Hello, I have one more question regarding metabolism analysis. I am curious as to how it's possible that a woman with severe overweight has what I consider to be a relatively high BMR (e.g., 1800 kcal)? I thought that in obese and severely overweight individuals, BMR would be lower, considering the large amount of body fat and generally no or very low physical activity? Also, by how many kcal would you recommend going into a deficit during weight reduction? Is -200 kcal optimal or can it be more? Thank you very much.

When considering BMR values, it is not just about the individual's degree of overweight, but also the proportion of muscle mass and the level of physical activity. These two characteristics have the greatest influence on BMR. Generally, as an individual's weight increases, the active mass is forced to perform work with higher energy expenditure, and the same applies in situations where (even an obese) individual has a higher proportion of muscle mass.

During a weight-reduction diet, it is advisable in the long term not to drop below BMR values, as metabolism perceives this as a crisis energy mode and reacts with overly strong catabolic processes. That means you should aim to maintain intake slightly above BMR when calculating the energy balance. This method and direction of calculation are the safest.

Themes:  Weight loss