HELP! Confused about BMR/RMR

R

Rererara

0
Hi guys & girls,

I've been trying to lose some weight for some time now - I've been going to the gym/eating healthy/drinking very little alcohol, I've been doing a lot of things right but I guess, as I stalled after just losing 3kgs that I haven't been doing those things consistenlty.

I've made it a goal to really stick to my diet/excercise plan religiously for the next four weeks and see if I finally get to see some results. For that reason I've been looking around online, getting tips from various websites & forums and that's why I am here now.

I've been trying to figure my BMR/RMR out in order to know how many calories I'll need to cut to be able to burn 7000cal a week (that's the diet and excercise cals combined). Unfortunately I've been getting different numbers from different websites and I am really confused about what I actually burn a day without doing anything - one website said 1400, the other 1700, one 1900 and one even 2100! I'm guessing it should be around 1700 - but obviously I want to be sure.

The other problem is - even if my BMR really is 1400 a day - how on earth am I going to be able to shed 1-2 pounds a week - it just seems impossible and it would take a very long time to get there - which in turn would disencourage me (I don't want any miracles, just 1kg a week!)

I would really appreciate if someone could help me out with this.

My stats:

Weight: 66kg
Height: 163cm

I want to get down to 53 kgs.

Thanks for your help!
 
I had a long post written out, but it somehow got deleted :(

Basically everything that I was going to say is contained in this article: Nutrition 101 – www.body-improvements.com.

The numbers that you are calculating are just estimates - starting points. You will have to start somewhere, try it out for a while, then adjust your caloric intake and/or exercise accordingly. Try not to get too hung up on exact numbers! In the end you have to go with what works, not necessarily what a website says :)
 
All of the formulas out there are just estimates of BMR, and will not usually be that accurate for a number of reasons. One interesting thing about metabolic rate is that it adapts to our diet. If you have restricted calories in the past, you may have reduced your metabolic rate below the estimates you're seeing online.

Conversely, if you eat often or eat a lot and are fairly active, your metabolic rate could be significantly higher than the formulas estimate.

Also keep in mind that the RMR/BMR formulas don't usually take into account normal daily activities that add to your caloric requirements. Simple things such as work activites and just moving around during the day will add a lot to the RMR/BMR estimates.

The solution is this: Write down (or otherwise track) everything you eat for a week, including the weekend. If you have not gained or lost weight in this time period, this is your weekly maintenence caloric intake. Now you can simply plug in additional exercises and dietary modifications to arrive at the daily caloric intake necessary to lose the 2 pounds per week which is your goal.

Of course, this will only work for a while, until your metabolism readjusts to your new caloric intake. Hope this helps...
 
Hey TrainerMike & PLBFitness,

great advice guys! I thought that my BMR couldn't be that low - even if all I do during a normal work week is sit on my ass the whole day. Def gonna look into the Nutrition 101 too PLBFitness!


Thanks a million!
 
You're very welcome. Definitely come back with questions if you have them or if you need any more help getting started.

Good luck!
 
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