**ndzenowski and ricksang**

Brie2010

Replying so my response doesn't get buried: To Brie, you realize that every woman is different? BMR depends on your weigh and your height. I'm fairly short and if i was to eat 1500 calories a day I would either lose weigh so slowly it wouldnt matter or I woudn't lose weight at all.My BMR is currently around 1400 with me being a slightly active (light exercise 1-3 times a week) person. I typically aim for 1000 a day if I'm trying to lose weight. Yes, I understand BMR.  I'm very into sports nutrition and lost 50 pounds last year.  Your BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to survive if you are not moving at all, in a coma.  Many people make this mistake. Eating your BMR will send you into starvation mode, fast, which is why you need to eat 1000 calories (which is ridiculous--nobody, ever, should eat that little unless they are a small child).   The absolute bare minimum for women is 1200 calories/day.  It is basically impossible to get all the requisite vitamins/protein/fat you need to survive on 1000 calories a day.  1000 calories a day is way, way, way too little.  1200 sent me spiraling into starvation mode, as well, which is why I recommend most people eat more.  (My BMR is 1500 calories/day, not accounting for my muscle mass which is higher than most women's.) Such a low-calorie diet has killed your metabolism.  You should never, ever, eat just at your BMR.To find the CORRECT amount of calories to eat, you need to take your BMR and multiply it by the appropriate factor from the Harris-Benedict Equation, found here: [url]http://tinyurl.com/yxrujb[/url].  This is the step most people miss.  The sedentary factor should only be used if you are bed-bound and don't do anything besides occasionally go to the bathroom.  At the very least, if you are a functioning human, you are lightly active.  1400 (BMI) times 1.35=1890 calories a day to maintain your weight.  To lose weight, create a small deficit off that--minimum, 1500 calories.If you have starved your body at 1000 calories, yes, you will gain weight when you start eating 1500ish calories a day.  However, as your body gets used to a regular intake of food, it will level out and the weight will eventually come back off.  You should also look into heavy weightlifting, which is the best way to speed up a sluggish metabolism.For what it's worth, I did the 1200 calorie thing for awhile.  Yes, I lost weight, but it stopped.  Then I upped my calories to 1800 and continued to lose weight and was much happier.  Then, for fun, I started eating 2300 calories a day and lifting regularly.  I "gained" weight on the scale, but lost body fat and inches and increased my muscle mass doing this.  Women do NOT have to go on extremely low calorie diets to lose weight.Ricksang, I paged you too in case I missed anything or you have any input as the resident nutrition guru!

ESJ'sBride

Hi Brie,I don't mean to threadjack.  Just curious to know if you're an RD. Thanks!

Kati0105

I just wanted to reply that Brie is a very smart lady and you should all listen to her.  I used to restrict my caloric intake to 700 a day to lose weight quickly - it worked but never long term and completely destroyed my metabolism.  It is very hard for me mentally to eat more than 1200-1500 calories a day, but my personal trainer insists that I add protein and eat at least 1500 so that I can get the most of out of the vigorous strength training and full body training I have been doing with him.  While I have not lost a lot on the scale (maybe 15-20 lbs since January) I am noticeably smaller and fitter.

Brie2010

Nope, not an RD, just a fitness and nutrition junkie.  I read a lot about this kind of stuff for fun.And thanks Kati!  Glad things are working out for you.

J&K10910

*butting in*So...if my BMR is 1447 (according to a BMR calculator online), and I'm moderately active (I do about an hour of cardio 5 days a week), the number I got was 2,243.  I've been eating about 1600-1800 calories a day, and lifting weights 4 times a week.  But the number on the scale appears to be stuck, and my clothes are not getting smaller.  What the HECK am I doing wrong? 

mocha beans

*completely butting in*Brie, can I pick your brain for a bit on the healthy weight loss and weight lifting thing?  I would like to lose a few inches off the waist and generally cut down the amount of padding I have, and build up some muscle that I don't have.  I'm a skinny fat person lol.  I have a gym membership and use the weight equipment, but I'm not sure what areas to concentrate on, how much to do, what weight to use, any of that.  There's no personal trainers there, it's just weight equipment and some treadmills and that's it.What's a reasonable amount of progress to be making?  I'm at about 145 lbs at 5'5"; I'd like to get down to the 130ish range again, but mostly I want to comfortably fit into my old clothing sizes.  My family has a tendency to develop the midsection pooch and it's starting on me already.

MissIntentional

all this made me get up & get a bowl of cereal

Brie2010

So...if my BMR is 1447 (according to a BMR calculator online), and I'm moderately active (I do about an hour of cardio 5 days a week), the number I got was 2,243. I've been eating about 1600-1800 calories a day, and lifting weights 4 times a week. But the number on the scale appears to be stuck, and my clothes are not getting smaller. What the HECK am I doing wrong?BMR is kind of a tricky thing.  You have to play around with it a bit.  I lose weight really well at 1900 calories and maintain/bulk muscle at around 2300, but it was just trial and error getting there.I'd suggest a high calorie day or two--sometimes letting your body know that it's not starving can help it to drop fat.  I'd also look into high-intensity interval training--sub out the hour long steady state cardio for 15 minutes of HIIT.  (Basic plan: walk quickly or jog slowly for two minutes, run like you're being chased by a violent criminal for one, repeat--can be done with biking, swimming, elliptical, bodyweight exercises as well.)I'd also invest in a set of body fat calipers (about $8 on Amazon) and a measuring tape and start tracking those measurements too.  GL!

