Basal Metabolic Rate

Many people refer to their BMI when trying to lose weight. A few others, instead, prefer to know their Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). The basal metabolic rate is simply the amount of calories your cells need to stay alive. The BMR is exclusive of physical activities as well as base functions. BMR itself is not the whole picture then. What you do after you calculate your (you can find your BMR at this site: http://home.fuse.net/clymer/bmi/) BMR is multiply it by a factor below:

Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job) Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) Moderately active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extra active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training)

Pick which factor best describes your activity level and you have your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, or TDEE. Then you can take your TDEE and, if you have been journaling your meals as I described in my last post, you can check if you are in a calorie deficit or you need to change.

Your BMR is not a static value, but changes as your weight changes. Changes in muscle mass produce greater changes in BMR, but even change in fat will affect your BMR. Using an example, someone weighting 240 pounds, might have a BMR calculated result at 2193 calories per day, but after when they lose weight and drop to 160, their BMR will drop to 1686 calories a day a different of 507 calories per day! That equates to a pound per week! If you wonder why you hit a weight loss plateau and no longer lose weight, knowing your BMR could shed some light. A final note, the BMR and TDEE are just rough estimates, not precise calculations, and in my experience that was all they needed to be. The most reliable indicator will be observing your own results.

David Ogden -Lose Weight USA
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