Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the rate at which you burn calories while resting. It assumes you’re performing no activity at all, not even the digestion of food. You can calculate your BMR from your height, weight, age and gender. These calculations are specific to gender due to differences in the percentage of body fat. You’ll commonly perform this calculation as part of a weight-loss plan to predict your weight-loss rate.
Step 1
Weigh yourself with a scale that uses pounds. Divide this weight by 2.2 to obtain your weight in kilograms.
Step 2
Measure your height in inches with a tape measure. Multiply this value by 2.54 to obtain your weight height in centimeters.
Step 3
Use the following formula from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition to obtain your BMR if you’re female: (weight x 9.99) + (height x 6.25) - (age x 4.92) - 161. This formula requires your weight in kilograms, your height in centimeters and your age in years.
Let your weight be 65kg, your height be 157cm and your age be 42 years for this example. Your BMR is (65 x 9.99) + (157 x 6.25) - (42 x 4.92) – 161 = 1,263 calories per day.
Step 4
Use the following formula from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition to obtain your BMR if you’re male: (weight x 9.99) + (height x 6.25) - (age x 4.92) + 5. This formula requires your weight in kilograms, your height in centimeters and your age in years.
Let your weight be 78kg, your height be 174cm and your age be 35 years for this example. Your BMR is (78 x 9.99) + (174 x 6.25) - (35 x 4.92) + 5 = 1,700 calories per day.
Things You'll Need
- Bathroom scale
- Tape measure
- Calculator
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