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Most people have heard the word metabolism before and have a basic understanding that metabolism has something to do with how the body burns calories.\u00a0 I hear the word metabolism being thrown around a lot and it often takes the blame for weight gain (“i think my metabolism has slowed down as i have aged”) or the reason for eating more food than necessary (“it’s ok I have a fast metabolism, I will be fine”).\u00a0 Although there is some small truth to these statements in certain circumstances, metabolism is not always the be all and end all of weight loss\/gain.<\/p>\n
What is BMR? This is basically the minimum calorific requirement to sustain life in a resting individual in basic processes such as respiration, the pumping of blood around the body, and maintenance of body temperature.\u00a0 These are calories the body will burn on top of those burned through exercise and daily activities.\u00a0 Knowing this number is a great place to start when trying to determine you metabolic rate.<\/p>\n
It’s important to be aware of your own basal metabolic rate (BMR), as this number differs from person to person and will allow you to better asses your need for exercise and proper nutritional habits.\u00a0 There are many factors that can influence your BMR such as: body composition, age, weight, gender, diet, exercise\/health, endocrine glands, and body surface area.\u00a0 It is hard to get an exact BMR calculation without taking lean body mass into account, but you can still get a good idea using the formula below which uses age, height, weight, and activity level.<\/p>\n
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Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) – (6.8 X age in years)<\/p>\n
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Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) – (4.7 X age in years)<\/p>\n
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Example:<\/em><\/p>\n A 30 year old female who is 5’6″ tall and weighs 120lbs would perform this calculation<\/p>\n BMR = 655 + 523 + 302 – 141 = 1339 calories\/day<\/p>\n Now that we have BMR, you can calculate total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) by multiplying BMR by an activity multiplier from the chart below:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Activity Multiplier<\/p>\n Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)<\/p>\n Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise\/sports 1-3 days\/wk)<\/p>\n Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise\/sports 3-5 days\/wk)<\/p>\n Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise\/sports 6-7 days\/wk)<\/p>\n Extr. Active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise\/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Example:<\/em><\/p>\n BMR<\/strong>: 1339 calories\/day<\/p>\n moderately active with activity factor of 1.55<\/p>\n TDEE<\/strong> = 1.55 X 1339 = 2075 calories\/day<\/p>\n If your goal is to lose weight, once you know your BMR you can then calculate approximately how many calories you should be eating per day and how much exercise (calories burned) you will need to do to create a calorie deficit each day.\u00a0 Think of it this way, one pound of fat is equivalent to 3500 calories; therefore, if you want to lose one pound of fat per week, you will have to create a calorie deficit of 500 calories each day.\u00a0 This could mean decreasing calorie intake by 500 calories, exercising enough to burn 500 calories, or finding a balance between decreasing calorie intake and increasing exercise to equal 500 calories.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n READ MORE ABOUT METABOLISM AND HOW YOU INCREASE YOUR OWN HERE: https:\/\/www.core-condition.com\/quick-tips\/what-is-metabolism-and-how-to-increase-your-own\/<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n