BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)

BMR is the total energy (measured in calories) a resting human body needs to maintain its vital functions. This constant work makes up about 60 to 70% of the calories we burn and includes the beating of our heart, the respiration, digestion, and the maintenance of body temperature.

In very simple term BMR represents the number of calories per day your body burns if you stayed in bed all day.
Our BMR is influenced by a number of factors, including, gender, age, height, weight, environmental temperature, dieting, and exercise habits.

The younger the person, the higher (faster) the metabolism because of the increased activity of cells undergoing division. Also, the taller and heavier a person is, the faster their metabolism. Since men have a greater percentage of lean muscle tissue, their BMR is 10 to 15% faster then women (the body requires an additional 35 calories per kilogram of lean muscle).

As you age, your BMR decreases and it becomes harder to eat whatever you want and stay slim. When you go on restrictive diets your BMR can drop by as much as 20%. However, a regular exercise routine (including cardiovascular exercises) can increase your BMR and improve your health.

Also, the climate is a factor to consider since people living in tropical or very cold environments generally have a BMR from 5 to 20% higher than those living in more temperate climates.

Estimate your BMR by entering your physical characteristics in the following table.

The “Total Energy Requirement” represents the total number of calories you need to maintain your actual body weight.
It is now easy to calculate the number of calories you need to gain or to lose weight.

Calorie intake to GAIN weight
Calorie intake to LOSE weight