Base Metabolic Rate

In order to understand the rest of what I'll be saying over the next week or so, you first must understand your Base Metabolic Rate (or, BMR). BMR is a term that refers to the number of calories your body requires in order to function when you are resting. Why is this important? Basically, you have to know how hot the fire burns on its own in order to understand how and when to properly fuel it. Your body is, after all, a machine.

How do you discover your own BMR? There's an equation. Actually, there's two equations, because men and women are in fact different. That's right, ladies and gents, today we're going to be doing some math. Keep your pen and paper handy. 

For men, the equation goes:

10 * (weight in pounds * 0.455) + 6.25 * (height in inches *2.54) - 5 * (age) + 5 = BMR

For women:

10 * (weight in pounds * 0.455) + 6.25 * (height in inches *2.54)  - 5 * (age)  - 161 = BMR

To help make sure you're understanding how this works, I'm going to be really vulnerable with you and show you the math for my BMR. Ready?

10*(235*.455)+6.25*(67*2.54)-5*23-161 = BMR

Remember order of operations. Parenthesis first. 

10*(106.925)+6.25*(170.18)-5*23-161 = BMR

Next, Multiplication.

1069.25+1063.625-115-161 = BMR

1856.875 = BMR

That means, my body needs roughly 1800 calories *just* to survive. This is the number required to maintain basic body and brain function if I literally do nothing besides sitting on the couch a full 24 hours every day. This doesn't account for your Body Mass Index, the energy it takes to maintain your level of physical activity, or how much energy it takes to digest whatever food you're eating to get those calories. As such, this isn't the only equation you'll need for the next few steps in the physical health section of our talks. We'll take it one at a time though. Today, figure out your Base Metabolic Rate. Make sure to keep this number somewhere handy.