BMR and TDEE and caloric deficit

[NIGHTWING]

I recently got my BMR tested with a Medgem V02 unit it said my daily BMR 2020 calories.

My question would be how close can I get to that number before my metabolism slows down?

Should my goal be eating 500 calories below my TDEE?

Also there are days when I work both my jobs and I definitely eat sub 1500-1800 calories, has that hurt my metabolism and how can I fix it.

The lady who did my test did say my metabolism was slower for my height and weight.(This was a dexafit location)

I have noticed as getting older of course it has become much more difficult for me to lose weight, where in a month I could drop-10-15 pounds, now I am lucky to drop 4-5 pounds in 2 months.

Typical macro breakdown 40-45 Protein, 30-35% carbs, 25-20% fat

Age 35 h 6'1 W 229

I get in 5 gym sessions a week, and do cardio 3-4 x a week 6 mile bike ride twice and 2 1.5 mile runs.

 

[cybrsage]

Yes, try to stay about 500 cals below your needs during a cut. You can go more, but then you will need to be careful about slowing yourself down. 500 is a safe number to use.

 

[halfwit]

If you're consuming below your BMR, you'll cause problems as BMR is essentially what you need to stay at your body weight doing NOTHING. Even sleeping burns calories, which is probably the worst time you want to deprive your body.

TDEE is how many calories you burn living your life. If you're active (as you are), you'll have a much higher TDEE. This is number you can safely drop a couple hundred calories below to decrease body fat.


In my experience, neither calculation is completely accurate, so you'll want to keep an eye on body composition changes while tweaking cals to stay on target. Keep in mind that stimulants or adrenergic agonists (clen/albuterol/caffeine/ephedrine) do count towards your TDEE as they passively cause you to burn calories by raising your core temperature and heart rate.

Just felt the need to add that in.

My .02c