The Key to Successful Weight Loss: Knowing Your BASAL METABOLIC RATE
Posted by Jameelah Gater on
Frustrated with losing that last 10 pounds? Having trouble kick starting your weight loss? Read on to find out the key to successful weight loss.
Losing weight is not magic or rocket science. Calories eaten – Calories burned = weight loss or weight gained. The challenge lies in that you must burn 3500 calories more than you eat to lose just 1 pound. Many people have trouble losing weight due to a slow basal metabolic rate (also known as metabolism). The slower your metabolism the more you need to exercise and boost your BMR in order to notice consistent weight loss. How incredibly unjust! It’s way easier to over indulge and pack in 3500 extra calories than to cut back and work out like a maniac to burn 3500 calories. Weight loss from the juice cleanse occurs as a combination of decreasing calorie intake, improving digestion and eliminating stored waste.
Often, the key to losing weight is equation is your basal metabolic rate (BMR), i.e. how many calories your body burns BEFORE you work out. Individuals with slow BMR’s have a much harder time losing weight. Not to mention that your metabolism or metabolic rate slows down with age, menopause, and certain medication conditions including low thyroid. How do you determine your BMR? To get an accurate measurement , you need to visit your physician or nutritionist to have your BMR measured. The BMR can be measured in a variety of ways. For accuracy, I use a calometric body composition scale in my office. You can calculate a ballpark estimate of your metabolic rate using this formula:
For men, the equation for calculating BMR is:
BMR = 66 + (13.8 x weight in kg.) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in years)
For women, the BMR equation is:
BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kg.) + (1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age in years).
Knowing your BMR will help you gauge how much to cut back your calories and how much to exercise (cardio and weights) in order to successfully lose weight. A word of caution, though- if your metabolic rate is extremely slow (less than 1400 for women, 1600 or less for men) you want avoid dropping your daily calorie intake too low. Taking in too few calories can eventually slow your metabolism and lead to weight gain. You’ll have to find creative ways to boost your metabolism and up your exercise to get the weight off.