Eating Your BMR page

[Dr. Bork Bork]

Still trying to figure out the right calorie deficit for myself. My BMR is 1513. Should I be eating that much daily, or should their be a deficit? Should I eat 1513 on rest days, and lower on gym days, or vice versa?

[iniQuity]

That’s supposed to represent the amount of calories you’d burn if all you did was lie still and breathe (right?) so you could shoot for around that number if you’re active and still be on a small deficit, on workout days theoretically you’d want to eat a little more than that, and you’d still be under by a bit depending on what you did for a workout.

It’s pretty silly to think that number is exact though, so focus on a ball park figure.

Some app for my phone says mine are around 17-1800 which is kinda hard to believe (I thought it’d be higher), but it takes into account the weight I want to be which is about 10lbs less than I currently am. I’m dabbling in some tracking right now but it’s so boring I can’t stick with it, I can’t even put in a whole meal without getting frustrated lol “uh, I had some onions but I’ll be goddamned if I’m going to type that and try to figure out how much I ate, they’re effin’ onions for cryin’ out loud!” yeah tracking bores me to death.

[Dr. Bork Bork]

LOL. I like tracking. But I'm obsessive like that. Blame it on my ADD. Right now I average 1300-1400 cals most days of the week. Today I'll probably wind up around 1200. I figure I still have 20-30 lbs of fat to lose, so I really want to crack down.

[DaisyEater]

Well it seems to be working for you. You've started losing again. You were stalled for a while, no?

[theholla]

I wouldn't eat below my BMR on a regular basis. You are already creating a deficit, since you are burning calories above that with any activity you do. Keeping your deficit small helps to prevent you from losing too much muscle along with the fat.

When I was around 170 lbs, I was losing steadily on 1700 calories without much more activity than 30 minutes of walking every day, and was eating a pretty crappy diet to boot.

[iniQuity]

LOL. I like tracking. But I'm obsessive like that. Blame it on my ADD. Right now I average 1300-1400 cals most days of the week. Today I'll probably wind up around 1200. I figure I still have 20-30 lbs of fat to lose, so I really want to crack down.

Yeah I just personally find some of it to be really insignificant like the onion example. I can’t think of a single thing in onions that’s worth tracking (carb/fat/protein… I mean they’re onions!) so to me adding them is pointless. Whenever I sit down with the intent to track I focus on the big things, like if I had a steak and potatoes or something. I can’t be bothered to find out what a clove of garlic might add to my log or something like that. I guess some personalities are better suited for it.

[Dr. Bork Bork]

Well it seems to be working for you. You've started losing again. You were stalled for a while, no?

I was 169 when I started PB in Jan. I was 178 when I started Whole 30 April 1. I was 169 when I weighed in again May 1. Not sure if it counts as losing weight. I am 178 again. Fluctuating between the same 10 lbs is obnoxious!

I've only lost 20 lbs in the last year, as opposed to 60 lbs the year before. I'm afraid that I've been trying to lose weight for so long that I've done something to my system & it won't give up the ghost, kwim? I know the last 20 lbs are the hardest, but I stare at my gut and thighs, and know I've got the weight to lose-- SO WHY WON'T IT GET LOST?

Whole 30 was great for breaking me of my relationship with the scale (I only weigh in when I want to update my HRM for an exercise where I know I'll be burning a lot of cals-- like yesterday's 9 mi walk, or when I do 5k races), as well as establishing a general disinterest in most things I used to crave (mainly dairy & chocolate).

[SlimIcy]

My first thought was that you may need to eat more. 1200 Cal/day is really low, especially if you're doing any kind of lifting weights. I know it's different for men and women, but my GF has been eating ~1500 on slow days and ~2000 on workout days and losing consistently.

Also, don't let a stall or uptrend on the scale frustrate you. I've been bouncing between 235 and 240 and back for 3 solid months, but people keep telling me I'm looking skinnier all the time.

[Dr. Bork Bork]

If I can thank PB for anything, it's dropping from a size 8 to a 4 in jeans. Weird part? My measurements have not changed (my gut is still 30 inches), and it's the same brand I've always worn. MAKES NO SENSE! Maybe my butt is shrinking. I don't measure my butt, LOL. Just gut, hip, and thigh. I do want to be able to say "I lost 100 lbs", but I think being happy with the way my gut & thighs look is more important to me. I'm just afraid I've been losing weight for so long that I physically can't anymore, even though the fat is there.

[dboxing]

Goal weight x 10 for daily calories