Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories needed by the body to sustain itself. Body functioning by itself needs some calories. BMR – Basal Metabolic Rate is arrived at by factoring in your height, weight, age and gender. To calculate your BMR, check out our tool here:
Metabolism is the rate at which your body uses energy and burns calories. Dieting to lose weight is counter-productive as it leads to decreasing BMR. This makes the body conserve energy and very difficult to lose any weight. Instead a revved up metabolism is what will help you burn more calories. A regular exercise regimen helps increase the BMR so that your body burns more calories even at rest than it would if you were not exercising. Strength training also perks up the metabolic rate as it helps build muscles and muscles burn calories better than fat.
BMR is affected by other factors such as genetics and age. Women tend to have a lower BMR than men and it tends to decrease as we get older. Little wonder that we find it more difficult to stay slim as the years go by. Body temperature and glandular production can affect the BMR. Illness and stress can skew up your BMR calculations too.
The relevance of understanding your BMR is to be able to calculate your daily caloric needs so as to maintain the same body weight. This also helps you gauge the caloric needs when you want to lose a certain amount of weight. The Harris Benedict Formula gives you a table to determine your daily caloric requirements based on your lifestyle. Once you know your BMR, you can calculate your Daily Calorie Needs based on your activity level using the Harris Benedict Equation.
| Harris Benedict Formula | |
| Sedentary | BMR x 1.2 |
| Exercise 1-3 days a week | BMR x 1.375 |
| Exercise 3-5 days a week | BMR x 1.55 |
| Exercise 6-7 days a week | BMR x 1.725 |
| Sports or physical job | BMR x 1.9 |