No matter in what state we are, the body is constantly using energy. Once the consumption of energy surpasses that of the body’s requirement, the person tends to gain weight. Even this consumption differs in people and alters with time and age. While the rate at which energy is consumed is high in young age, as people growth old, this declines. The resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the rate at which the body burns energy or while it is at rest. RMR help to evaluate the weight loss. Basically it is the energy that is consumed by the body to perform vital body functions such as respiration and pumping of blood throughout the body. A normal person spends 50 to 70 % of his energy due to resting metabolic rate.

Why is it important to know the resting metabolic rate?

In the attempt to loose weight it is important to cut down the calorie consumption and burn down the extra-calorie (fat) that is stored in the body. In order to understand your resting metabolic rate better, it is important to understand the metabolism of your body. RMR is the calories burnt to support all the basic biological functions of the body which includes respiration, blood circulation, digestion, excretion and homeostasis while the body is in a resting phase. The average calories burnt to perform these functions is 1200 though it differs in people. On the other hand, RMR should not be confused with BMR (basal metabolic rate) which is the energy spent by the body while performing physical activity. Calculating the RME and the BMR helps to know the energy that you need to perform your daily activities and the amount of calories you nee to burn so as to lose weight.

How to calculate your resting metabolic rate

• The formula to calculate the daily consumption for the calories burnt is

RMR = 9.99(WEIGHT in Kilograms) + 6.25(HEIGHT in centimeters) – 4.92(AGE in years) + 166(GENDER)-161

• Measure weight- In order to calculate the RMR, the person should know their weight in kilograms. So post calculating the weight, it’s important to convert them into pounds. E.g. If the weight in pounds is 100 then divide this by 2 which equals to 50. Due to this the formula will look like this

RMR = 9.99(50) + 6.5(height in centimeters) – 4.92(age in years) + 166(gender)-161

• Measure height- measure your height in centimeters and add it to the formula. E.g. if your height is 170 cm then the formula will appear as

RMR = 9.99(50) + 6.25(70) – 4.92(age in years) + 166(gender)-161

• Age- fill the age in the formula. E.g. if you are 30 then fill in

RMR = 9.99(50) + 6.25(70) – 4.92(30) + 166(gender)-161

• Gender- fill the gender. For males, the number is 1 and for females the gender is 0. E.g. if you are a male, enter 1

RMR = 9.99(50) + 6.25(70) – 4.92(30) + 166(1)-161

499.5+437.5+147.6+166- 161 =1089.6

This means that as per the example, the person burn 1089.6 calories when at rest. Ideally, the BMR is 60 – 70 % of the daily calorie used by the body. The rest of the calories are utilized while we perform daily tasks. Once a person knows the RMR and the BMR, he can plan his dist and exercise regime accordingly.

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