

Resting Metabolic Rate, or RMR, is the rate at which the body expends energy to maintain essential life functions while at rest, but can include the act of digestion or recent physical activity.( 3) RMR measurements will be slightly higher than BMR measurements. Your actual BMR is affected by many factors, as stated above. While you can calculate an estimated BMR using a BMR calculator (which utilizes the following formulas or accepted variations), calculations are only estimates. Other factors affecting Basal Metabolic Rate include the total surface area of the body (higher surface area requires higher BMR to maintain body temperature), the presence of a fever or other physical stressors (which can raise BMR), fasting or starvation (both reduce BMR), smoking and caffeine (both increase BMR), sleep (reduces BMR), and emotional stress (increases BMR). Individuals with normal to elevated thyroxine levels (as found in hyperthyroidism) experience higher BMR than those with reduced thyroxine levels (as found in hypothyroidism). The hormone thyroxine, produced in the thyroid, directly impacts BMR. For this reason, men tend to have higher BMR than women based on average body composition.( 2) Those with high body fat have a much lower BMR because fatty tissue requires very little energy to be maintained. Individuals with higher lean body mass-meaning more muscle-have a higher BMR than those without, as muscle requires significant energy to be maintained. As we age, our BMR slows as our body shifts from an anabolic (building) state to a catabolic (breaking-down) state. Remember that cheeseburger, fries, and milkshake that ‘magically disappears’ when a teenager eats it? This is why. Children and adolescents generally have a very high BMR because their bodies are in a constant state of growth, which requires a constant supply of food in order to gain energy. Most notable are age, body shape, body composition, and hormones.

On average, this sum is approximately 60-70% of a person's total daily energy expenditure.īecause BMR measures these activities while at complete rest, a true calculation of BMR can only be done after a 12-hour fast and a good night's rest and in the absence of any physical activity or emotional excitement, as these factors can temporarily influence metabolic rate.

A BMR calculator measures the sum of kilocalories required to maintain these essential body functions. The majority of these essential functions continue mostly unnoticed-things like the heart beating, the lungs inhaling and exhaling air, the kidneys filtering waste, new cell creation, maintaining proper body temperature, and more.
#Bmr calculator kg cm how to#
Understanding your BMR may help you determine how best to eat for your body type, and using a BMR calculator is an easy way to find this number.īut better yet, understanding what a BMR calculator is actually measuring and knowing how to change your BMR might get you one step closer to your fitness goals.īasal Metabolic Rate, known as BMR, is the rate at which the body expends energy to maintain essential life functions while at complete rest. BMR is responsible for approximately 60-70% of the total calories you burn each day.( 1) It plays a key role in determining whether the body burns that double bacon cheeseburger for energy or stores it as fat. The answer, or at least a good explanation for this, is rooted in what's known as Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR.
#Bmr calculator kg cm full#
Have you ever watched a teenager devour a towering double bacon cheeseburger, a plate full of fries, and a tall chocolate milkshake and wondered, "How do you eat like that and not gain weight?" Maybe you've started to notice that your pants have been feeling a bit snug around the waist, even though you're still eating the same healthy diet and following the same exercise routine of years past.
