September 13th, 2010 - Find out how many calories your body needs
Your BMR, or basal metabolic rate (metabolism), is the energy (measured in calories) expended by the body at rest to maintain normal bodily functions.
This continual work makes up about 60-70% of the calories we use ("burn" or expend) and includes the beating of our heart, respiration, and the maintenance of body temperature. Your BMR is influenced by a number of factors, including age, weight, height, gender, environmental temperature, dieting, and exercise habits.
Because of the increased activity of cells undergoing division, the younger the person, the higher (faster) the metabolism. That is why when we were younger it was much easier to maintain or lose weight. Additionally, because of the greater percentage of lean muscle tissue in the male body, men generally have a 10-15% faster BMR than women. And when you go on restrictive, traditional diets, your BMR can drop by as much as 20%. That is why it is absolutely important not to "diet", but change the lifestyle to something healthier. In general, depending on the intensity and duration, consistent exercise can also increase your BMR.
Let's do a simple BMR calculation:
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
Body Weight [lb] x 15 + (moderate activity [mins/day] x 3.5)
Since you wish to lose weight, your target = BMR - 500 kcal
For instance, you weigh 140 lb (I wish) and you perform 20 mins of moderate activity every day. BMR of this example = (140 x 15) + (20 x 3.5) = 2100 + 70 = 2170 kcal. BMR minus 500kcal; it would be 2170 - 500 = 1670 kcal. Therefore 1670 kcal is the target in this example to losing 1 lb per week.
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