Your basal metabolic rate (BMR), or how much energy your body requires to function at rest, can be calculated using a BMR calculator. This energy is required for vital processes like breathing, blood circulation, and organ maintenance.
A number of variables, including age, gender, weight, height, and body composition, have an impact on BMR. You can enter these details into a BMR calculator to estimate how many calories you burn each day while at rest. As it offers you an estimate of how many calories you need to consume to maintain, lose, or gain weight depending on your level of physical activity, this information can be helpful for developing a weight loss or weight gain plan.
What is BMR?
BMR, or basal metabolic rate, is the number of calories or energy that your body needs to maintain its vital systems while at rest. Breathing, blood circulation, and the operation of crucial organs like the heart, liver, and kidneys are among these processes. BMR is the minimal amount of energy your body requires to perform its essential activities and makes up between 60 and 75 percent of the total energy your body utilizes each day. Your age, gender, body composition (muscle mass and body fat percentage), height, and weight are all factors that affect your BMR.
When developing a specific diet and exercise plan, knowing your BMR can be helpful because it can help you calculate how many calories you need to consume daily.
What affects the BMR?
- Age: As you age, your BMR tends to decrease due to a decrease in muscle mass and a decrease in the metabolic rate of your organs.
- Gender: Men typically have a higher BMR than women because they have more muscle mass and less body fat.
- Body composition: Your body’s muscle mass is a major contributor to your BMR. The more muscle you have, the higher your BMR will be. This is because muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat tissue.
- Height and weight: Taller and heavier people generally have a higher BMR because their bodies require more energy to function.
- Thyroid function: The thyroid gland plays a key role in regulating metabolism. People with an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) tend to have a lower BMR, while those with an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) tend to have a higher BMR.
- Genetics: Your genes can also influence your BMR, as some people are born with a naturally higher or lower metabolic rate.
- Environmental factors: Factors such as temperature, altitude, and stress can also affect your BMR. For example, exposure to cold temperatures can increase your BMR as your body works to maintain a stable body temperature.
How is BMR calculated?
There are several formulas that can be used to estimate your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Here are two commonly used formulas:
1. Harris-Benedict formula:
BMR = 88.36 + (13.4 times the weight in kg) + (4.8 times height in cm) – (5.7 times age in years) for men
For women: BMR = 447.6 + (9.2 x weight in kg) + (3.1 x height in cm) – (4.3 x age in years).
2. Mifflin-St. Jeor formula:
For men: BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + 6.25 x height in cm) – (5 x age in years) + 5
BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) – (5 x age in years) – 161 for women
To use either formula, you need to know your weight in kilograms, height in centimeters, and age in years. Once you have calculated your BMR, you can then adjust it based on your activity level to estimate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Your TDEE is the total number of calories you burn in a day, including both your BMR and the energy you burn through physical activity.
It’s important to note that these formulas provide only estimates, and individual BMR may vary based on several factors, such as body composition, genetics, and health status.
FAQs
Q. What should the BMR be?
A.The average person’s BMR ranges from 1000 to 2000. This indicates that they require between 1000 and 2000 calories per day to maintain their essential bodily processes when at rest. Your BMR doesn’t account for the calories burned while you’re moving around, conversing, or working out.
Q. Is the online BMR calculator accurate?
Using well-known formulas like the Harris-Benedict or Mifflin-St. Online BMR calculators and Jeor equations can provide a reasonably accurate BMR estimate. But it’s crucial to remember that these calculators just offer an estimation and shouldn’t be regarded as an accurate assessment of your metabolic rate. Online calculators might not account for aspects like body composition, genetics, and health state that can all affect your BMR. Also, the quality of the information you enter, such as your weight, height, age, and degree of activity, might have an impact on how accurate an online calculator is. See a healthcare provider who can take direct measurements of your BMR if you want a more accurate measurement.
Q. Do I need to know my BMR to lose weight?
A.It is not necessary to know your BMR (basal metabolic rate) in order to create a weight loss plan, although it can be useful. You must consume fewer calories each day than your body burns in order to develop a calorie deficit and lose weight. This can be accomplished by combining calorie intake reduction through food with an increase in calorie expenditure through exercise. Other elements like physical activity and the thermic effect of food (the energy your body uses to digest and metabolize food) also contribute to your total daily energy expenditure, even though your BMR accounts for the majority of the calories your body burns in a day (TDEE).