I was talking with a weight loss client the other day about nutrition and the subject of BMR came up. He had been to a website and used the calculator to figure his BMR and as the website said, set his daily caloric goals to slightly less than what his BMR was. The gains he was making in the gym stopped, his weight loss slowed and his body fat percentage started going up while his energy level plummeted. He was understandably upset - and wanted to know what went wrong.
The BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the number of calories that would THEORETICALLY be burned by a person of a certain gender, hieght, weight and age if they stayed in bed all day and did NOTHING.
I say theoretically because it doesn't account for muscle to fat ratio, HGH or other metabolic factors that may be in play... basically your milage may vary.
Conventional wisdom says to take the BMR for your target weight, eat slightly less and you'll magically lose weight toward that target... and you do. Unfortunately its mostly muscle you'll lose and not fat causing your metabolism to get slower as the muscle gets burned for energy.
So why isn't the fat getting burned? Because the body believes there is a famine in progress and it needs all the fat it can get its hands on for long term survival. You need to figure out what your REAL caloric needs are considering your target weight, age, gender and other body factors as well as your workout routines (they don't have to be rigorous - just consistent). Any certified trainer at most decent gyms can figure this out. They will also be able to tell you how much of those the calories need to be fat, carbs and protiens. Most will tell you no starches after lunch - some allow a high glycemic snack after a hard workout to recarb quickly along with a big shot of protein.
How you eat is another key. If you are still packing in the calories as 3 big meals - cut that out! Spead it over six small meals taken every three hours or so. This keeps the metabolism going digesting the food and breaks the 'famine response' by showing the body you have plenty of food available.
An example of this is my BMR - targeting around 220 lbs for a 6'5" man - my BMR is around 2000 calories per day. However I do 3 major strength followed by 15 mins aerobic and 3 aerobic (30 mins at a VO2 of 65% for fat burn) each week. My actual needs are 2750 cals/day with 224g of protein needed. Split into meals of around 460 cals each. Breakfast may be only around 300 with a bit heavier lunch. After a strength workout, I have 500 cals as 3 scoops of whey protien and 2 100 cal packs of cookies to recarb on. This also helps with my fat requirements - yes you need fat too - should be good fats mostly.
My client is back on track and once again dropping more fat than lean tissue. His actual needs for calories were over 50% over his target weight BMR. Be wary of supplements that kill your appetite like hoodia and others. Many times your body may need help in breaking a gorging habit or the all day grazing behavior but long term use of these will lead to a very high fat body with almost no muscle and a super low metabolism. You may not actually be as hungry as you think, you may be hungry for real food. You are what you eat and if all you eat are Donuts and Wh*pp*rs then your body will reflect it. (If you can't give up your fat burger then use your once a week cheat meal for it).
Eat right, exercise at the right level and live healthy. All areas of your life benefit.
The BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the number of calories that would THEORETICALLY be burned by a person of a certain gender, hieght, weight and age if they stayed in bed all day and did NOTHING.
I say theoretically because it doesn't account for muscle to fat ratio, HGH or other metabolic factors that may be in play... basically your milage may vary.
Conventional wisdom says to take the BMR for your target weight, eat slightly less and you'll magically lose weight toward that target... and you do. Unfortunately its mostly muscle you'll lose and not fat causing your metabolism to get slower as the muscle gets burned for energy.
So why isn't the fat getting burned? Because the body believes there is a famine in progress and it needs all the fat it can get its hands on for long term survival. You need to figure out what your REAL caloric needs are considering your target weight, age, gender and other body factors as well as your workout routines (they don't have to be rigorous - just consistent). Any certified trainer at most decent gyms can figure this out. They will also be able to tell you how much of those the calories need to be fat, carbs and protiens. Most will tell you no starches after lunch - some allow a high glycemic snack after a hard workout to recarb quickly along with a big shot of protein.
How you eat is another key. If you are still packing in the calories as 3 big meals - cut that out! Spead it over six small meals taken every three hours or so. This keeps the metabolism going digesting the food and breaks the 'famine response' by showing the body you have plenty of food available.
An example of this is my BMR - targeting around 220 lbs for a 6'5" man - my BMR is around 2000 calories per day. However I do 3 major strength followed by 15 mins aerobic and 3 aerobic (30 mins at a VO2 of 65% for fat burn) each week. My actual needs are 2750 cals/day with 224g of protein needed. Split into meals of around 460 cals each. Breakfast may be only around 300 with a bit heavier lunch. After a strength workout, I have 500 cals as 3 scoops of whey protien and 2 100 cal packs of cookies to recarb on. This also helps with my fat requirements - yes you need fat too - should be good fats mostly.
My client is back on track and once again dropping more fat than lean tissue. His actual needs for calories were over 50% over his target weight BMR. Be wary of supplements that kill your appetite like hoodia and others. Many times your body may need help in breaking a gorging habit or the all day grazing behavior but long term use of these will lead to a very high fat body with almost no muscle and a super low metabolism. You may not actually be as hungry as you think, you may be hungry for real food. You are what you eat and if all you eat are Donuts and Wh*pp*rs then your body will reflect it. (If you can't give up your fat burger then use your once a week cheat meal for it).
Eat right, exercise at the right level and live healthy. All areas of your life benefit.
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