Why does my BMR not change as I lose weight.

[Peggy10]

I get 2200 calories to begin with and in order to lose 2 pounds a week the number is reduced by 1000 calories for a net of 1200 calories.  But that number has not changed as I lose weight.  I have lost 40 pounds and the number is still 1200.  Should that number be going lower and if so, how do I make that happen.  My weight is automatically input through the Aria scale.

[Colinm39]

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@Peggy10 wrote:

I get 2200 calories to begin with and in order to lose 2 pounds a week the number is reduced by 1000 calories for a net of 1200 calories.  But that number has not changed as I lose weight.  I have lost 40 pounds and the number is still 1200.  Should that number be going lower and if so, how do I make that happen.  My weight is automatically input through the Aria scale.

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@Peggy10Check you variations in weight here, this BMR Calculator is within 4 of my BMR and others have reported the same/similar accuracy.  It uses the same equations that Fitbit uses.

Also you may need to turn off Calorie Estimation, read about that here and here is a link to turn it off.

[Peggy11]

Thanks. The calculator says 1400 or so. Fitbit is giving me 1200. I did read some where that it doesn't go below 1200 calories because it's not healthy to eat that few calories. But that means if I eat 1200 calories I am only 200 calories less than I need to b so it would take approximately 17 days to lose a pound?
And the 1200 hasn't changed since a started 40 pounds ago! I am not understanding something.

[Colinm39]

@Peggy11 I have cc'd @slysam who is more knowledgeable than me in this area. 

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@Peggy11 wrote:
Thanks. The calculator says 1400 or so. Fitbit is giving me 1200. I did read some where that it doesn't go below 1200 calories because it's not healthy to eat that few calories. But that means if I eat 1200 calories I am only 200 calories less than I need to b so it would take approximately 17 days to lose a pound?
And the 1200 hasn't changed since a started 40 pounds ago! I am not understanding something.

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[patzwz]

Maybe I'm understanding this wrong, but it appears to me there's some confusion going on.
The tile that shows your calories burned does not show your BMR amount, but your daily goal for number of calories you plan/wish to burn.

Your BMR is the amount of calories that are burned, or rather, the rate at which calories are burned when you are completely inactive. It's just the calories you use for breathing and keeping your body functioning without any activity. But as far as I know that is not visible on the dashboard anywhere...

[Heybales]

Ditto to misunderstanding, and explanation - using the term wrong.

And you should thank Fitbit for trying to protect you too.

You ever heard the idea that the less you have to lose, the slower it should be?

What most don't mention is the fact that if you don't do that by purposeful wise choices, your body will just force that response anyway, by slowing your system down.

Now, guess which way allows exercise to have a more meaningful impact to change your body for the better?

If you are below 40 lbs left to lose, you should switch to 1.5 weekly anyway.

If 20 to go, 1 lb weekly.

If 10 to go, 0.5.

Unless you have been doing strength training and adequate protein (not the default amount), then you've already lost muscle mass in those 40 lbs, so sadly your BMR has indeed gone down.

If you did not, it actually would not go down, as losing just fat doesn't take much BMR energy anyway.

Curious - you been losing 2 lbs weekly anyway, even with the 1000 cal deficit?

[Peggy10]

You are right.  I guess its my fitness pal that shows I get 1200 calories to begin with.  And since fitbit and MFP correlate I assume that I am starting with the 1200 in fitbit as well.

[Peggy10]

Yes I have lost 44 pounds since the beginning of the year.  Its been great.  But I would like to lose at least another 25 but its really slow going now.  I am walking more and still the scale is not budging.  I am worried that fitbit is telling me to eat too many calories.   As I mentioned, I thought as I lost weight in order to continue doing so, I would have to eat less if I exercise the same amount.  But my initial 1200 calories hasn't changed.  And I realize it will take longer now.  My sister started using fitbit about a month ago and she weighs about 50 pounds more than I do and she is getting the same calorie count.  I use My Fitness Pal to track the food and I can see that it starts me with 1200 calories to begin with.

[patzwz]

It's important to realize the difference between the difference and terms, as well as interaction between them. I am in no way an expert of any kind so there will probably be others who can explain it all a lot better.

BMR = Basal Metabolic Rate. It's the rate at which your body burns through calories while at rest, only supporting the basic functions of organs to keep you alive. The higher the metabolic rate, the faster you burn through calories.
Your 'calories burned' tile gives you an estimate of how many calories you have burned.

When you burn more calories than you eat your body will start finding energy sources within your body. (Fat, muscle etc) and that's how you lose weight.

That being said, it's important to maintain a healthy balance. If you start eating too little your body goes into starvation mode. Starvation mode will cause the opposite effect of what you're trying to achieve. It can have disastrous effects on the body if you continue on too long. So instead of easting less and exercising the same amount, you would be better off by eating the same but exercising more. Make sure to work some kind of weight training into your exercise routine as this helps to get a higher metabolism, which means you'll burn through the excess fat faster.
Also pay attention to exactly what you are putting into your body. Eating 1200 calories in Mars bars or ice cream will have a very different effect on your body than 1200 calories of healthy food with enough proteins and other building blocks for the body. (For the record, I'm not saying that's what you're doing, it's just an example)

Edit to add: You might want to read this thread as it explains things a lot better than I just did. The posts I specifically recommend are those by Nick17 and flyboy https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Get-Fit/stuck-at-24-9-body/m-p/315522#U315522

