Have your ever heard of the term Basal Metabolic Rate? If not, you have just found out a way to always capture the amount of calories your body needs (absolutely needs) to function for the day. All your other calories are extra and can be expended through exercise. This calculation is going to change throughout your life. As you lose weight, you will need to recalculate it or if you have gained some weight, you will need to spend a few minutes changing the numbers.

Basal Metabolic Rate is your own body’s rate of calories based on your weight, height, age and gender. Remember, it is an average and it is based on you doing zero physical activity per day. Any questions, please ask your physician.

Drum Roll Please… and the Formula is:

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 )

Make sure you add any additional activities you may be doing into the formula calculation. See below:

BMR x 1.2 for low intensity activities and leisure activities (primarily sedentary)

BMR x 1.375 for light exercise (leisurely walking for 30-50 minutes 3-4 days/week, golfing, house chores)

BMR x 1.55 for moderate exercise 3-5 days per week (60-70% MHR for 30-60 minutes/session)

BMR x 1.725 for active individuals (exercising 6-7 days/week at moderate to high intensity (70-85% MHR) for 45-60 minutes/session)

BMR x 1.9 for the extremely active individuals (engaged in heavy/intense exercise like heavy manual labor, heavy lifting, endurance athletes, and competitive team sports athletes 6-7 days/week for 90 + minutes/session)

Now you have the tool that will allow you to have the confidence to increase or decrease your calorie needs based on your lifestyle. Remember, the less sedentary you are, the more calories you can consume.