nounthe rate at which metabolism occurs in a living organism.“many people come into my office convinced that they have a low metabolic rate”
Basal metabolic rate is the number of calories your body needs to accomplish its most basic (basal) life-sustaining functions.
What You Need to Know About Your Metabolic Rate;
Wouldn’t it be great if you could make it simple and easy to maintain your target body weight? The great news is that there are a few basic principles at the core of each weight maintenance program that can work for everyone. Whether you want to maintain your current weight or trim a few pounds, here are a few tips to stay healthy and on target.
Let’s talk about the basics first. The human body is always burning calories, even while sleeping. Calories burned at rest are used to complete essential functions, such as cellular respiration, maintaining body temperature, delivering blood and nutrients to tissue, and repairing cell damage. The amount of calories your body burns at rest in one day is known as your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Each individual has a unique BMR because the rate is based on a number of variables, including age, genetics, gender, weight, body fat, and diet.
Table 1: Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the amount of calories an individual will burn at rest in one day. Use the following table to calculate BMR for Men and Women.
BMR for men BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.76 x age in years)
BMR for women BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)
To calculate how many calories you burn in one day — a value known as your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) — you will also need to factor in the amount of physical activity you get during the week. If you want to maintain your current body weight, you will need to consume no more or less than the number of calories you burn each day.
Table 2: Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the amount of calories an individual must consume daily to maintain their current body weight. Use the following table to calculate TDEE based on the amount of exercise completed each week.
Sedentary BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly active BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. active BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extr. active BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e. marathon, contest, etc.)
To Lose Weight, Eat Less and Burn More
In order to lose weight you must have a calorie deficit, which means you need to burn more calories than you eat. There are approximately 3,500 calories in one pound of stored body fat. To lose one pound, you will need to have a deficit of 3,500 calories. The best goal is to have a small calorie deficit each day. If you calculate how many calories your body requires each day (TDEE), experts recommend subtracting 15 to 20 percent from that total to determine a healthy estimate for daily calorie consumption. Results should be monitored and adjusted according to each person’s metabolism.
Exercise to Increase Energy Expenditure
By increasing the amount of activity you get each week, your body burns more calories. For example, a person with a BMR of 2,000 calories will burn 2,740 calories each day if they exercise one to three days per week. This same person can burn 3,450 calories each day by increasing their routine to six or seven days per week.
Weight management is not just about your diet, it is about balancing exercise and calorie consumption so you stay fit and healthy (to see how these numbers were calculated, use the information provided in Table #2 above).
Eating too few calories can cause a major decrease in metabolism.
Although a calorie deficit is needed for weight loss, it can be counterproductive for your calorie intake to drop too low.
When you dramatically lower your calorie intake, your body senses that food is scarce and lowers the rate at which it burns calories.
Controlled studies in lean and overweight people confirm that consuming fewer than 1,000 calories per day can have a significant impact on your metabolic rate.
Most studies measure resting metabolic rate, which is the number of calories burned during rest. Yet some also measure calories burned during rest and activity over 24 hours, which is referred to as total daily energy expenditure.
In one study, when obese women ate 420 calories per day for 4–6 months, their resting metabolic rates slowed down significantly.
What’s more, even after they increased their calorie intake over the following five weeks, their resting metabolic rates remained much lower than before the diet.Trusted Sourc).
In another study, overweight people were asked to consume 890 calories per day. After 3 months, their total calorie expenditure dropped by 633 calories on average.
Even when calorie restriction is more moderate, it can still slow metabolism.
In a 4-day study in 32 people, the resting metabolic rate of those who ate 1,114 calories per day slowed more than twice as much as that of those who consumed 1,462 calories. However, weight loss was similar for both groups.Trusted ).
If you’re going to lose weight by calorie restriction, don’t restrict your calorie intake too much — or for too long.
Eating enough protein is extremely important for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.
In addition to helping you feel full, high protein intake can significantly increase the rate at which your body burns calories.
The increase in metabolism that occurs after digestion is called the thermic effect of food (TEF).
The thermic effect of protein is much higher than that of carbs or fat. Indeed, studies indicate that eating protein temporarily increases metabolism by about 20–30% compared to 5–10% for carbs and 3% or less for fat.Trusted Source).
Although metabolic rate inevitably slows during weight loss and continues to be slower during weight maintenance, evidence suggests that higher protein intake can minimize this effect.
In one study, participants followed one of three diets in an effort to maintain a 10–15% weight loss.
The diet highest in protein reduced total daily energy expenditure by only 97 calories, compared to 297–423 calories in people who consumed less protein.Trusted Sour.
Another study found that people needed to eat at least 0.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight (1.2 grams per kg) to prevent their metabolism from slowing during and after weight loss.
Being sedentary may lead to a significant decrease in the number of calories you burn every day.
Notably, many people have lifestyles that mainly involve sitting at work, which can have negative effects on metabolic rate and overall health. Especially now with most people working from home and sitting at heir kitchen table for upto 8-10 hrs a day….
Although working out or playing sports can have a major impact on the number of calories you burn, even basic physical activity, such as standing up, cleaning, and taking the stairs, can help you burn calories.
This type of activity is referred to as non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT).
One study found that a high amount of NEAT could burn up to 2,000 additional calories per day. However, such a dramatic increase is not realistic for most people.
Another study noted that watching TV while sitting burns an average of 8% fewer calories than typing while sitting — and 16% fewer calories than standing.
Working at a standing desk or simply getting up to walk around several times per day can help increase your NEAT and prevent your metabolism from dropping.
Sleep is extremely important for good health.
Sleeping fewer hours than you need may increase your risk of a number of illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, and depression.
Several studies note that inadequate sleep may also lower your metabolic rate and increase your likelihood of weight gain.
One study found that healthy adults who slept 4 hours per night for 5 nights in a row experienced a 2.6% decrease in resting metabolic rate, on average. Their rate returned to normal after 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Lack of sleep is made worse by sleeping during the day instead of at night. This sleep pattern disrupts your body’s circadian rhythms, or internal clock.
A five-week study revealed that prolonged sleep restriction combined with circadian rhythm disruption decreased resting metabolic rate by an average of 8%.
Working out with weights is a great strategy to keep your metabolism from slowing.
Strength training has been shown to increase metabolic rate in healthy people, as well as those who have heart disease or are overweight or obese.
It increases muscle mass, which makes up much of the fat-free mass in your body. Having a higher amount of fat-free mass significantly increases the number of calories you burn at rest.
Even minimal amounts of strength training appear to boost energy expenditure.
In a 6-month study, people who performed strength training for 11 minutes per day, 3 days a week, experienced a 7.4% increase in resting metabolic rate and burned 125 extra calories per day, on average.
In contrast, not doing any strength training can cause your metabolic rate to decline, especially during weight loss and aging.
Strength training increases muscle mass and helps preserve your metabolic rate during weight loss !!
Engaging in lifestyle behaviors that slow down your metabolism can lead to weight gain over time. It’s best to avoid or minimize them as much as possible.
Have an awesome day and remember to try implement these tips one step at a time and enjoy the journey.
Coach
Paul
