Function: noun
:the rate at which heat is given off by an organism at complete rest
When I started my journey I weighed 252lbs and my BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) was 1,953. Which means I could eat 1,953 calories per day and maintain my weight of 252lbs. 1lb equals 3,500 calories so as an example if I wanted to loose 1lb per week just by cutting calories than I would have needed to only consume 1,453 calories per day. This would have cut 500 calories from my diet each day resulting in cutting 3,500 calories per week and that equals 1lb lost. Sounds easy right?
I was watching a Dr. OZ episode where he was talking about weight loss plateaus and your BMR which made me think to check my own. Up until this point I had been loosing weight, and been going about my daily life with the assumption that my BMR was still 1,953. When in all actuality when I plugged my new numbers into the BMR Calculator I found out that my new BMR is now 1,800! That is a difference of 153 calories. So in other words, if I was still eating 1,453 calories per day I was no longer burning 3,500 calories or 1lb per week. Instead I was burning only 2,429 calories which would have caused me to loose less than 1lb per week. So I would have needed to adjust my food consumption to 1,300 calories per day so I could maintain my goal of 1lb lost per week. Does this make sense?
I share this only because if I didn't know that ones BMR can change, I imagine that other people out there don't know this either and can't understand why they can't get past the plateau they have reached. I hope that this helps someone out there and that even if you already knew this that you might take the time to pass it on to someone else that you think might benefit from knowing it!
CLICK HERE TO CALCULATE YOUR BMR
6 comments:
thank you so much for this post! and thank you for sharing the link too!
You are right that when you lose weight, your BMR goes down and your caloric needs decrease. But the thing is, BMR is how many calories you would need to stay alive if you basically stayed in bed all day and slept, 24 hrs a day.
So it is really just the starting point for determining how many calories you need. If you go to thedailyplate.com it will tell you how much you need to maintain your current weight and how much you need to lose.
To maintain my current weight (209), I need to eat somewhere around 2400 calories. That is more than my BMR. To lose 2 lbs per week, I need to eat around 1400 calories a day.
So no way could you maintain a weight of 252 on just 1953 calories. When I put your numbers in the calculator for maintaining that weight, it was something like 2900 and to lose 2 lbs per week, it is around 1900.
So, theoretically at least, you should have continued to lose at 1900 cals per week.
Problem is, this is all theoretical - it does not account for our different metabolisms and our unique bodies. I am not so sure BMR is all that helpful, especially since it is one more number to obsess about (for me anyway).
Still, good observation!
Great post, chicken. It all gets a bit mind boggling but I imagine if you do manage to work it out - which you pretty much did - it gives you a direction in which to head for. Hope it works for you :)
I second what Gen said-- you cannot get too crazed with your calorie counts because BMR is just a jumping off point.
Another way you can determine things is to consider your ultimate GOAL weight, which I see is 125 and figure out the BMR of someone at that weight, then do the calculation for the appropriate calorie level of a sedentary person and you will have an approximate calorie level for where you'll want to end up and stay-- does this make sense?
I haven't done the math recently-- but I tihnk that for me, at 5'4 with a fairly 'sedentary' lifestyle and at age 39, in order to maintain a goal weight of 132 pounds-- I would need to be in the 1400-1500 calories range. Again: haven't done this math. So, THAT calorie range could be my goal range right now-- and I'd lose more while I am heavier and taper down when I'm closer to goal. All of the above said: I agree with Gen, we're not machines, we're people, so it is not that simple.
But good luck and keep learning!!
Thank Gen for setting me straight!!! =)
I really do appreciate it because obviously I don't know it all! I did think that 1953 to maintain 252lbs was kind of a small amount.
In any diet, if you do not also exercise, your BMR will slow to match caloric intake. When you exercise, even moderately every day, you will make your BMR run at a higher pitch and you will lose the weight. There are foods that keep your BMR going as well. They are the higher protein foods, as well as Oatmeal, Eggs, Hot Sauce, hot peppers. Best of luck. Keep exercising. Here is my perspective:
http://dicksdiet.blogspot.com/2009/04/do-i-have-to-exercise.html
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