Ok so... reading on my fitness pal, and other websites... you shouldnt eat below your BMR... now depending on the website, for ME that can be anywhere from 1700-2000...

Thinking back to the several times I did (and successfully lost weight) using weight watchers eating what ended up being probably 1300-1500 calories a day.........

Doing medifast for 5 weeks eating 900 calories a day (UGH dont get me started on how HORRIBLE that was for me)

Im basically trying to figure out WHAT I need to do to be HEALTHY, and lose weight?? Can i really lose weight eating 2000 calories???

Also add to that the fact that I would like to also gain muscle.............. I want to lose a good 40 lbs, according to BMI I NEED to lose a good 60 lbs.... so what is a girl to do????

I spent 3 months eating what MFP wanted me to eat and adding in exercise calories (which everyone on that site YELLS at you to do) etc, and not losing... then I got a bodybug and ate with a 500-800 deficit etc, and didnt lose anything during that time.... (probably eating from 1500-2000 a day)

I find people over on MFP to be VERY contradictory, and some people tell you one thing while others tell you another. Which has led me to be VERY confused on what I need to be doing to lose weight!!!!

Does anyone have any input? Is the whole thing about eating above your BMR correct, or not???

Thank you so much!

It can be confusing. I read a really good thread with good informative responses, as well as a link to a couple BMR calculators.
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weig...etabolism.html
Hope this helps! It seems to me that the more you have to lose, the more it's ok to eat below BMR, and also that a lot of those BMR calculators WAY over estimate BMRs.

When I began my weight loss journey, I was about the same size as you and lost weight eating 1300-1400 calories a day. Was it fast? No, but it is what worked for me.
There is a ton of information everywhere and everyone has an opinion but really what matters is finding something that works FOR YOU!
Give the plan a chance, sometimes changing plans every couple of months may confuse your body and slow progress down.
As for building muscle. I too have this goal. I met my initial weight loss goal and then concentrated on what I really needed to do to build the muscle. Eating more protein, etc.
Best of luck to you.

Oh the diet plans were not at all near each other. Honestly Ive been trying for the past year to lose weight VIA mfp, and eating about 1500-1800 calories a day as well as working out. I did however sometimes eat my exercise calories (because thats what everyone got me believing I needed to do)

medifast was over a year ago, and I havent done weight watchers for many years...

Thanks for the link Ill go look at it.

So maybe most things are not correct and I should eat lower calorie than what Im seeing???

Those apps tend to confuse me, personally. Things that add back calories for activity stalls out my loss, probably b/c you're eating back your deficit.... It's better for me to stick in the 1450-1750 ish range and get good exercise a few times a week, that tends to get the scale moving fairly quickly. Were they adding back calories to your allotment?

You have to realize that these apps, charts, calculations, and rates are all guesstimates at best -- there really is no one-size-fits-all rule. Everyone is different (as we stated in the "Metabolism" thread on page 2), so you may have to try different things ...

I agree; did you try 1500-1800 without taking back your deficit? You have a few other options that you can try ...

1) lower your calories as stated: start with 100 a day
2) if that doesn't work, increase them (add in protein first)
3) cycle your daily calories (1500;1700;1600;1800)
4) low day; high day -- EOD (1500;1800)
5) switcheroo: food choices (more protein & veggies)
6) add walking: regular & speed walking EOD
7) start lifting weight 2 days a week

Just keep changing things up until you find a system that works for YOU; good luck ...

I do not know what will work best for you. All I can share is my experience.
I lost 114 lbs last year and during this time I always ate less than my BMR. A whole year of eating less than my BMR and my doctor could not have been more pleased with my physical condition and with my blood chemistry.

Eating below my BMR seems to work very well for me.

Larry.

I didn't use apps. I kept it simple. I'm pretty tech savvy, but I certainly am not part of the "tech generation." I never ate as much as my BMR while I was losing, and I never ate my exercise calories. I stayed around 1400 - 1500 calories a day, light on carbs and fat, high on protein, veggies, and fruit. I didn't follow a diet plan per se. I wanted to make changes for life and didn't want to be tied to an app or a calculator. I lost 90 pounds in 38 weeks and have maintained at 160 - 162 for 6 months pretty easily by eating like I did last year on most days and cutting loose a bit a couple days a week.

I've never heard the rule to never go below your BMR. The only limit I've heard is to stay at a minimum of 1200 calories. Change up the routine, change up your calories. Do what it takes, but keep it simple. I think the diet industry as a whole has allowed us to think there is some huge secret process involved here and the only key to the answer is through them. It's simpler than you might think. Cut back on calories until you see a loss. Stay there until you're the weight you want to be. And don't rely too much on BMI, either. It's all a guideline, a tool, to get us into a healthy range.

Lin

You might not like the answer but here it is in a nut shell...