You have likely heard the phrase “calories in vs. calories out” as a weight management guideline. Yet, not many explain how to accurately determine the number of calories your body burns and requires each day.
You could quickly enter your height and weight into one of the many apps or websites and receive a caloric intake estimate. However, this is only an equation and does not factor in your unique physiology and metabolism. When aiming to lose or gain weight, precision matters!
With the new year right around the corner, fitness goals and resolutions are a popular subject. Keep reading to learn how to uncover your true caloric needs.
Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the amount of energy or calories your body needs to perform basic functions like breathing and keeping your organs working while at rest.
Think of it as a starting point to understanding how much energy your body needs to stay alive. Once you know this number, you can use it as a foundation to figure out how many calories you should consume each day based on your activity level.
Whether you’re trying to maintain your current weight, lose weight or gain muscle, knowing your RMR is key to determining the right amount of calories you need to fuel your body and reach your goals.
Every person burns calories differently. Inputting your height and weight into a website will give you an estimate based on an equation of your caloric needs. Because dieting is a tedious and time-consuming process to achieve results, guessing how to properly fuel can be frustrating.
An RMR test will show exactly how many calories your body burns per day in a resting state. You’ll also uncover what percentage of carbohydrates and fats your body uses for fuel each day. Since everyone has unique fueling needs, no two results are the same.
Measuring and understanding your RMR can make or break your health and fitness goals. Using incorrect or estimated caloric intake metrics will set you back and hinder any results you’re pursuing. If you’re consuming 200 calories more than your target each day, that’s an extra 1,400 calories per week, 5,600 calories per month and 73,000 calories per year! Here are a few key reasons why measuring your RMR is so important.
By measuring your RMR, you can design an effective weight-loss or weight-gain strategy based on the most accurate caloric needs measurement. It provides insights into the caloric surplus or caloric deficit required to meet your specific goals.
Nutrition plans tailored to your RMR are the most effective because they account for unique metabolic needs, preventing under-eating or over-eating. If you’re making nutrition a focus in your life, measuring your RMR accurately is the first step to building out an impactful and personalized nutrition plan.
Athletes and fitness enthusiasts can use their RMR measurement to optimize performance and recovery. Ensuring adequate caloric intake will help you fuel your body before/during training and enhance recovery. Fueling your body based on your activity levels and RMR will unlock peak performance.
The speed or level of an individual’s metabolism is a topic that many assume, without ever measuring. This assumption can be dangerous and can affect someone’s physical health and mental health. Several factors contribute to your metabolism, which may cause changes over time. Using an RMR test to baseline your fueling needs is a great way to get true data on your metabolism.
Your metabolism and RMR are affected by your genetics, physical activity, age, gender, diet, muscle mass and more. Your metabolism may also change through lifestyle changes, based on the factors listed above.
A high or fast metabolism means your body burns more calories at rest and conversely, whereas a low or slow metabolism means you burn fewer calories at rest. When managing your weight it’s critical to get this measured to ensure you avoid over or under-fueling your body.
To receive an accurate caloric intake or RMR measurement, accounting for your unique physiology is essential. For exact measurements, a medical-grade metabolic cart is required. Watch the video below for a full breakdown.
Before your Resting Metabolic Rate assessment, our physiologists will meet with you to discuss your nutrition/fueling goals and address any questions or concerns you may have. At Human Powered Health, our Master’s and Ph.D.-level performance physiologists use medical-grade COSMED metabolic carts to deliver a superior level of service and quality in RMR testing.
One of the most important steps on any weight management journey is planning, as it helps establish clear goals and prepares you for long-term success. After getting an RMR assessment at Human Powered Health, you’ll leave with specific results and an actionable plan based on your unique data. If you’d like to discover exactly how many calories you burn in a day, click here to book your RMR assessment.
Understanding and optimizing your RMR is a game-changer for anyone aiming to enhance their health. By taking proactive steps to measure and monitor your RMR, you can unlock the potential for improvements in weight management, physical performance and overall well-being.
This essential metric serves as the foundation for building personalized nutrition and fitness plans tailored to your unique needs. With a clear and accurate understanding of your caloric intake, you can align your lifestyle and goals with the science of your body. You deserve precise data about your body because as always, True Health is Self-Made.
Human Powered Health is staffed with Master's and PhD-level performance physiologists who are dedicated to helping you improve your health and performance. Our product is a healthier you, and we have the science to make you better than ever.
Human Powered Health uses high-precision, research-grade, top-of-the-line technology for all assessments in order to provide a superior level of service and quality for anyone who wants to learn more about their health and performance metrics.
We are on a mission to power health and human performance for everyone. Your body belongs to you. You deserve accurate information about it. We give everyone the data and expertise to fine-tune their own health and athletic performance. Because knowledge is power, and true health is self-made.