Hi,

I soon will be approaching my first anniversary of weight maintenance and I have a problem which I could not resolve myself during this year and prior.

I started to exercise in 2001 and since then I regularly go for fitness assesments. I started with 37% fat and currently on 24% with my lowest 22%. I lost quite a bit of weight, I improved my hydration, my lean muscles grew, etc. I feel great... However, one thing did not change at all and this is my BMR.

So here it goes - in year 2001 at my heaviest my BMR was 1400 Kcal, while during last year it stays between 1370-1380Kcal!!! What is that? As somebody who NEVER exercised before year 2001 I am sick of listening that I should increase my exercise!!! I exercise at least 5 times/week, include running, weight training, brisk walking, skiing, biking, hiking, yoga, pilates, treadmill, etc. I have no other friend who exercises more (except for you my friends - but you are virtual and a role models ).

So any other suggestions? What happened to my BMR that it stalled on the same number regardless of my exercise? I do not believe that device is wrong - I measured this time in two gyms and results were almost the same, including body fat measurements and lean muscle measurements... I will appreciate your advices!

Thanks,
Sandy.

Hi Sandy, I'm kind of answering a question with a question here, but I always figured my BMR with online tools by entering my height and weight and so forth, then the number is returned to you. What type of tool are you using at the gym? I thought it was something you could only get a rounded, estimated number for. Also, I'm under the understanding that we can change our metabilism with little tricks like drinking cold water because then the body burns calories to warm itself up again, or the eating 5 small meals a day etc., and bmr is conected to our metabolism, but the calories you burn at the gym or above and beyond just breathing all day you add on to your BMR. So if you BMR is 1300 then that is the calories your body would burn if you were to just sit and breath all day, but if you walk, or spend time on your feet at work, or have kids you are chasing around or anything above just laying around you tack that on. If you burn 400 cals at work, walking, typing, little jobs all day, in an 8hr day, that adds up, then you hit the gym and do weights and cardio then add on another 800, then go home and prepare dinner and do laundry, add on another 250. At the end of the day that's 2750 calories. Sorry about the long winded return, but just one more thing. I came across a web site once that had an article, I believe it was called "Negative Calorie Foods" basically certain foods we take in take more calories to digest then they contain, like broccolli, there are something like 40 cals per serving (1 cup) but the body burns 60 calories trying to digest that one cup.
What I try to rember is my BMR is just the calories my body uses to stay alive, breath, keep the heart pumping etc. everything else is extra caloies being burned, every step, even typing on the computer, or showering and drying your hair in the morning. One more interesting fact, our bodies burn more calories in the winter rather then summer because they are working to stay warm. Good luck and sorry for the longwindedness again.

Hi Sashenka,

To my understanding the B in BMR means Basic. It is the Basic Metabolic Rate, so what you use just to stay alive. I checked through a book of dr pamela Peeke (fight fat after forty) to see if I could find some explanation for you. here are 2 relevant things she says:

1. She gives an approximate formula for your resting metabolic rate (i assume it is the same as the BMR) : RMR = 10*(weight in kg) + 6.25*(height in cm) -5x (age in years) -161.

2. a pound of muscle uses 35 - 50 calories per day MORE than a pound of fat in the metabolic rate

from 1: I get that with 38 pounds less (per your ticker) you should have a BMR that is lower by 170 cals a day.

My guess is that because you not only lost weight (so lowered your BMR because you have less body to feed) but also built muscle (that burns more) you have offsett your BMR so it has about stayed the same. In order to get to the numbers you mentioned that works out like you would have had not only to loose the 38 pounds, but also convert 3 - 5 pounds of fat into muscle. With all the excercise and weight lifting that does not seem unreasonable to me . What do you think ?

bye,
rabbit

As others have said, BMR is your resting calorie burn. With exercise, you should eat more! Some may disagree with me, but I'm 37 years old and 122 lbs and I have over 2200 calories a day, sometimes close to 2500 to maintain. If you're only eating 1300-1400, maybe try eating more one or two days a week and see what happens.

The only way to increase your BMR is by increasing your body mass, either fat or muscle, or with drugs. "Thermogenics", most of which have been taken off the legal market, do that, but with sometime fatal side effects. Drinking buckets of coffee all day long will do it. Nicotine will do it. Please don't take up smoking to raise your BMR!!!! Thyroid hormones do that if you are diagnosed with insufficient thyroid. Doing cardio exercise all day long will have no effect on your BMR. Building muscle will increase it, but muscle burns about 50 calories per KILOGRAM (2.2 pounds) at rest, not per pound.

How old are you, Sandy? Your BMR is about the same as mine was when I was that weight and body fat%, but I think I'm a lot older than you are. When you had the test done at the two gyms, did they tell you what percentile your BMR fell into? When I do testing, if I see someone whose BMR is less than the 75th percentile I tell then to mention it to their doctor.

Mel

Hi,

Mel, I am almost 37 now. From all suggestions I see that since my resting BMR does not drop significantly I should be happy. Well, I always thought that when you drop in weight and gain muscles eventually BMR will go up - obviously it needs A LOT of muscle to really noticably go up...

Thanks for all your help, gone building muscles

Sandy.

I'm resurrecting an old thread because of something I've been stewing over.

I've been doing a bunch of reading since I talked with Mel "Ladies Who Lift" yesterday about changing my goals.

I wanted a concise thought about fat loss and muscle gain to keep in my head.

Mel said above ....Building muscle will increase it (BMR)... muscle burns about 50 calories per KILOGRAM (2.2 pounds) at rest

Muscle increases metabolism, even while you're resting.

Yes, but it's not so easy to build enough muscle to eat like there was no tomorrow. I hear this dozen of times a week in the gym:"Hey, we did a great workout! All this muscle is really revving things up. Let's go over to the Classic Diner for brunch." The Classic Diner has the best and biggest omelettes, fries, reubens (oh, I'm drooling...I haven't had one in FIVE years) and milkshakes. I think they might have salads.

For a woman our size, putting one 5 pounds of muscle (2 kgs) is a major accomplishment. That means you can eat 1 extra tablespoon of peanut butter per day without gaining

This is in no way meant to discourage anyone from lifting weights! You'll be stronger, your bones will be healthier, you'll look better, you'll feel better...but it's not a license to eat everything in sight because it's not going to instantly turn you into a calorie burning furnace! Unfortunately....

Mel,
How right you are! I currently see muscle definitions in my arms (major accomplishment) and sometimes in my tummy, but your comment about 5 pounds of muscle = 1 tea spoon of peanut button almost caused tears in my eyes.

The only consolation is - I do not like peanut butter... So off to the gym to build those muscles

Sandy.