To
lose weight or burn fat
, one always thinks about combining healthy eating and exercise.
But another important factor for health that most often overlook: the
basal metabolic rate (BMR or BMR).
"Metabolism refers to all the physical and chemical processes in the body that
convert or use energy
," they explain from
Medline Plus
, the site of the United States National Library of Medicine.
And they exemplify breathing, blood circulation, muscle contraction, digestion of food and nutrients, functioning of the brain and nerves, as well as elimination of waste through urine and feces, among others.
What is basal metabolic rate
It is known that the body needs energy for everything it does, such as breathing, transporting blood, leveling hormones, and reproducing and repairing cells, add the
Mayo Clinic
, a non-profit entity dedicated to clinical practice, education and the investigation.
Thus, the amount of calories that the body uses at rest for these functions is known as the
basal metabolic rate
, also known as
BMR
(
Basal Metabolic Rate in English
).
Although muscle mass is the main factor in this rate, it also depends on the following factors:
Body size and composition.
People with larger builds or more muscle mass burn more calories, even at rest.
Physical activity, muscle mass and calorie intake.
Sex.
Men typically have less body fat and more muscle than women of the same age and weight, which means they burn more calories.
Age.
As people get older, they tend to lose muscle.
Most of the body's weight comes from fat, which slows down calorie burning.
Metabolic rate and calories to lose weight
For example, to control and measure caloric needs, the first thing is to know your basal metabolic rate or BMR, which is the amount of calories you need to eat per day for your body to perform its essential functions normally.
To keep in mind, it represents
between 60 and 70 percent of daily energy expenditure
, which means that just by sleeping, breathing or digesting you are already burning calories,
Men's Health reports.
To achieve a balance, it is necessary to ingest the same as expended, and one of the keys is to know
how many calories are needed per day
, especially if our long-term goal is to lose weight.
How many calories are burned through digestion, everyday activities or intense exercise?
How to measure basal metabolic rate.
Photo: iStockPhotos.
The most accurate way to measure your BMR or BMR is
to always visit your doctor or nutritionist
to have it calculated as rigorously as possible.
In fact, there are numerous
tools and equations
to do this, but it is best to have it determined by a professional.
It is worth noting that BMR is used to lose weight, but also to
gain muscle or not go overboard
when you are in the volume phase.
Calculating basal metabolism is essential to
following a correct diet.
Being aware of your total daily calorie expenditure will allow you to know how many you need to consume based on your fitness goals, for example.
When it comes to the difficult mission of losing weight, health professionals recommend
limiting calories ingested and doing sports
, such as cardio on an empty stomach or strength training.
How to calculate metabolic mass
After knowing the Basal Metabolic Rate, we must take into account the calories that are burned with daily tasks.
One of the most used formulas to estimate BMR internationally is through the
Harris-Benedict formula
(updated by Mifflin MD and St Jeor), which takes into account sex, weight, height and age, spreads the site in Portuguese
Tá Saudá Bel.
Women:
(10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) – (5 x age in years) – 161
Men:
(10 x weight in Kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) – (5 x age in years) + 5
After knowing your Basal Metabolic Rate, the next step is to take into account the
amount of calories you burn
during all the daily activities you do.
To know how many calories you need every day, expand the health portal, you must
multiply your BMR by the number that is according to your lifestyle.
And that goes according to the following
types of people:
Sedentary:
If you do not exercise or the time you stay active is minimal, multiply your BMR x 1.2.
Lightly active:
If you do light exercise one to three days a week, multiply your BMR x 1.375.
Active life and exercise are key when calculating the metabolism rate.
Moderately active:
If you exercise moderately three to five days a week, multiply your BMR x 1.55.
Quite active:
You exercise intensely six to seven days a week, multiply your BMR x 1,725.
Super active:
If you exercise extremely intensely, at least two hours a day, six to seven days a week or have a job that requires you to stay super active, multiply your BMR x 1.9.