MyFitnessPal makes no sense

[gothamhunter]

It tells me my BMR = 1812

I put in I want to lose 1LB/week

My daily caloric intake = 1770?

Isn't this backwards?

 

[TwiceOver]

Not backwards. That is a calorie deficit. I notice myfitnesspal doesn't calculate so well when you have a goal close to your current weight.

 

[TwiceOver]

Also what numbers are you using?

 

[z1ggy]

I used my fitness pal for like 3 months. It helped a lot even though its not 100% right, it gives a rough estimate of how much you can eat for that day based on your goals. I have really hit a plateau so I think I am going to start using it again.

 

[gothamhunter]

Not backwards. That is a calorie deficit. I notice myfitnesspal doesn't calculate so well when you have a goal close to your current weight.

It says I have 1770 calories remaining; isn't this my calorie balance for the day if I want to lose weight? I put in that I want to get to 150 lbs at 1lb/week.

 

[TwiceOver]

It says I have 1770 calories remaining; isn't this my calorie balance for the day if I want to lose weight? I put in that I want to lose 50 lbs at 1lb/week.

What is your starting weight?

The 1770 Remaining is what you have remaining to eat for the day. If you exercise and add those calories, your calories remaining will increase.

 

[-TC-]

BMR is the calories you burn just staying alive....activity/digestion increases it even further.

 

[gothamhunter]

I put in 188lbs, goal weight is 150lbs. Height of 5'8'' with Sedentary lifestyle and goal of 1lb/week loss. This puts me at a calorie balance of 1770 for the day. my BMR, calculated from the same site, is 1812. Eating only 1770 calories balance even after eating my exercise calories will put me into starvation mode!

 

[TwiceOver]

Starvation is more around 1200. 1700 you'll be just fine. Especially + workout calories.

 

[gothamhunter]

Starvation is more around 1200. 1700 you'll be just fine. Especially + workout calories.

Eating under your BMR puts your body into starvation mode.

 

[RbSX]

So much fail in this thread.

 

[TwiceOver]

Eating under your BMR puts your body into starvation mode.

Then I spent the last 7 months staving? You are looking for a calorie deficit in order to lose weight.

Hopefully I'm not the one providing the" fail" in this thread as rbsx said.

 

[gothamhunter]

So much fail in this thread.

Thanks for your wonderful contribution. Care to explain? Is everything I've been reading wrong?

 

[gothamhunter]

Then I spent the last 7 months staving? You are looking for a calorie deficit in order to lose weight.

Hopefully I'm not the one providing the" fail" in this thread as rbsx said.

Yes, you want a calorie deficit from your calorie balance that is your estimate for maintaining weight, but that deficit isn't supposed to be under your BMR, which will cause your body to go into starvation mode and hold onto every little calorie you eat.

 

[TwiceOver]

Yes, you want a calorie deficit from your calorie balance that is your estimate for maintaining weight, but that deficit isn't supposed to be under your BMR, which will cause your body to go into starvation mode and hold onto every little calorie you eat.

Guess I've never heard it that way. That's certainly not the way myfitnesspal handles it. Going by what you say you would have to work out every day and only eat back some of those calories. Which I would think is fine also. I don't know I'm not the authority on weight loss that's for sure.

But if that is the case then I starved myself by more than 1000 calories per day for 7 months. If my body was in starvation mode that whole time I'd be pretty unhealthy if not dead.

 

[KidNiki1]

TwiceOver, i think sociallychallenged sort of hinted at this in your post about reaching your goal. you got to where you want, which is good, but imo, you lost a little too fast, and its probably pretty much due to you undereating your calories by a fair amount. as long as you can healthily maintain your new weight, it's all water under the bridge now. but really, you shouldnt eat under your bmr on a consistent long term basis.


gothamhunter, i use MFP as well. i dont like the way it auto figures. i determined my bmr and then added about 200 to that. (pretty sedentary lifestyle atm) i set that as my calorie goal manually. that way it still adds my exercise calories in when i add activity, but i just meet my calorie goal each day and i know i am eating just enough over my bmr. you might try just doing it manually.

just a suggestion.

also, RbSX, im not sure why you even commented if you cant take the time to offer some constructive advice. either help out or keep your snide remarks to yourself. this isnt OT. not everyone is as awesome as you are (apparently) at getting and staying in shape. if you think everyone in this thread 'fails', then please, by all means, point us all in the right direction.

