I'm still trying to figure out the BMR thing after learning about it the other week or so.

I've been using an online BMR calculator and then this morning, I calculated what my active metabolic rate is from Jillian Michael's book "winning by losing."

Basically, from her book, my caloric intake for my current weight of 168 lbs is an average 2,258 calories (cardio only) to 2,530 calories (cardio & weight lifting). From the online BMR calculator it's about 2,428 calories after I include exercise.

Q1: Does this mean, after I get the total amount of calories for BMR, it's simply to maintain my weight?

Q2: In that case, does that mean I subtract 500 or 1,000 calories from the total amount of calories for weight maintanance in order to lose 1-2 lbs a week? (*Like if it's 2,258 calories for example, then I should be eating about 1,700 calories or so in order to lose a pound a week?)

thanks!

~ tea

What have you been doing up until now? Because clearly it's working!

My weight loss has slowed down significantly ... I lost a hundred fairly easy (just walking & eating 1,200-1,300 calories a day).

Then around the 210 calorie mark or so, my weight loss started to slow down.

Then by the time I reached 178 pounds (mid march), I joined a gym and started doing different cardio machines & included weight lifting. I upped my caloric intake to 1,500 calories then on the advice of my trainer since I still was struggling to lose weight and I was burning a lot more calories in the gym.

It's still slowed down and I only lost 2 lbs getting into the 160s very recently. I've tried eating less and eating at 1,500 calories and the scale doesn't budge. So the only other thing I could think of was to eat more.

But how much is enough to keep losing? I work out hard at the gym, but I'm not very active outside of the gym.

If the BMR thing doesn't work, should I get a bodybugg? I'm just frustrated.

~ tea

how tall are you?

I have also experienced a slow down of weight loss. My thinking was to add some more intensity to workouts that I already do, add one more to the week, and reduce calories. Also, I've tried increasing MUFA's to almost every meal (3-4 meals every 3-4 hours). In the last week, I've really felt a shift to success. I think the MUFA's helped my bloat and move my digestion (and constipation which is very weight heavy). I feel better.

Something I also noticed this morning at the grocery store was my favorite breakfast bun (a Portuguese sweet bun) has the calories as 170 so I have had one with my eggwhites/almond milk for a daily bread pudding. However, it's tricked me since the claories were determined for eight servings when there are only 6 buns.

This makes me realize that I need to really check out all my standard dishes and reassess to be sure I am ACCURATELY counting calories. This is one area that I think may have strongly contributed to my slow down (plus the constipation). At least, I feel like these are the two things that I have modified and now I'm clicking along again.

I bought two new books lately that I really love and have helped me to recommit: Prevention's 321 Weight Loss Plan and the Flat Belly Diet. Great info (added to my Volumetrics book by B Rolls).

To toot my horn, I went to Goodwill to buy a couple "too small" pants to inspire me. This method of goal setting really helped me over the last six months. Well, I picked out a bunch of pants and went to try on--they ALL fit. Two are a little tight but everything else fit. I bought them all (not my best financial plan but awesome for my mood). I did get one Evan Picone dress that is almost able to zip up but not quite--for my inspiration to lose the last bit of weight.

Also, nice to have my husband ask me this morning: so you're almost there what's your plan to maintain this? For some reason, this really makes me appreciate that he understand that success is great but there's a new life ahead that I have to figure out. I feel like Dortothy after landing in Munchkin Land. Looks good but, let's go slowly here.

You're doing the calculations correctly, I think. And yes, you would subtract 500 from your estimated active calorie burn (BMI times activity factor) for a pound a week loss. But please keep in mind that these are generalizations, and Your Mileage May Vary... All these calculations are estimates and averages only.

Jay

I was confused when I read Jillian's book too! Here is a link to my confused post: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/calo...ere-sorry.html

this is my first time trying to put a link in a post so sorry if it doesn't work. I just didn't want to re post something. But I was REALLY confused about the math in the book so if anyone can check out the post (originally posted in the calorie counters forum) and has any answers to my weird questions that would be great.

I remember Jillian talks about fluctuating your number of daily calories eaten (but still have them equal to your set number for a week) to get past a plateau. She says it 'confuses' your body by doing this and can help continue to lose. Maybe that will help you? But you have lost a lot of weight so far! Congrats!

I heard Jillian on her radio show say that she puts all of her Biggest Loser girls on 1200 calories and all the guys on 1600.
Quite different than what her books say. But, I guess they're there to lose it quickly, huh?

Biggest Loser is a contest! It is not a weight loss clinic! I personally think they are doing dangerous things on that show--look at that one contestant who ended up with a cracked hip. Basically, what they do on that show should not be copied as being a good way to proceed.

Jay

I know---I don't know why I continue to watch it.

Yeah, in her book she says not to ever go below 1200 calories a day because anything lower than that will put your body in 'starvation mode.'

On Jillian's latest radio show podcast she said 1400 calories were a good place to set one's calories at.
She varies with the caloric amounts all the time making *me* more and more confused about where to set my calories at.

She won't tell. Lots of people ask, she never answers.

I guess we can't really help then. There's a huge range of calories depending on whether you are 4'11", 6'2" or somewhere in between.

Good luck!

One can kind of guess from working backward from the numbers. But that's not the point--teawithsunshine just wants to know if she's doing the calculation correctly, and it looks like she is, regardless of her height.

Jay