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How BMR can help in weight loss

Posted by Pascal Landshoeft

Mar 27, 2019 8:54:43 AM

How BMR can help with weight loss

HOW BMR CAN HELP IN WEIGHT LOSS

BMR or Basal metabolic rate literally means the amount of energy that is expended per each unit of time by animals (endothermic) while they are at rest. Also, keep in mind that this is measured in a ‘’neutrally temperate’’ environment and only when the digestive system is inactive or not performing its activity.  With the help of bmr calculator you can actually calculate Basal metabolic rate of your body.


It is convenient to say that it is the amount of energy which is invested by the body to help/facilitate the different organs to maintain their function. For example, the heart pumps blood continuously without any rest 24-hours, even when the digestive system is at rest. Moreover, the lungs are performing the function of gaseous exchange as well even when the digestive system is inactive. And so, energy is also invested in these processes.

How it helps

Another alternate definition of the Basal metabolic rate makes the relation between energy and calories really visible. It states that the Basal metabolic rate is the number of calories, required by an individual to survive or by the organs to keep functioning even when the digestive system is inactive. This statement also throws light on the relation between weight loss and BMR.

Weight is lost when the total amount of calories consumed by a person are lesser than the ones that are burnt by the individual. BMR plays a very major role in weight loss which has been elaborated below.

1- Knowing the BMR – A starting point for weight loss:

Basal metabolic rate and its knowledge are considered as a ‘’starting point’’ for the weight loss process.

The initial advice given by the experts to anyone who plans on losing weight is the calculation of the basal metabolic rate.


Weight is reduced and lost once a person’s total caloric intake becomes lesser than the calories that the individual is burning throughout the day. And therefore, after knowing the BMR, you are easily put into the state of knowing how to reduce the number of calories that you consume every day. And obviously, once you do it, weight loss will easily follow afterwards. Basically, it provides you with a rough idea of the number of calories you require each day to lose some weight keeping in view the number of calories your body is ‘’naturally’’ burning through the process of doing nothing but existing.


2- You burn your calories while staying at rest.

Sari Greaves who is a well-known dietician describes the calories burnt at rest as ‘’Couch-potato calories’’. Which when thought of, is practically true as you are burning those calories, not because of exercising or engaging yourself in some activity, but only because your organs are performing their activities. And more interestingly, it makes up 60 percent of the calories that you have consumed per day. The left over 40% are lost through your activities.


3- An estimation of your total calorie intake if you aim at losing weight

Long ago, people did not have the concept of obesity and how it can impact a person’s health. Then came the duration, when people only lost weight for social acceptance. However, in this world where science has progressed at its best, people are now aware of how overweight/obesity can affect the quality of life. From certain kinds of cancers to different heart diseases, all are accompanied by obesity.


Therefore, the concern towards weight is increasing day by day. And if you are someone who is all about fitness, you already know how you can calculate your total calorie intake that you need to maintain to lose some pounds. This also makes the importance of BMR in the weight-world, crystal clear.


To ascertain the calories you have to keep up your present weight, multiply your BMR by an activity factor. For example, you work in an office where your job is to sit on the desk all day long, your activity factor will be around 1.2. If however, you exercise twice or thrice a week, your movement factor is 1.375. And if you increase your exercise level by instead of exercising for twice or thrice a week, you exercise 3 to 5 times per week, then your action factor increases to 1.55. In case you're associated with games and exercise six to seven days seven days, your action factor is 1.725. In case you're preparing for a long distance race or have a physically engaging activity, your action factor is 1.9.

To make it even more clear, let’s explain it with an example. Consider a male individual of 43, with a height of 5’9 and a weight of 88. His BMR will fall around 1863 (you will require a BMR calculator to calculate the value. We have mentioned the one you can use at calculators.tech for ease) if he is lightly active. To know the total amount of calories he needs to lose weight, simply multiply the BMR with the activity factor. And you get the desired result.


4- BMR can be altered for weight loss

People have noticed and reported, that when they start with the weight loss, they lose weight real quick. After shedding some pounds in a short duration, the process slows down and so, they lose weight very slowly. This is simply because your Basal metabolic rate decreases as you lose weight, and this means that the total calories needed by a person per day also shows a decrease.


The reason why this happens may be partially due to a decrease in muscle mass. For this purpose, experts suggest going for exercises such as squats, strength training, push-ups and etc. to maintain the BMI to some extent. (Ask your gym instructor for further details) and to lose weight at the same rate.


BMR CALCULATOR


You just cannot know the number of calories you require to maintain each day if you want to lose weight, without having the information about your basal metabolic rate and there’s no easier way to know your BMR other than the use of this convenient and easy to use a calculator.


Your basal metabolic rate is a number which is influenced by different factors among which, gender, your height, and weight along with your activity level (Sedentary, lightly active, very active) hold immense importance. These are the factors by the information of which, one can make their way to the value of Basal metabolic rate. Below is an example of how you can calculate your BMR through this calculator.