Calculating your BMR

For anyone tracking calories and workouts, your BMR is extremely important to know. Especially if you are using a program such as My Fitness Pal or Sparkpeople for example. These programs give you a general net calorie count based on your weight and height. In order to know exactly how many calories you need to consume each day to create a deficit (either from exercise or food reduction), you have to know your BMR. 

I use the sedentary lifestyle calculation so that I can use food and workouts to create my deficit. If you use the lightly, moderate or very active calculations, your BMR is automatically figuring in the activity calories you have each week. I don't like this because some weeks I work out less than others. I also like to recalculate my BMR for every 5 pounds I lose. My current caloric needs as of today to maintain my current weight is 1880 based on my BMR and sedentary lifestyle calculations. It's suggested that you do not create a deficit with food reduction of more than 25-30%. 

For example if I choose not to workout one day, my calories consumed should not be less than 1316..make sense? On my workout days I should be consuming all of my calories. Remember it takes 3500 calorie deficit to lose 1 pound. If you're creating a 500 calorie deficit one way or another everyday for seven days, you'll lose a pound that week! Make sense?!

*Copied from another source*

BMR formula uses the variables of height, weight, age and gender to calculate the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is more accurate than calculating calorie needs based on body weight alone. The only factor it omits is lean body mass and thus the ratio of muscle-to-fat a body has. Remember, leaner bodies need more calories than less leaner ones. Therefore, this equation will be very accurate in all but the very muscular (will underestimate calorie needs) and the very fat (will over-estimate calorie needs).

 

English BMR Formula

 

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

 

Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )

 

 

 

Harris Benedict Formula
To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows: If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2 If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375 If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55 If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725 If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie- Calculation = BMR x 1.9

 

Total Calorie Needs Example

If you are sedentary, multiply your BMR (1745) by 1.2 = 2094. This is the total number of calories you need in order to maintainyour current weight.

Once you know the number of calories needed to maintain your weight, you can easily calculate the number of calories you need to eat in order to gain or lose weight.

Do any of you use this calculation? I find this very effective when I'm tracking which I am doing now.