Basal Metabolic Rate

Basal Metabolic Rate, also referred to as BMR, is a number value that describes your rate of calorie expenditure under four specific conditions:

(1) After a 12-hour fast (no digestion going on)

(2) After a restful sleep

(3) With no physical exertion, and

(4) No emotional upheaval

Your BMR is generally shown in calories per kilogram of body weight per hour.

In other words...

Another way of saying this is that your Basal Metabolic Rate defines how much energy you need just to stay alive.

Basal Metabolism

To understand the concept of BMR, you need to know that Basal Metabolism is the energy your body needs to do things like breathing, keeping your heart beating, filtering blood, making blood cells, maintaining body temperature and acid-base balance, and all of the other processes that go on inside you, even when you are sleeping.

Factors affecting Basal Metabolic Rate

The Basal Metabolic Rate is different for each person and changes as various factors change. The rate that you use calories for basal metabolism can be affected by age, the amount of muscle you have, the temperature in the room, if you are ill, if you smoke and even how tall you are.

How much does it take?

It is estimated that 50-60% of the calories you use each day are to support your basal metabolism.

What's average?

In general, women use a little less than one calorie per kg of body weight per minute, or 23 calories per kg of body weight per day.

Men, as a rule, have a BMR of a little more than one calorie per kg of body weight per minute, or about 24 calories per kg of body weight per day.

How do we use Basal Metabolic Rate?

The value of knowing your BMR is that it helps to determine how many calories you need to maintain weight or, if necessary, to lose weight.

Calorie usage goes up as soon as you start walking around, or if you are upset or stimulated in some way. Even the process of digesting food will raise your metabolic rate. If you do vigorous activity, your calorie usage rate will increase even more, at least for a period of time. Knowing this, you can adjust your calorie intake to more closely meet your requirements.

Resting Metabolic Rate

Some nutritionists prefer using the Resting Metabolic Rate,also known as RMR, which is a similar measurement to the BMR, but with less stringent requirements of sleep and food intake. It will be slightly higher than the BMR, but is easier to measure.

Weight Loss Tips

(1) Get a physical check-up to make sure there are no underlying health problems, and discuss with your doctor your plans to lose weight.

(2) Don’t “go on a diet”; instead, make a lifestyle change.

(3) Establish a realistic goal.

(4) Educate yourself about food.

(5) Avoid single food plans and plans that eliminate certain food groups.

(6) Read labels.

(7) Become aware of portions and serving sizes.

(8) Be wary of “low-fat” foods.

(9) Don’t obsess about the number on the scale.

(10) Drink water.

(11) Include fiber-rich foods in your diet.

(12) Eat foods that you like, and try to change your thinking to like foods that are healthy for you.

(13) Get enough sleep.

(14) Be flexible within limits.

(15) If you goof, don’t use it as an excuse to give up.

(16) If you eat when you are sad, bored, happy, or in the throes of any strong emotion, try to come up with alternative pleasures that you can substitute for eating at those times.

(17) Try some behavior modification techniques such as:

--Eating slowly and deliberately, putting your fork down between bites,

--Using a smaller plate,

--Focusing on eating by not doing anything else at the same time,

--Planning what and how much you will eat ahead of time,

--Writing down what you eat in a food diary,

--Changing habits that contribute to poor food choices--such as: taking the route that goes past the fast-food place, or keeping a bag of candy in your car,

--Rewarding yourself with other pleasures besides food,

--Canceling your membership in the “Clean Plate Club”.

(18) Find ways to handle stress.

(19) Smile, laugh and think positively.

(20) Cultivate your spiritual health, through prayer, meditation and spending time thinking about and helping others.

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