In this video we discuss what is BMR (basal metabolic rate) and how to calculate BMR. We go through the formula used to calculate BMR, and we look at BMR vs RMR
Transcript/notes
Bmr, or basal metabolic rate is basically the energy or calories needed at rest, or, to perform necessary bodily functions. So, if you were to lie still, not move and do nothing, the calories you would burn, would be your BMR.
BMR is tested at a lab, wearing a special mask that uses your breath rate to measure calories burned, this process is called “calorimetry”.
BMR is often discussed with RMR, which is resting metabolic rate.
BMR is taken after 8 hours of sleep and 12 hours of fasting, and RMR is taken under less restrictions. BMR is a more accurate way to estimate your metabolism, or calories burned at complete rest. RMR is usually slightly higher than BMR, as RMR includes every day small amounts of activity and calories burned eating food.
There are mathematical formulas that have been developed to estimate BMR, and most of the formulas produce very similar results. For instance here is one of the formulas, for women it is For women it is calories burned equals, 4.536 x weight in pounds + 15.88 x height in inches - 5 * age – 161, and for men it is For men it is 4.536 x weight in pounds + 15.88 x height in inches - 5 * age + 5. And here are the formulas using metric units.
On the screen is an example calculation for a woman and a man. One note, since BMR and RMR are often interchanged, you may see the same formulas used to calculate BMR or RMR.
Research suggests that the only way to truly increase your BMR is to gain muscle mass, as muscle burns 3 times as many calories as fat. And BMR is the largest part of metabolism for most people, on average, it is 50 to 70% of their daily caloric expenditure.
Chapters/Timestamps
0:00 What is BMR?
0:22 BMR vs RMR
0:46 Estimating BMR with a formula
1:09 How to increase BMR
