Question about BMR and weight loss...

[tara5578]

I just did my BMR on a website and it told me for my height(5' weight(177) and age(30) that it is 1608.
The amount of calories I am taking it every day I would say(from Fitday) is around 2100-2300 max. I try to keep it around 2100-2200 but I would get uncomfortably hungry if I went below that.

Being that my BMR says 1608 is that the amount of calories I would have to eat to lose any weight without working out? I have been on the atkins for almost two months now and have only lost 3 pounds and my measurements have not changed. I cannot work out due to a failed back surgery and try walking lightly whenever my back is up to it. I eat the 65/30/5 rule and know this diet inside and out now. I have cheated once on my 30th Bday(3 weeks ago) but jumped right back on and have not cheated since. I don't possibly think I can reduce my calories, what should I do?

I want to stay in the extended induction phase to lose at least 30 pounds but I have been recommended to move up. I am scared to do so bc I want to lose and am fearful I will gain or it would slow me down. More suggestions on that?

Also if I do move up and ad 5 more net carbs of veggies do I count the 5 net carbs after the fiber content(meaning eat more) or just count the veggie before the fiber is subtracted(did I explain that well enough)?

Thanks guys!!!

[Ben G]

Re: Question about BMR and weight loss...

I'm not advocating not exercising or anything but to answer your question in a straight-forward manner, no. Exercise aside, you will not lose weight by just eating 1608 calories. 1608 is what your body uses by itself. Think of it like this; think of it in terms of a bank and money. Say you borrow 1608 dollars from a bank, you technically have -1608 in your pocket since it is borrowed. However when you start putting money towards that 1608, the amount lessens and gets more toward zero. If you make a $400 payment (a 400 calorie meal) you now only have 1200 to pay back. at the end of the day if you make 3 more 400 dollar payments you are breaking even.

So you actually need to expend MORE than 1608 calories in order to lose weight. There are 3500 calories per pound. So if you spread that over 7 days (losing one pound a week) that is a 500 calorie deficit per day. So if you wanted to lose a pound a week you would need to burn 500 calories more than what you eat. So without exercise (again, not advocating that) you would only be allowed to eat 1100 a day (since your BMR is 1600). Or you would have to make sure that if you eat over 1600 a day you would have to do exercise to create a 500 calorie deficit.

Hopefully this made sense adn I didn't confuse you too much :-\

[ValidRouge]

Re: Question about BMR and weight loss...

Ben, I have to disagree with you here. Vehemently.

Basal Metabolic Rate is the ESTIMATED amount of calories one needs to sustain life. It is NOT your caloric expenditure on any given day!!! BMR is the amount of calories it takes to lay in bed all day and breathe and digest food and just EXIST! Of course we expend more calories than that once we start moving our bodies, whether it be to get up to go to the bathroom, brush our teeth, go to work, grocery shopping, walk the dog, etc. The more physical you are, the more calories you burn.

Okay. So, that being said, you can look at the Harris-Benedict equation to get an ESTIMATE of how many calories you might expend based on your lifestyle. BMR Calculator . Tara, based on your posts you are mostly sedentary, with little physical activity. So, according to the Harris-Benedict model you multiply your BMR times 1.2 to get the amount of calories you might be able to consume to MAINTAIN your weight. (1929)

This might cause great debate on the board, the great calorie debate. Keep in mind that Atkins has a metabolic advantage. This means we burn more calories on a ketogenic diet (such as Atkins). It takes more basal calories to burn fat for fuel than it does to burn glucose for fuel! However, we don't have a formula for calculating that. Dr. Atkins said in the book there usually isn't a need to count calories, but he does not say that the calories don't count! I don't generally recommend people to start counting calories but if you are absolutely following the plan, it might be worthwhile to look at your calories.

I also have to recommend moving on to OWL, veggie rung. For someone with a big appetite, using vegetables to add bulk and quantity to a meal without all the calories might just help a bit. Plus, the added fiber will help bowel movement which will reflect as a loss on the scale. The additional nutrients in the veggies will be appreciated by your body as well.

I'd recommend you try substituting some of your meat/fat for some veggie/fat combinations. That will naturally lower your calories. Watch your dairy and use of special category foods very closely and stick to those limits.