BMR stands for Basal Metabolic Rate.

BMR Calculation Formula

Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) – ( 6.8 x age in year )

Women:BMR = 65 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) – ( 4.7 x age in years )


What is a Basal Metabolic Rate?

The Basal Metabolic Rate is the amount of energy, measured in calories, burnt while your body is at rest in a neutrally temperate environment while the digestive system is inactive. The calories burned for this purpose are allowing your vital organs such as your brain, heart, and lungs to function. A person’s BMR usually decreases as they age and with the loss of body weight. The best known way to increase your BMR is to add lean muscle mass to your body. Adding fat weight to your body would also increase your BMR but would counterproductive for weight loss. It was once believed that aerobic fitness could increase a person’s BMR, but this has been proven untrue. No correlation exists between them.


Why do I need to know my BMR?

Your Basal Metabolic Rate determines how many calories your body burns to survive. This number of calories determines how many calories you can eat without gaining weight. Although you can still lose weight without knowing your BMR, knowing how many calories you burn per day allows you do determine how many calories you should eat to either lose or maintain your current weight.


What about calories burn from daily activities?

Every activity you perform during the day burns calories. These activities include walking to the bathroom, standing rather than lying down or exercising by running 2 miles. To know how many calories your body burns, in total, per day , you will need to add your BMR to your calories burn from activities.