Calorie recommendation

[KEJ86]

Maybe I'm interpreting the calorie portion of the dashboard wrong, but for "hard" weight loss Fitbit recommends that I eat ~750 calories. For "easy" it recommends that I eat ~1350. My BMR is 1550 (I'm 5'10") and I've been told that no one should ever eat under their BMR - especially if they are exercising, which I am. I bike outdoors 75 miles/week, which burns ~4500 calories.

BMR is the minimum amount of calories needed for your body to keep itself functioning while not moving. It assumes a 100% sedentary lifestyle, which no one who so much as brushes their teeth has. I'd like to think that people losing weight would need to eat somewhere between their BMR and their TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), and that eating under BMR would wreak havoc on their metabolism.

That said, why is Fitbit's recommended calorie intake for me so low?

[KEJ86]

I'll add that I'm within the healthy weight range for my height, I'm just trying to get myself back to where I feel my normal is. I'm looking to lose ~15 pounds and lower my body fat % to 20-21. Nothing drastic.

[BurdsNest]

Hi KeJ86, if I understand you correctly, you're using the dashboard to assist in losing weight.  That 750, is a calorie deficit.  Which means, you should consume 750 calories LESS than what you burned for the day.  My BMR is 1973 to maintain my 5'3" female 130 pd body.  So, to lose weight (one pound weekly), I chose a 500 caloric deficit.  So, if I burned 2500 calories that day, I can only consume 2000 calories to stay within my deficit.  One part the dashboard will tell you that you are within your range based on what you ate and burned, the other part (looks like a dial) will tell you if you are "in the zone"   Meaning you are within your caloric deficit.  I'm told that 500 deficit  is too large based on the amount I want to lose....puts stress on the body.  That's where I guess folks are telling you to be careful.  Depending on how much you want to lose, is what deficit you should chose.

Hope this helps!

Sincerely,

Lovin my Fit

[BurdsNest]

KEJ86, I have to ask....I'm 5'3", size 4, 130pds, and based on my scale, have a body fat of between 26 and 28.  I am considered a petite female.  How does one get to have body fat between 20-21%?  I'm thinking I would be skin and bones, and I'm pretty toned.  Just wondering.

Sincerely,

Curious

[cleo15]

I don't belive 750 cal. is enough for anyone.

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@KEJ86 wrote:

Maybe I'm interpreting the calorie portion of the dashboard wrong, but for "hard" weight loss Fitbit recommends that I eat ~750 calories. For "easy" it recommends that I eat ~1350. My BMR is 1550 (I'm 5'10") and I've been told that no one should ever eat under their BMR - especially if they are exercising, which I am. I bike outdoors 75 miles/week, which burns ~4500 calories.

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@KEJ86 wrote:

Maybe I'm interpreting the calorie portion of the dashboard wrong, but for "hard" weight loss Fitbit recommends that I eat ~750 calories. For "easy" it recommends that I eat ~1350. My BMR is 1550 (I'm 5'10") and I've been told that no one should ever eat under their BMR - especially if they are exercising, which I am. I bike outdoors 75 miles/week, which burns ~4500 calories.

BMR is the minimum amount of calories needed for your body to keep itself functioning while not moving. It assumes a 100% sedentary lifestyle, which no one who so much as brushes their teeth has. I'd like to think that people losing weight would need to eat somewhere between their BMR and their TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), and that eating under BMR would wreak havoc on their metabolism.

That said, why is Fitbit's recommended calorie intake for me so low?

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BMR is the minimum amount of calories needed for your body to keep itself functioning while not moving. It assumes a 100% sedentary lifestyle, which no one who so much as brushes their teeth has. I'd like to think that people losing weight would need to eat somewhere between their BMR and their TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), and that eating under BMR would wreak havoc on their metabolism.

That said, why is Fitbit's recommended calorie intake for me so low?

---

[SunsetRunner]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating below your BMR, if you want to loose weight.