Edit 2: Another thread with very helpful information: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Weight-Loss/calorie-in-vs-calorie-out/m-p/121227#U121227

[slysam · Accepted solution]

I agree with the advice you have been getting. The "calories burned" goal tile probably doesn't change on a regular account. I am not sure what it is based on, but it really doesn't have anything to do with your fitbit food plan allowance or your MFP allowance. You can change that to whatever you want and it is just an activity goal like 10,000 steps, 5 miles, etc. your BMR estimate absolutely does change with changes in weight and age and there is no way it didn't change with a 40 pound loss. This makes me think you are likely calling something your BMR which is not (commonly done). About your seeing a 1200 starting allowance on MFP regardless of weight. This is the minimum allowance MFP allows so it just means whatever settings/goals you had all along put you at or below MFP's minimum allowance. MFP estimates what it expects you to burn for your stated activity level with no extra activity then deducts your goal deficit from that number unless that would put your allowance below 1200--in that case it just sets it for 1200. Even if your BMR and weekly loss goal has changed it is very possible for your MFP allowance to start at 1200. For example, if your BMR was at one point 1600 calories and you were set to sedentary on MFP, then your sedentary burn estimate might be something like 2000 calories with no exercise. If you were set to lose 2 pounds a week, your MFP allowance would be 2000 - 1000 = 1,000. Ooops! Below the minimum so your allowance would be at 1200 excluding exercise or extra activity. Now with weight loss, let's say your BMR decreased to 1400 calories a day. You are still set to sedentary. Your MFP sedentary burn estimate might be 1750 for the day. Let's say you decreased your rate of loss to 1.5 pounds a week since you read you should decrease your deficit as you get closer to goal... Your allowance is now 1750 - 750= still 1000. Still too low! So it is again set to 1200 calories (before exercise). If you kept it at -1000, it would also still be 1200. In all those cases the math would put you below the minimum so your allowance was just set to the minimum MFP allows. That is likely why you saw the same starting allowance at different weights. I won't comment whether or not 1200 was an appropriate allowance for you because it just depends...

[slysam · Accepted solution]

About whether you need to eat less as you lose weight... Yes and no. If you were using a plan where you were eating, say 500 calories less than whatever you burn... Probably. Your BMR would decrease and your total calorie burn would be less for the exact same activity than it was when you weighed 40 pounds more. In this case, if you burned 2,000 pounds on a sedentary day. You would have eaten 1,500 calories per day base + extra exercise. After loss, if you BMR decreased like in the example in my last post and you were burning 1750 calories on a sedentary day, then your allowance would have been 1250 plus extra exercise (1750 - 500). But you were not following that kind of plan from what you wrote. If you were trying for a larger deficit that would put you below MFP's minimum allowance your allowance could well be the same (1200) throughout our journey until you get to goal weight (assuming your metabolism didn't low too much). Also sometimes people who are trying to minimize metabolism slowdown will start with a higher deficit then decrease the daily deficit as they get closer to goal weight. They may start with a -1000, after l getting say 20 pounds over they might change their deficit to -500, after getting to within 10 pounds they may again change their deficit to just -250. For this type of plan, people can end up eating a pretty similar amount all along depending how the numbers work out. Some diets intentionally gradually ease people up to eating at maintenance by the time they are at goal.

[Mary]

Fitbit doesn't limit anyone to 1200.  That's MFP. 

[DominicJ]

Misunderstanding how MFP works

MFP assumes you are a "normal" woman and assigns you 2200 calories or work per day

It assigns all men 2500

If you tell it you want to lose 2lbs per week, it takes 1000 cal per day off you.

So I get 1500, because I'm a man, who wants tolose 2lbs per week.

Thats all MFP does.

Fitbit (assuming you have linked the two) then provides an adjusting figure based on your weight and excercise level, so yesterday, I got an additional 945 calories, if I still weighed 250lbs, I'd have got more, when I weigh 130lbs, I'll get less.

If you have just been eating 1200 calories a day for a sustained period of time, you are in trouble and need to get on a sensible diet now.

[Heybales]

Actually, it takes your BMR specific to your gender, age, weight, height (Mifflin formula) x an activity factor you selected for your daily non-exercise life.

Sedentary - 1.25

Lightly Active - 1.4

Active - 1.6

Very Active - 1.8

That activity factor incorporates your calories burned from eating, and NEAT daily life burn, and of course BMR.

Exercise calories are added in when actually done for a complete TDEE picture.

MFP then subtracts your weekly weight loss goal, but stops at 1200 for women and 1500 for men.

There are many women and men who select 2 lb weekly (reasonable or not) for 1000 cal deficit - but their daily burn isn't high enough to actually give it to them.

When they look at their Goals, they'll discover their 1200 eating goal is only giving them .8 lb weekly loss say, or about 750 cal deficit.

And the way MFP works, is when you add exercise and your daily burn increases - the 1000 isn't taken off that bigger value, possibly giving the full 1000 deficit and say eating 1400.

They just add the exercise on to the eating goal which may not be the full deficit already. Which means you are losing out on some deficit - if it was reasonable for them.

But that little method has probably saved many people who didn't take reasonable deficit.

Also, if people selected Lightly Active and their daily burn was higher as it truly is - it would allow a 1000 cal deficit likely.

Same way works when the Fitbit adjustment comes over, it's added to eating goal, not daily maintenance.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10098937/faq-syncing-logging-food-exercise-calorie-a...