Do You Know What Your Basal Metabolic Rate Is?

By Terry Cobb, CPT-CES

Lisa and I had a very good conversation this morning around caloric intake and the need for people to realize that drastically cutting calories,  does their body a grave disservice.  We were discussing our new Weight Management program and the great information found in the manuals the participants will receive.   BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is discussed in detail in one of the chapters.

 BMR supports your bodily functions that occur without conscious awareness.  This includes heartbeat, breathing, maintenance of body temperature and the sending of nerve and hormonal messages to direct these activities.  They are the basal processes that maintain life.  The amount of energy required to maintain these functions is called your BMR.  For example, Lisa and I must consume between 1233 and 1277 calories, respectively, just to maintain our processes of life. Please note, this doesn’t include calories needed for daily physical activities.  You would need additional calories for that.   The chart below will give you a brief idea of how those calories are used:

Energy expenditure breakdown

BMR generally decreases with age and with the decrease in lean body mass (as may happen with aging).   Increasing your muscle mass, increases BMR.

Illness, previously consumed food and beverages, environmental temperature, and stress levels can affect one’s overall energy expenditure as well as one’s BMR.  Any decrease in calories below this BMR will result in a decrease in lean muscle tissue.  This slows the metabolism which leads, eventually to an increase in body fat to protect the body from the perceived starvation.  So, you see, there is a science behind healthy weight loss and/or maintenance.  Use the handy link below to discover your own Basal Metabolic Rate.  How are you doing?

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/