Quote:
Originally Posted by twinieten
If you're trying to lose, you need to be under your BMR calories. If you are maintaining, then you need to at least eat to your BMR. As I understand it....
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Not exactly. It's okay to eat under your BMR occasionally, but you don't want to make a long-term habit of it. I ate under mine yesterday, but I'm not worried about it because it was a one-off, you know? I'm sure today will be a different story.
Your baseline BMR (what it takes to maintain essential functions if you lie in bed all day) should be considered your caloric floor, where your maintenance calories should be the ceiling (if you want to lose weight).
Disclaimer: No BMR calculator is going to be exact.
To find your baseline BMR,
use this calculator. Then take that number and multiply by your
activity level here to get your maintenance calories. ETA: Even if you don't exercise, there is a sedentary multiplier to use. The only way you'd keep the original BMR is if you are bed-bound.
Keep in mind that your BMR will change as you continue to lose weight, and your maintenance calories will change with activity level, so you'll want to recalculate from time to time to change your target intake.