Weight Loss Support Give and get support here!

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 02-01-2014, 02:40 AM   #1  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
RadaTwirl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Del Mar, CA
Posts: 28

S/C/G: 206/199.2/135

Height: 5'7"

Unhappy Confused about BMR...

Hi everyone, I'm counting calories and I'm using the Lose It! app to do so.
Bottom line is: My BMR is 1727. The amount of calories I'm allotted a day is 1418, and I usually eat around 1200-1400. (This is calculated by the app.)
For both, I gave honest and accurate information.
I recently heard that I should never eat below my BMR, why is that? I've felt find with the amount of calories I've been eating, and being female, I don't really mind losing muscle. I'm not interested in gaining any at the moment.

I have never particularly enjoyed working out and don't think I ever will, so I haven't been exercising very much outside of doing a lot of walking to and from class.

Should I be eating below my BMR? My metabolism feels... fine, I guess? I'm not very in-touch with my body on these things, usually if I feel tired, its because I didn't sleep enough. I mean, I'm losing weight, but all of a sudden I'm hearing that netting below your BMR is bad for you. I'm pretty confused.
RadaTwirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-01-2014, 08:26 AM   #2  
Senior Member
 
Palestrina's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 4,607

S/C/G: 215/188/150

Height: 5'4"

Default

Are you clocking in exercise? If you do then your calorie allottment for the day goes up. I never clocked in exercise. I've always kept a general rule of eating around my BMR, only because it feels right. And I figure that my BMR is the amount of calories my body burns at rest so any movement I do beyond that is caloric deficit.

Are you satisfied with 1400cal a day? Have you set your weight loss settings too low on Lose it? I found that if I set it to losing 2lbs a week my caloric allotment was way too low for me to be satisfied. I kept it at around 1lb per week.
Palestrina is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-01-2014, 11:32 AM   #3  
Embracing the suck
 
JohnP's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: California - East Bay
Posts: 3,185

S/C/G: 300/234/abs

Height: 6'9"

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by RadaTwirl View Post
I recently heard that I should never eat below my BMR, why is that?
For the same reason that you must eat every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolism humming along.

For the same reason that you must eat breakfast to stoke your metabolic fire.

For the same reason that you must practice HIIT exercise to engage your flux capacitor and burn calories 24/7.

Finally, because if you don't your body will go into starvation mode and losing weight will be impossible.

All of the above are false. You're going to hear a lot of untrue things and some of them will come from people who have been very successful at losing weight.

Bottom line is that when you diet your metabolism slows down but not by much. If you restrict calories too heavily for too long you will suffer major negative consequences but simply going below your BMR doesn't matter.
JohnP is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-01-2014, 12:05 PM   #4  
Warrior Princess
 
novangel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,285

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnP View Post
For the same reason that you must practice HIIT exercise to engage your flux capacitor and burn calories 24/7.
I love HITT.
novangel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-01-2014, 01:54 PM   #5  
Less of a Better Me
 
Koshka's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,412

Default

I've never heard that you shouldn't eat below your BMR. I eat below mine most days and I've been doing fine losing weight.

I would suggest that you might want to think about not caring if you lose muscle. I understand you might not want to be a bodybuilder, but everyone needs an adequate amount of muscle. As you age, you will eventually start losing muscle. This is part of the natural part of aging unless you do things to increase your muscle. My mother (in her 80s) can't take a bath anymore (she has to take showers) because if she sits down in a tub she doesn't have the muscle strength to get up. I don't think she ever cared about whether she lost muscle or not. But, now, she does care that she can't do lots of things because she doesn't have the strength to do it. And, she needed to be thinking about those things when she was younger.
Koshka is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-01-2014, 02:39 PM   #6  
diamondgeog
Guest
 
Posts: n/a

Default

I think it is a fallacy that you must or even should eat every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolism humming along. That was conventional thought but not so much now.

Many people do better with 3 meals a day and minimum snacking. They have compared success rates and the non every 2-3 hour folk do better at weight loss. Yes you want the best food possible to fuel you. But even when you eat good food the body has to do a lot of processing of it. Having time between eating gives your body a rest and ability to do other things.

Now if it helps someone consume fewer calories overall then it is OK. But by no means a necessary thing to do if you don't feel the need to.

At maintenance though, I don't know. Maybe it is better then. The studies were on people losing weight not trying to maintain.

Last edited by diamondgeog; 02-01-2014 at 02:41 PM.
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-01-2014, 05:51 PM   #7  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
RadaTwirl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Del Mar, CA
Posts: 28

S/C/G: 206/199.2/135

Height: 5'7"

Default

I am eating every 2-3 hours simply because I find myself getting hungry every two hours or so and it keeps me from binging.
Yes, I am almost always satisfied with 1400 calories a day. The only time I find myself getting hungry is at the end of the day, if I've had something stupidly dense in calories. (yesterday without thinking, I drank a 16oz bubble milk tea for 360 calories! Oops!)
My weight loss goals are set at 2lb/week, but I figure as long as I'm feeling happy and satisfied with my calorie allotment, there's nothing wrong with that setting, is there? The idea is to lose as much weight as fast as possible, while still being comfortable and safe, right? In that case I'm feeling pretty good.
RadaTwirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-01-2014, 05:56 PM   #8  
Senior Member
 
Secret Swan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 226

S/C/G: 197/ticker/135

Height: 5'4"

Default

You can eat below your BMR. I mean, make sure you are getting enough nutrients and that you have the energy to engage in activities and live life, but if you are overweight enough you already have a lot of energy in storage. But don't blow off muscle! You will want it later, I promise, and it'll be harder to out it back on. You can minimize muscle loss by doing some kind of strength training as you lose. Whatever activity you like best that involves some resistance.