Brie2010

Brie, can I pick your brain for a bit on the healthy weight loss and weight lifting thing? I would like to lose a few inches off the waist and generally cut down the amount of padding I have, and build up some muscle that I don't have. I'm a skinny fat person lol. I have a gym membership and use the weight equipment, but I'm not sure what areas to concentrate on, how much to do, what weight to use, any of that. There's no personal trainers there, it's just weight equipment and some treadmills and that's it.What's a reasonable amount of progress to be making? I'm at about 145 lbs at 5'5"; I'd like to get down to the 130ish range again, but mostly I want to comfortably fit into my old clothing sizes. My family has a tendency to develop the midsection pooch and it's starting on me already.You can't spot lose fat.  I will always have big thighs; it's just where I keep it.  So, just know that your stomach may be your general trouble area--everyone's got one, unfortunately, and even if you get down to 8% body fat 75% of it might be stored there.That said, I'd get the book "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" and follow the program.  It's how I learned to lift properly and the nutrition info is fantastic.  Ignore the scale--I've gained 10 pounds since the beginning of the year, but my clothes fit better and I look great.  Weightlifting for your upper body/shoulders will also give you the illusion of a smaller waist--I have very developed (but feminine) shoulders and it makes my waist look tiny, even though it really isn't.  GL!

J&K10910

I do do HIIT actually.  I split my cardio up, and do a half hour, then my weights, then another half hour.  usually my first half hour is pretty intense with some HIIT thrown in, and the second half hour I walk on the treadmill on a 10% incline at 3.5 mph (I have short legs so that's a pretty good pace for me!).  I always switch up my first half hour every day so I'm not doing the same thing.  I'm frustrated   Really, I exercise for my physical and mental health more than anything, but it would be nice to see a little fat loss as well.  When I have some income again I'll probably try a personal trainer, maybe that will help.  Wow, vent over, haha.

Brie2010

J&K--you should also check out the book I recommended to mocha, "The New Rules of Lifting for Women."  It's really great.

mocha beans

Awesome, I'll go check that out, thanks!Unfortunately, I know you can't spot lose fat, and that it will probably always be a problem.  I'm hoping that I can lessen the impact of it more by tightening up the abs.I hadn't heard of the HIIT before, I'll have to give that a shot.  I'd walk on the treadmill at a brisk pace for half an hour, then on the elliptical for a half an hour, then do some of the weight equipment.

J&K10910

I carry my fat mostly in my hips and thighs too Brie.  Even when I was a swimmer with a kickasss metabolism in HS I had big thighs, hips, and butt, and cellulite.  Such is life! 

ESJ'sBride

*Butting in again*For posters who are interested in mobilizing their fat in order to reduce overall fat-  you could take a look at your diet and identify where you can replace certain fats with healthier ones. For example -butter with olive oil when sauteeing. Identifying and replacing those fats can help move fat storage around within the body and in doing so can help you oxidize (get rid of) more overall fat while working out. Not spot reducing- however, assisting in overall reduction.

ndzenowski

Ah I didn't see this until now. I tend to think of myself as a failry healthy person and if I was to eat 1500 a day I would gain. I'm 5' and while I'm a bit heavier now I tend to maintain in the mid 90's. As for that calculation you sent, BMR is defined as the amount of calories burned by one while in a resting state- so multiplying it by 1.2 or what not for a sedentary lifestyle seems extremely off.Every person has a different metabolism also.

Brie2010

Ah I didn't see this until now. I tend to think of myself as a failry healthy person and if I was to eat 1500 a day I would gain. I'm 5' and while I'm a bit heavier now I tend to maintain in the mid 90's. As for that calculation you sent, BMR is defined as the amount of calories burned by one while in a resting state- so multiplying it by 1.2 or what not for a sedentary lifestyle seems extremely off.Every person has a different metabolism also. Yes, of course you would gain at 1500 immediately because your body is bouncing back from not getting enough nutrition.  If you don't give your body enough to eat, it's going to hang on to whatever you give it for awhile because it thinks it's in a period of famine.  But in the long term, you'd likely be healthier for it and your weight would stabilize.The Harris-Benedict Equation is pretty much the standard for calorie calculation throughout the nutrition world.  It's pretty widely accepted.  Your body uses energy just doing things like getting up and going to the bathroom, standing up to bathe, etc, so 1.2 is a pretty accurate predictor of what amount of energy those take up.The American College of Sports Medicine recommends no women go below 1200 calories a day, bare minimum, and your stats plugged into the USDA calorie needs calculator gives about 1900 calories/day to maintain, so 1500 is pretty reasonable for loss.And yes, of course, everyone's metabolism is different.  But a metabolism that needs 1000 calories to lose weight can easily be repaired through proper nutrition and exercise.  It's simply not healthy to eat that little--women need things like calcium and fiber and it's just hard to get all that in in so few calories.Anyway, I don't mean to be argumentative, but the HBE is the proper way to calculate daily calorie needs, not BMR.  BMR is a baseline measurement, and most people are actual functioning humans so they need a greater calorie allowance.

ndzenowski

Nope, not taking it as argumentative at all but under no circumstances have I ever been undernourished. I do not gain weight at 1500 because my body is bouncing back. BMR is the baseline but you barely burn calories in daily activites. BMR calculators typically have an option for sedentary, light exercise 1-3 times a week, heavy exercise and so on so that it calculates properly (very much like the calculation you linked) with light exercise I'm regularily getting around 1450 at my current weight.