"Basal Metabolic Rate Is An Important Statistic for Any Weight Loss Program"

This would include involuntary activities such as breathing, the beating of your heart, and digesting food. Since the digestive system continues to work many hours after eating, this statistic would only be relevant 12 hours after eating.

However, the BMR alone doesn’t paint a complete picture. In fact, it is one of three steps you must calculate to determine your ideal caloric intake.

In step two you will calculate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). This statistic is a measure of how many calories you require to perform activities of daily living. This page explains how to calculate your TDEE:
your total daily energy expenditure is a measure of how many calories you require to perform activities of daily living

Anything above your TDEE, you gain weight. Anything below it, you lose weight.

Upon completion of steps one and two you will then be able to calculate the number of calories you can consume each day in step three. This page explains how to do this calculation:
after calculating your BMR and your TDEE you will be able to calculate your daily caloric intake

It’s easy to understand, but doing the calculations for your basal metabolic rate and total daily energy expenditure is a little more complicated.

Relax, we’ll walk you through everything.

There are several factors you should understand before making your calculation.

Your BMR is determined by several environmental and genetic factors as follows:

• Age - the minimum number of calories your body needs daily generally declines as you age.
• Weight - the heavier you are, the higher your basal metabolic rate. For example, women that are obese have a 25 percent higher metabolic rate than women that are thin.
• Genetics - your metabolic rate may be determined by genetics. Some people have slow metabolisms, while others have fast metabolisms.
• Gender - men typically have higher metabolic rates than women. This is because they usually have a greater muscle mass and a lower percentage of body fat than women.
• Body Surface Area - your height and weight play a big role in determining your BMR. Basically, taller people have higher BMRs.
• Body Fat Percentage - lower amounts of fat on your body translates to a higher basal metabolic rate.
• Diet - an extremely low calorie diet can have a significant impact on your BMR. A starvation diet can cause your metabolic rate to drop as much as twenty to 25 percent.
• Body Temperature - for every 0.5 C degrees your body temperature increases, your BMR increases 7 percent.
• Outside Temperature - the temperature outdoors can also affect your metabolic rate. Cold weather will cause an increase in your metabolic rate, while hot weather has little effect. Extremely hot weather is the exception, however.
• Exercise - exercise, in addition to burning calories, helps to build additional lean muscle tissue, which will burn more calories than fat.
• Glands - your thyroid gland secretes the hormone thyroxine. If you have an underactive thyroid gland, you will also have a lower metabolic rate.

There are several formulas that may be used to calculate your BMR. The formula we will use is known as the Harris-Benedict formula. It is as follows:

Men - BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)

Women - BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) - (4.7 X age in years)

For example, a woman who is 35 years old, weighs 130 pounds, and is 5’7” would have a BMR of 1362.

Breaking down that equation, the numbers are: 655 + 566 + 306 – 165 = 1362

Your next step is to calculate your total daily energy expenditure.

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