[KEJ86]

Hi BurdsNest,

The range of healthy body fat (accordingly to whoever makes these kinds of decisions) is 18-30%, so you and I are both within that healthy range and have little to be concerned about in terms of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, etc. For me, it's about getting back to my "normal." I've consistently been at ~20% my whole life without thinking about diet or exercise, so this recent 4-5% increase has bumped me up a couple of dress sizes and made me feel sluggish. 20-21% is where I personally feel most comfortable because it's what my body is used to.

Thanks!

KEJ

[KEJ86]

This does help, thanks for the clarification!

[Heybales]

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@KEJ86 wrote:

Maybe I'm interpreting the calorie portion of the dashboard wrong, but for "hard" weight loss Fitbit recommends that I eat ~750 calories. For "easy" it recommends that I eat ~1350. My BMR is 1550 (I'm 5'10") and I've been told that no one should ever eat under their BMR - especially if they are exercising, which I am. I bike outdoors 75 miles/week, which burns ~4500 calories.

BMR is the minimum amount of calories needed for your body to keep itself functioning while not moving. It assumes a 100% sedentary lifestyle, which no one who so much as brushes their teeth has. I'd like to think that people losing weight would need to eat somewhere between their BMR and their TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), and that eating under BMR would wreak havoc on their metabolism.

That said, why is Fitbit's recommended calorie intake for me so low?

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Know what the tiles mean when you look at them and decide what they are trying to say.

One is an eating goal that is looking at expected daily burn and taking the 750 off.

That goal obviously changes as the day progresses.

One is comment on daily burn and food eaten at that moment in time.

So if you looked at that info when waking up, and only burned a few calories, than removed 750 - ya, it'll be small.

Usually a useless tile, suggest removing it.

Also, should be reasonable with weight loss if you want it to be fat loss only.

Be unreasonable if you want to include some muscle mass loss - and then have the chance to repeat this next year after gaining fat back, only harder because you'll have less muscle.

Reasonable also means most people adhere better to the goal, rather than it being unrealistically small and binging and blowing it totally away frequently, actually gaining fat when they do it.

BMR is a nice line to draw in the sand.

Yes in studies people eat below their BMR all the time - and those folks are carefully selected to be in the study and measured out the whazoo to confirm to health issues and none happen.

Do you have that available?

If not, BMR is a nice line to make.

You must merely eat less than you burn daily (TDEE) to lose weight, not what you burn if you slept all day long (BMR).

[DominicJ]

"Maybe I'm interpreting the calorie portion of the dashboard wrong"

You are 🙂

To lose 2lbs per week, you eat your BMR, minus 1000cals, plus your excercise.

"That said, why is Fitbit's recommended calorie intake for me so low?"

It'll shoot up as you start to excercise

You can eat well under your BMR

People have survived weeks on 700cals of protein per day and nothing else.

Unsurprisingly the research for this is pretty sketchy, you can starve to death whilst still "fat" but you can live primarily on your fat reserves for  quite some time.

Its inadvisable of course.

[BurdsNest]

KEJ86, Thanks for the reply.  The more water I drink, my scale indicates that my water goes up and my fat goes down obviously.  If the normal for us (whoever "us" is) is 18 - 30%, I'm right @ the top....wearing a size 4.  Again, I can't imagine myself 20%, but I guess it's a possibility. Maybe most of the fat is in my abs that I've been trying to shrink after having two c-sections....the rest of me is pretty lean.

Sincerely,

Becoming a biology student

[Heybales]

1000 less than TDEE. What Fitbit reports as daily burn.

No need to start at sleeping burn rate of BMR and eat less. Unless bed ridden and sleeping all day. In which case under Dr care anyway for likely coma.

[josephz2va]

For me: Your estimated BMR is: 1,750 calories/day*

*BMR based on the Mifflin - St. Jeor equations. Please remember that even the best BMR calculators provide only a best guess and should be used as a guide only.

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Though my average caloric intake is actually 1200 to 1500 calories and staying away from bad foods. Even if I burn 4,000 calories a day with my current regimen, I avoid eating above the marker.