Calculate Your Basal Metabolic Rate
Basal Metabolic Rate is the number of calories required to keep your body functioning at rest. BMR is also known as your body’s metabolism; therefore, any increase to your metabolic weight, such as exercise, will increase your BMR. To get your BMR, simply input your height, gender, age and weight below. Once you’ve determined your BMR, you can begin to monitor how many calories a day you need to maintain or lose weight.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most reliable way to increase your BMR is to increase your muscle mass. This is because muscle is more metabolically active than other types of tissue such as body fat. Thus, the more muscle you have the more calories you burn even at rest.
Research shows that every pound of muscle in your body burns between 6 and 7 calories per day. For your average 170-pound man with around 70 pounds of muscle, this will account for between 420 and 490 calories of his BMR per day.
If he were to gain an additional 20 pounds of muscle, he’d boost his BMR by about another 250 calories per day (630 calories per day to maintain his muscle). Over the course of a week, that’s almost 1,000 extra calories burned without having to lift a finger.
The best way to use your BMR to lose weight is to use it to estimate your TDEE, which you can then use to create a weight loss meal plan.
If you’d prefer to skip the math, aim to eat 10 to 12 calories per pound of body weight per day to lose weight. This is enough to lose weight at an aggressive pace (about 1 to 2 pounds per week) without causing excessive hunger or cravings or disrupting your performance in the gym.
The best way to use your BMR to gain weight is to use it to estimate your TDEE, which you can then use to create a meal plan for building muscle.
If you’d prefer to skip the math, aim to eat 16 to 18 calories per pound of body weight per day. This is enough to gain muscle mass and strength while gaining very little body fat.
