The rate at which you burn calories while sitting still is your basal metabolic rate, or BMR. This is the minimum rate at which you must burn calories in order to live. You'll commonly wish to calculate your BMR as part of a sensible weight loss plan. This requires a gender-specific formula that uses your height, weight and age. You can then add the additional calories you burn through exercise to your BMR to determine your total calorie expenditure.
Step 1
Obtain your weight in pounds with a bathroom scale. Divide this weight by 2.2 to obtain your weight in kilograms. Let your weight be 157 pounds for this example. Your weight in kilograms is 157 / 2.2 = 71.4kg.
Step 2
Obtain your height in inches with a tape measure. Multiply this height by 2.54 to obtain your height in centimeters. Let your height be 67 inches for this example. Your height in centimeters is 67 x 2.54 = 170cm.
Step 3
Compute your BMR if you're female. This computation uses the following equation from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: BMR = (weight x 9.99) + (height x 6.25) - (age x 4.92) - 161. This result will provide your BMR in calories per day.
Let your weight be 71.4kg, let your height be 170cm and let your age be 52 years. Your BMR is (71.4 x 9.99) + (170 x 6.25) - (52 x 4.92) -- 161 = 1,359 calories per day.
Step 4
Calculate your BMR if you're male. This computation uses the following equation from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: BMR = (weight x 9.99) + (height x 6.25) - (age x 4.92) + 5. This result will provide your BMR in calories per day.
Let your weight be 71.4kg, let your height be 170cm and let your age be 47 years. Your BMR is (71.4 x 9.99) + (170 x 6.25) - (47 x 4.92) + 5 = 1,550 calories per day.
Things You'll Need
- Bathroom scale
- Tape measure
- Calculator
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