Resting metabolic rate, otherwise known as basal metabolic rate or RMR, is a measure of the number of calories your body needs to maintain basic functions without any physical activity. It is calculated by estimating how many calories your body needs to maintain its weight and energy. RMR is affected by body weight, body composition, age, and sex. On average, a person needs about 60% of their calories to maintain their weight.
Your body burns calories in 4 different ways:
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) – the calories your body burns by doing the autonomic functions that keep you alive, like breathing and circulation. Your BMR is tough to boost, but having more lean body mass than fat mass can help.
- Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) – the calories your body burns to digest the food you eat. Like BMR, TEF doesn’t change much, but good quality proteins — like eggs, fish, and meat — take extra energy to digest and may give your metabolism a slight, temporary boost. Protein can also help you manage hunger by keeping you satisfied for longer.
- Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT) – the calories your body burns from exercise and sports. You can boost your metabolism through strength-training exercises and by increasing the length and intensity of your exercise.
- Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) – the calories your body burns from the activities you do in your daily life — like washing dishes, walking the dog, or playing with your kids or grandkids. Research has shown that increasing your NEAT is the best way to boost your metabolism and can help you stay fit and manage your weight.
Why should you know your RMR?
Most social media diet gurus believe and preach that the best way to lose weight is to count calories. However, the latest research shows that counting calories is not an effective or body-conscious solution. A simple calorie deficit diet does not take into account the way your body processes food or the increase and decrease of your RMR after changes in lifestyle and activity. For this reason, the best thing you can do to lose weight is to get an RMR test. This test will measure your body’s ability to use calories efficiently. It will measure your metabolism which is proven to be the best way to lose weight and keep it off.
The RMR test can not only help screen for a slowed metabolism but can also reveal underlying changes within your body. This can help provide you with the explanations and answers necessary to help you break through a frustrating plateau. Measuring and tracking your metabolic rate can also help you determine the best exercise regimen for your weight loss (and weight gain) goals. Trying different exercise routines or workout plans including simple things like the 10,000 steps per day challenge will affect your RMR. Tracking the increase will not only show your progress but will also reinforce your commitment and prove that you are moving in the right direction.
How do you test your RMR?
Every calorie consumed requires a fixed amount of oxygen to help your body convert it to energy. This test measures the amount of oxygen consumed to help calculate the ratio of calories burned.
You will be given a mouthpiece to breathe into. Although you will inhale the air from the room, you will exhale gas from our metabolic analyzer. This will be used to measure your metabolic rate. This test is completed in 10 minutes and is entirely done in-office.
Track Your Max was created by physicians who believe that there is a better way to understand your metabolism and find the right tools to help you meet your health, wellness and weight goals. Contact us and find out more about the other services we offer that can transform your body and your life.
