Yours basal metabolic rate is a tool that trainers and nutritionists use as a starting point when developing a weight loss program. We all know what basal metabolism is – the dictionary defines it as “the amount of energy consumed by an organism at rest to maintain its basic functions”. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is a measure of the energy required to maintain the body at rest. This is the calories you burn doing nothing (except of course presiding over the basic functions of your body like digestion, circulation, respiration, etc.). It’s nature’s way of preventing you from getting infinitely large. But how does basal metabolic rate help us to start a weight loss program?
Basal metabolic rate is a reference point used to determine our minimum daily calorie requirements. We can calculate BMR using simple arithmetic according to this formula:
Male: 66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years) Female: 655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x height) age in years)
To illustrate, let’s figure out the basal metabolic rate for a 40-year-old woman who is 5’6 tall and weighs 150 pounds:
655 + (4.3 x 150) + (4.7 x 66) – (4.7 x 40) = 655 + 645 + 310 – 188 = 1,422 calories
Her basal metabolic rate is 1,422. That is, this woman burns 1,422 calories just by keeping her body active. So what does the instructor (or you) do with this information? This number represents the minimum number of calories you need to consume daily to maintain yourself. But what if you want to lose weight? You should just reduce your calories, right? Wrong.
When you cut calories, your body naturally responds by slowing down calorie burning to protect itself from starvation. Even though you are eating less, your weight remains the same. If you eat the same number of calories but exercise more, it should work, right? If your body works hard and doesn’t get enough energy, it will slow down your calorie burning and your results will be negligible. So does this mean you have to eat more calories? Doesn’t this defeat the purpose? Not according to Josh Bezoni, fitness expert and co-founder of BioTrust Nutrition. He says, “Exercise increases metabolism. Eating increases metabolism. The trick is learning to balance the two so that you still create a negative calorie balance.”
Let’s say you calculate your basal metabolic rate and it allows you to burn 2000 calories a day. Knowing this, you go on a diet and start eating 1500 calories a day leading to a deficit of 500. This may seem like a good thing, but eating less only lowers your metabolism.
Now let’s change some things. Your basal metabolic rate still allows you to burn 2000 calories a day. But, instead of reducing your calories to 1,500, you start eating 300 more calories each day but you also burn an additional 800 calories through exercise. Result? You get the same 500 calorie deficit (2800 calories burned – 2300 calories consumed), but you do so by increasing your metabolism through eating more and exercising. This process is especially helpful for a person who has a low basal metabolic rate due to calorie restriction and a sedentary lifestyle. (By the way, a deficit of 500 calories per day leads to weight loss of 1 pound per week.)
Basal metabolic rate provides a good baseline for minimum calories. Obviously, eating right and exercising are vital to your success. A diet of sugary foods and/or an exercise program of endless treadmill running will make weight loss difficult. But if you use your BMR as a starting point, you’ll know to eat and exercise accordingly to not drop below that level and create a calorie deficit.
Basal metabolic rate gets you started. The next step is lifestyle change. A diet high in vegetables, fruits, lean protein sources, seeds and nuts (in moderation) combined with strength training that includes both aerobic and anaerobic exercise is a good formula for weight loss and good health in general. Some sports can also give you a good full body workout. The best starting point for developing a weight loss plan is to calculate your basal metabolic rate.