Otherwise, what if you get to your goal and you look and feel bad? You'll have painted yourself into a corner a bit and you'll probably have to gain weight back to gain the muscle you need to be healthy. Much easier to just work on it as you go.
Secret Swan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-01-2014, 05:57 PM   #9  
Food and Wine Lover
 
Chardonnay's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 312

S/C/G: Goal Weight: 125

Height: 5'3"

Default

What I learned is that your BMR is the amount of calories you need to keep your body alive if you're in a coma. Well, that's me paraphrasing, but that's the idea, it's what your body needs to keep you humming along in health if you're sedentary. But I really can't see it being an exact science. My bmr is around 1350. If I eat 1250 each day for a week, will my liver and kidneys suffer? I doubt it. I think it's just a suggested number to give people an idea of how many calories they can choose to consume, but of course, if you're more active, you'll need more calories if you lack energy.

If I work out 3x a week at the gym and eat below my bmr, I can't get out of bed most days, but upping my calories about 400 or so gives me extra energy. That seems to be the amount I can eat and still be in weight loss mode.

Last edited by Chardonnay; 02-01-2014 at 05:57 PM.
Chardonnay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-01-2014, 05:57 PM   #10  
Member
 
Jaymie77's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Posts: 30

S/C/G: 190/180/130

Height: 5' 2"

Default

What is HIIT?
Jaymie77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-01-2014, 05:58 PM   #11  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
RadaTwirl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Del Mar, CA
Posts: 28

S/C/G: 206/199.2/135

Height: 5'7"

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Secret Swan View Post
You can eat below your BMR. I mean, make sure you are getting enough nutrients and that you have the energy to engage in activities and live life, but if you are overweight enough you already have a lot of energy in storage. But don't blow off muscle! You will want it later, I promise, and it'll be harder to out it back on. You can minimize muscle loss by doing some kind of strength training as you lose. Whatever activity you like best that involves some resistance.

Otherwise, what if you get to your goal and you look and feel bad? You'll have painted yourself into a corner a bit and you'll probably have to gain weight back to gain the muscle you need to be healthy. Much easier to just work on it as you go.
I will keep this in mind, guys!
RadaTwirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-01-2014, 06:21 PM   #12  
Senior Member
 
freelancemomma's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Toronto
Posts: 2,213

S/C/G: 195/145/145

Height: 5'11"

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by RadaTwirl View Post
Bottom line is: My BMR is 1727. The amount of calories I'm allotted a day is 1418, and I usually eat around 1200-1400. (This is calculated by the app.)
For both, I gave honest and accurate information.
I recently heard that I should never eat below my BMR, why is that?
It's a complete myth that you shouldn't eat below your BMR when trying to lose weight. Most experts advise not going below 1,200 calories per day, which is well below most people's BMR.

Just to clarify: BMR refers to your basal metabolic rate, which is the amount of calories you would burn in a day if you were sleeping 24/7. The number you quoted (1,727) sounds more like your TEE, or total energy expenditure -- the amount you actually burn in a typical day, which includes both sleep and wake time. Many people confuse BMR with TEE.

Freelance

Last edited by freelancemomma; 02-01-2014 at 06:21 PM.
freelancemomma is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-01-2014, 06:23 PM   #13  
Senior Member
 
freelancemomma's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Toronto
Posts: 2,213

S/C/G: 195/145/145

Height: 5'11"

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by diamondgeog View Post
I think it is a fallacy that you must or even should eat every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolism humming along. That was conventional thought but not so much now.
John listed that trope as a fallacy, not a fact.

F.
freelancemomma is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-01-2014, 07:22 PM   #14  
diamondgeog
Guest
 
Posts: n/a

Default

I agree then :-). I have heard HIIT can be very effective though. It is High Intensity Interval Training: going all out in short time frames.
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-02-2014, 03:27 AM   #15  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
RadaTwirl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Del Mar, CA
Posts: 28

S/C/G: 206/199.2/135

Height: 5'7"

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by freelancemomma View Post
It's a complete myth that you shouldn't eat below your BMR when trying to lose weight. Most experts advise not going below 1,200 calories per day, which is well below most people's BMR.

Just to clarify: BMR refers to your basal metabolic rate, which is the amount of calories you would burn in a day if you were sleeping 24/7. The number you quoted (1,727) sounds more like your TEE, or total energy expenditure -- the amount you actually burn in a typical day, which includes both sleep and wake time. Many people confuse BMR with TEE.

Freelance
No, my TEE is more along the lines of 2004. I checked that as well.
I'm 16, around 200 pounds and 5'7". My age is likely where such a high number is coming from.

I know he was posting the second quote as a fallacy, I was pointing out that I tend to do that anyway.
RadaTwirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:43 AM.


We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.