Workouts, calories and BMR

When I took Kinesiology classes in college I learned about the BMR and what it means in terms of calories. I needed a refresher to make sure I was making good choices.

The BMR (if you don't know) is your body's Basal Metabolic Rate. It is the calories your body burns over a 24 hour period, not including any activity. So if you are a couch potato, then that is an accurate number. For all activity above that, you add to the number.

So what?

Well, if you want to stay the same weight, hit that number as an average every day. That means it's okay to go over that number some days and under others and you'll average out to that number.


Your body reacts to consistent change, so if you eat above that number for weeks you'll gain weight, if you eat below it for weeks, you'll lose weight. For the most part. Keep reading...

Each pound of fat is 3500 calories. So if you want to lose a pound a week, deduct 500 calories a day from that number. If you want to lose 2, deduct 1000. To deduct that much, you'll need to be exercising a lot because if you eat fewer than 1100 calories a day your body will go into starvation mode and stop burning calories. At that point preservation is key and your body defends itself against death by beginning to run on less energy. This isn't healthy.

I have been trying to stay within a 1300-1500 calorie range per day. I do NOT go below 1200 and seem to feel best on right around 1400. On days I exercise I'm actually less hungry, but I make sure to get it all in anyway. Protein shakes and yogurt save the day for me as contrary to popular belief, not all overweight people like eating. Certain foods, yes; but actual shopping, preparing, chewing, cleaning, etc. I find tediously boring.

That's actually part of the problem. I prefer to eat "easy" foods...cookies, cakes and bread are all basically pre-digested and you could swallow them without chewing if you wanted to. This means those foods don't take energy to burn, so eating them is sending sugar straight into your blood. This in turn makes you want more, but you never feel full.

Protein shakes and yogurt are ALSO easy to eat, require no prep and create no dirty dishes. Thank goodness! I still make sure to have a good sized salad every day, multi-vitamins (hello adult gummies!!) and some kind of healthy carb (usually rice), but for breakfast (my least favorite meal of the day...but the most important) I get to grab a chocolate protein shake. Chocolate for breakfast!

That way when I get to the gym, I have the energy needed to do my workout! And I remember to deduct calories burned, of course :)

Sample BMR (aka mine):

Height 5'7
Weight 282 (was 294 when I started!)
Age 34
Female
BMR - 2036.2

Calories burned today: 170

Total calorie burning today: 2206.2

Calories I'll eat: 1400ish

806.2 calories burned alive, never to return.