Basal Metabolic Rate

One of the topics most closely related to the functioning of energy within the human organism is the basal metabolic rate.

In order to sustain a correct holistic vision of nutrition, it is necessary to know how our metabolism works when producing and distributing the energy obtained from food.

It is at this point where the basal metabolic rate plays an important role, since it will allow us to understand the amount of energy that our body requires to function in optimal conditions, always taking into account the particularities of each organism.

We will go deeper into this subject below, so that you can have more elements when it comes to start your healthy eating style.

Basal metabolism

Basal metabolism is one of the determining factors in the calculation of the energy consumed. When we refer to basal metabolic rate, we are referring to the energy we will need for our body to continue functioning normally, so it gives us a minimum figure that we must cover if we do not want to see effects on our body.

What is the Basal Metabolic Rate?

Having control over what you consume is fundamental to lose weight. When planning a diet, the first thing to do is to calculate the amount of calories you need based on your body weight and height.

Basal Metabolic Rate is the amount of energy per unit of time that an individual requires for his or her body to function in a resting state. Among the functions included in this process are respiration, circulation, cell growth, muscle contraction, body temperature regulation, and brain and nerve functions.

The rate at which the body burns calories is related to the Basal Metabolic Rate, accounting for about 60 to 70 percent of the human body's daily calorie expenditure. Age is a factor in this process, as the BMR usually decreases by 1 to 2 percent every decade after the age of 20.

To calculate the Basal Metabolic Rate you can use scales with body analysis or use the following formula: Harris-Benedict equation:

• Males: BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.75 x age in years)

• Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age in years)

For example, if you want to calculate the BMR of a woman who weighs 66 kg, is 1.67 meters tall and 29 years old would be:

• BMR = 655 + (9.6 x 66) + (1.8 x 167) - (4.7 x 29) = 655 + 633.6 + 300.6 - 136.3 = 1452.9 calories per day.

Once the calories consumed by the body at rest are known, we must multiply them by these figures according to the physical activity we perform daily:

• BMR x 1.2: Little or no exercise.

• BMR x 1.375: Light exercise (1 to 3 days per week)

• BMR x 1.55: Moderate exercise (3 to 5 days a week)

• BMR x 1.72: Sportsman (6 -7 days a week)

• TMB x 1.9: Athlete (morning and afternoon workouts)

Following the previous example, we have that this woman consumes 1452.9 calories at rest and trains 2 times a week, so we multiply this figure by 1.375:

• 1452.9 (BMR) x 1.375= 1997.7

The final result is the amount of daily calories that maintain the current weight, therefore, to lose weight, less than that amount must be consumed. To carry out a healthy weight loss, it is recommended to reduce about 3500 calories per week (500 per day), and in this way we are losing 1kg per week.