What BMR Means and How To Understand It
Definition. Basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the measurement of an organism’s energy expenditure when at rest. In other words, when you’re at rest, not digesting any food and at a comfortable temperature. BMR is the amount of energy it takes for your body to maintain a healthy life.
How do I calculate my BMR?
The human body requires a significant amount of energy (i.e. calories) just to function and exist regularly. Each day, your body must breathe, blink, circulate blood, control body temperature, grow new cells, support brain and nerve activity and contract muscles not to mention any form of additional exercise you may do each day.
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The amount of energy (in the form of calories) that the body needs to function while resting for 24 hours is known as thebasal metabolic rate, or BMR. This number of calories reflects how much energy your body requires to support vital body functions if you were resting for an entire day. It may surprise you to know that your BMR is the single largest component (more than 60 percent) of your total energy burned every day.
While you can’t magically change your BMR right away, knowing your personal number, how it’s calculated, and which factors most influence your metabolism, can help you use your BMR to create a smarter strategy for weight loss and better health (or maintenance).
What is a normal BMR?
A person’s basal metabolic rate is related to the way your body utilizes energy. Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is an estimate of the number of calories you body uses in a day, at rest. …
- For women, the average BMR in the United States is 1,493 calories.
- For men, the average BMR in the United States is 1,662 calories.
BMR: Your Basic Burn
To most accurately calculate BMR, an expert takes measurements of carbon dioxide and oxygen analysis after a subject has fasted for 12 hours and has had eight hours of sleep. However, a rough estimation of this data is possible using the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation, a formula introduced in 1990. Since it’s proven to bemore accuratethan previous BMR formulas, the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation is now considered the standard when it comes to calculating BMR.
The Equation
- For men: BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) + 5
- For women:BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) – 161
You’ll can use your BMR as a rough estimate to set your basic needs. This doesn’t vary too much for a male or female of the same age and body weight. However, we do need to take into consideration weight, height, age and gender.
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Weight and height:
The more mass you have, the more fuel you need to sustain larger organs. This is why heavier and taller people have a higher BMR. When youlose weight, your BMR decreases and you require fewer calories a day. In contrast, when you gain dense, heavier muscle, your BMR increases.
Age: Metabolic rate decreases as you age because muscle mass declines by five to 10 percent each decade after the age of 30. However, weight training can mitigate that loss in muscle mass. Circuit training that incorporates full-body resistance exercises (like squats, lunges and core work on abalance ball) is great for this. Strength training individual muscle groups in isolation isn’t as effective in strengthening your body for daily movement that always incorporates a mix of muscle groups.
Gender:Since body composition (ratios of lean muscle, bone and fat) differ between men and women,research shows a woman’s BMR is typically around five to 10 percent lower than a man’s.
What does your BMR tell you?
The amount of energy (in the form of calories) that the body needs to function while resting for 24 hours is known as the basal metabolic rate, or BMR. This number of calories reflects how much energy your body requires to support vital body functions if, hypothetically, you were resting in bed for an entire day.
What is a good BMR rate?
How Important Is Your BMR/BEE? Typically about 60% of our total energy needs come from resting metabolism (see above), but this varies greatly depending on our activity level. The average BMR for an American woman is about 1,400 calories, while for a man its about 1,800.
Is a higher BMR better?
The BMR decreases with age and increases with muscle mass. … It is basal metabolic rate. Simply amount of calories particular individual need in a day when he do nothing or calories needed to maintain his weight. Its never good or bad, if u want to lose weight be in calorie deficit according to your bmr.
Does BMR include thermic effect of food?
When we think of eating, it is pretty well understood that food contains energy in the form of calories. … So, in order to process what you eat, your body needs to expend energy above your regular Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is known as the Thermic Effect Of Food“ or TEF for short.
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