changed to lose 1/2 pound per week and now my calories before adding exercise are 1400.

    See if that helps you to calculate?
  • EmBlazes
    EmBlazes Posts: 374 Member
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    Thanks everyone for helping with the mechanics :smile:

    I weigh 246.4 pounds which is quite high and I think that's why my BMR is quite high. I don't think it was the TDE but thank you for mentioning that so I can check next time I'm in the gym.

    My weight also means I can have a higher calorie deficit and I think that's why I don't have a higher calorie intake. I'll play around with the numbers. I do find that 1600 seems like a good amount when I'm eating healthy foods. If I eat crap I can go through my 1600 calories far too quickly though!! I guess that's what I need to learn.
  • CQwest
    CQwest Posts: 3 Member
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    Thanks for asking this question. I was wondering the same thing today.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    I would not trust that BMR number. The test you describe sounds like what every cheap body fat scale does, and they're well-known to be inaccurate. And the only way I know of that it could test your BMR, unless you had an oxygen tube on your mouth, is by him putting in the same inputs we do to any BMR estimate formula (age, gender, weight, height). If 1900 sounds too high based on BMR estimates you see here or by Googling, I'd be suspect.

    If 1600 feels like a good calorie intake level, I'd go with it and see how you do. It's almost certainly under your total expenditure so you should lose something over time. Then you'll get a feel for what your actual burn level is, without even needing the estimaters.

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