 

[RbSX]

TwiceOver, i think sociallychallenged sort of hinted at this in your post about reaching your goal. you got to where you want, which is good, but imo, you lost a little too fast, and its probably pretty much due to you undereating your calories by a fair amount. as long as you can healthily maintain your new weight, it's all water under the bridge now. but really, you shouldnt eat under your bmr on a consistent long term basis.


gothamhunter, i use MFP as well. i dont like the way it auto figures. i determined my bmr and then added about 200 to that. (pretty sedentary lifestyle atm) i set that as my calorie goal manually. that way it still adds my exercise calories in when i add activity, but i just meet my calorie goal each day and i know i am eating just enough over my bmr. you might try just doing it manually.

just a suggestion.

also, RbSX, im not sure why you even commented if you cant take the time to offer some constructive advice. either help out or keep your snide remarks to yourself. this isnt OT. not everyone is as awesome as you are (apparently) at getting and staying in shape. if you think everyone in this thread 'fails', then please, by all means, point us all in the right direction.

It's posted in the fat loss thread, I don't feel the need to repeat this over and over.

It's called the SEARCH FUNCTION... people should fucking learn to use it.

 

[RbSX]

Then I spent the last 7 months staving? You are looking for a calorie deficit in order to lose weight.

Hopefully I'm not the one providing the" fail" in this thread as rbsx said.

If you are eating under your BMR you're doing more damage to your body than good. Your BMR is the basic amount of calories your brain needs before it goes into starvation mode and starts slowing your metabolism and lowers higher brain function. Your BMR for lack of a better term is how many cals your body will burn if you stay in bed all day.

The key here is finding out what your caloric maintenance level.

For example:

I'm 6"2 and 180lbs and I exercise 5+ times a week at medium to high intensity. My BMR is 1950 and my caloric maitenance is roughly between 2750-2950 depending upon how hard I'm exercising.

For me to lose weight I need to fall in between 1950 (BMW) and caloric maintenance weight. Failure to stay above my BMR will make my body go into starvation mode at which point it burns muscle rather than fat. Okay geniuses? FFS.

So in short, yes you've been starving yourself if you've been eating less than your BMR. Way to go.

 

[TwiceOver]

Good to know I guess. I guess my only question then is how would people lose weight with diet alone then? If you always eat your bmr you would only maintain your weight right? This is a serious question, I really don't understand that.

Using myfitnesspal you are always calculated below your BMR.

 

[melchoir]

Starvation mode is a myth. With a low enough intake you will always lose weight.

 

[KidNiki1]

no, maintaining weight is your bmr + calories for activity/lifestyle.

bmr is the absolute minimum calories you should eat in a day to maintain basic body function.

bmr + activity level lifestyle is maintaining weight.

any number in between is a calorie deficit and is losing weight.

so here is an example.
a 5'7", 25 year old girl who weighs 160lbs has a bmr of about 1550 calories.

she lives a very active lifestyle, running everyday, active job etc. she probably needs around 2600-2800 calories a day, just to maintain her weight.

if she wants to lose weight, she needs to create a calorie deficit from her MAINTENANCE calories, not her bmr. so she could net anywhere between 1550 and 2600 and lose. notice i say *net*. she can do this by eating less calories. or by exercising even more. or by a little of both. any way to get her NET calories a day between her maintenance and her bmr. but never below her BMR.

i have done basically nothing but a calorie deficit so far, eating at least my bmr, but usually a few hundred calories more and i am losing weight. because even with a sedentary lifestyle my total daily calorie needs is still more than what i am eating. and i am losing weight.

unfortunately, as i mentioned already, MFP does not care what your BMR is when you tell it how much you want to lose in your specified amount of time. thats why i input my numbers manually.

 

[gothamhunter]

It's posted in the fat loss thread, I don't feel the need to repeat this over and over.

It's called the SEARCH FUNCTION... people should fucking learn to use it.

Yeah, I used it, but when a website designed to help you lose weight contradicts what one person posted in a thread on anandtech, I want to make sure I know which is right. I'm new to the "scientific side" of losing weight so I'm making sure I'm learning it correctly.

Thanks for the heads up on the search button; I've never seen that before.

Jackass.

 

[gothamhunter]

gothamhunter, i use MFP as well. i dont like the way it auto figures. i determined my bmr and then added about 200 to that. (pretty sedentary lifestyle atm) i set that as my calorie goal manually. that way it still adds my exercise calories in when i add activity, but i just meet my calorie goal each day and i know i am eating just enough over my bmr. you might try just doing it manually.

Thanks; good advice.

 

[KentState]

I followed MFP pretty close to what they suggested and dropped weight easily. Went from 240 to 175, dropping from a 40" waist to a very comfortable 34". My blood pressure is typically around 110/70 down from 140/80 and everything else checks out fine. Towards the last two months I had a daily base of 1200 calories before exercise. Maybe I'm lucky, but I continue to drink the sugar free Koolaid.

 

[RbSX]

Good to know I guess. I guess my only question then is how would people lose weight with diet alone then? If you always eat your bmr you would only maintain your weight right? This is a serious question, I really don't understand that.

Using myfitnesspal you are always calculated below your BMR.

No. To lose weight you simply need to eat less than your weight caloric maintenance intake level and more than your bmr.