BMR and losing weight

[bigsexy74]

so thanks to the forums here, i have figured out my bmr to be at 3110 cal a day to lose 1 lb a week. so if i drop 500 cal a day that would be another lb. easy enough you say, but wait. i was 297 in november and have managed to drop to 263, but going through my logs today i found out that im only taking in around 1700 cal a day. yes ive dropped the weight but i think im stuck. have i sabotaged my weight loss by starting out with such a cal deficit? can i up my calories to the suggested weightloss bmr? ugh!!! i thought i was doing so good, and i am eating 6 meals a day, and i have averaged 4 days a week at the gym. if i do up my intake i will most likely gain a few lbs back until my body adjusts right?

 

[youngandfree]

Is that BMI number calculated for your current weight? It seems pretty close for your size. I would raise your calories up to 2500-2700 or so. Maybe take a couple days off from lifting and eat a bit more. As long as you don't gain any weight, your metabolism should stoke back up. Then hit the gym again with the 2700 diet and see if you start dropping again.

A great wa

 

[youngandfree]

But don't worry about adding a few pounds back. You need to find what the most calories you can eat and weight stay the same.

A great way of keeping the fire going for long periods of time is to fluctuate your calories every few days. I personally like to have just below maintenance for 2 days, then drop another 500 or so for 3 days, then 2 days at maintenance. On one of the maintenance days, have a good cheat meal once a week. It rewards your dedication during the week and takes care of some cravings. It also kicks your body out of the low calorie rut without hurting your progress.

When you stall out again, recalculate maintenance calories for your lower weight and do it again. Lee up the hard work.

 

[Rodja]

Most people mistake BMR for the number of calories they burn in a day, but this is not the case. To calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, you multiply BMR x 1.2, add in the thermic effect of feeding (10% of caloric consumption; e.g. if you eat 3000 cals, then this is 300) and add in your training.

 

[bigsexy74]

i understand that the bmr is not my expenditure, and my actual bmr is 3610 cal to maintain my current weight, the 3110 is calories to lose 1 lb a week. i will definitely try to up my intake to around 2700 cal.

 

[Rodja]

i understand that the bmr is not my expenditure, and my actual bmr is 3610 cal to maintain my current weight, the 3110 is calories to lose 1 lb a week. i will definitely try to up my intake to around 2700 cal.

I think that you're still misusing the term BMR as this is only the amount of calories for the body to maintain homeostasis. This does NOT include the amount of calories you consume while doing day-to-day tasks, activity, heat from eating, etc.

 

[EasyEJL]

and beyond that a BMR from a calculator is pretty well near meaningless, there is a large amount of variation possible based on your individual body chemistry. But 1700 calories is probably too low regardless even if you weren't physically active at all

 

[bigsexy74]

ok, the numbers i got are including my 4 days a week at the gym, i don't really account for everyday tasks, that makes sense rodja. easy, what other variations should i look for?
hoping to get my cal intake dialed in as not to lose what muscle im gaining, even though the weight loss is my first priority. thanks for the input guys

 

[EasyEJL]

Well, it can be as simple as what your thyroid levels are, what your resting heart rate is, all sorts of things. So the best idea is to start with the calculated #, and for a time religiously track your eating to see what happens at a given calorie level. Your current level is definitely too low if its accurate.

I've seen people be as far off as literally 3000 calories a day on their caloric level.

 

[bigsexy74]

meal 1:
3 egg whites
2 whole eggs
2 pieces whole wheat toast
banana

meal 2:
2 scoops whey
serving of almonds

meal 3:
1 can tuna with 3 tbsp light mayo and relish
1.5 cups of broccoli

meal 4:
6oz salmon
1/4 cup quinoa

meal 5:
2 scoops whey
2 tbsp organic peanut butter.

so totaled up this only equals 1856 cal.....i know im not even close...would love some input from you guys on where to tweak the diet. i know i need a couple more servings of veggies i can spot that already. so i basically need another 900 calories somewhere.

 

[EasyEJL]

Add 2 more eggs to meal 1. Add more quinoa, there really should be some carbs in meal 3, eat more than 1/4 cup as well.

 

[bigsexy74]

MEAL 1:
3 whole eggs
3 egg whites
oatmeal

MEAL 2:
2 scoops whey
2 tbsp organic pb

MEAL 3:
1 can tuna with lf mayo and relish
2 pieces whole wheat bread
1 banana

MEAL 4:
85% lean beef patty
1 cup brown rice
2 cups broccoli

MEAL 5:
2 scoops whey protein
2 tbsp organic pb

MEAL 6:
1/2 cup cottage cheese

TOTAL: 2317 CALORIES. not sure of p/c/f breakdown, just want to work on the staple part of it. suggestions on pre/post workout? how about creatine while losing what are your thoughts?

 

[Rodja]

Add some fruit to your breakfast. Ideally, there should be some form of produce in EVERY meal.

 

[bigsexy74]

ya that was my fault i had to rush to school then to work. is the cottage cheese or shake + pb ok before bed? thats what i've been doing the last week. so i should still be shooting for more cals during the day right? does this seem like a pretty clean nutrition plan to follow as far as weight loss? this seems pretty easy for me to follow so i can see myself sticking with it.

 

[EasyEJL]

Overall yeah, thats a decent meal plan, with the addition of maybe a little more vegetables and/or fruit.

 

[bigsexy74]

awesome thanks easy. i will definitely add that and follow this for a bit and tweak it later.

 

[Spazmenos]

i'd add creatine just to maintain strength levels. However, if you are cutting and on creatine, don't go by the scale because of water retention through creatine

 

[fitnessbyalex]

so thanks to the forums here, i have figured out my bmr to be at 3110 cal a day to lose 1 lb a week. so if i drop 500 cal a day that would be another lb. easy enough you say, but wait. i was 297 in november and have managed to drop to 263, but going through my logs today i found out that im only taking in around 1700 cal a day. yes ive dropped the weight but i think im stuck. have i sabotaged my weight loss by starting out with such a cal deficit? can i up my calories to the suggested weightloss bmr? ugh!!! i thought i was doing so good, and i am eating 6 meals a day, and i have averaged 4 days a week at the gym. if i do up my intake i will most likely gain a few lbs back until my body adjusts right?

One thing to keep in mind is that yes, on paper you can figure your maintenance calories at x and then x-500 cals per day to loose 1lb per week. this may work for 2-3 weeks but then your BMR starts to slow as a response to caloric restriction. Other things need to be implemented to maintain an elevated metabolic rate while on a lower calorie diet. Otherwise you will be taking 2 steps forward and 1 step back. HIIT cardio sessions ~2x per week are a great way to do this. Carb cycling is another.

-Alex