How to Calculate Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) with the Harris-Benedict Calculator
Are you looking to find out your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)? BMR is how much energy your body burns in calories to stay alive and function properly. So basically, if you were a 100% complete lazy person ALL day and didn’t move at all or even sit up in bed, this is how much you’d be burning. Why is this important to know? It’s a great thing to learn about yourself because it can guide you in the correct direction of how many calories you should be consuming, which should be OVER the amount of BMR calories you burn, since none of us lie in bed doing absolutely nothing without at least getting up to go to the bathroom and sitting/getting up to eat.
The Harris-Benedict calculator equation can help you figure out this number. It's a simple, formula-based calculator that takes into account your age, gender, height, and weight to give you an estimate of how many calories your body needs every day in order to maintain its current weight. In other words, it calculates the amount of energy (in calories) needed for basic bodily functions such as breathing and digestion. It’s also important to remember that this BMR number does not factor in any physical activity or exercise so the actual calories you burn each day will be different than that, depending on how active you are throughout the day. We will estimate that within the second group of equations below. Let's take a look at how it works!
The first equation:
For men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.2 × weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 × height in inches ) – ( 6.76 × age in years )
For women: BMR = 65.5 + ( 4.35 × weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 × height in inches ) - ( 4.7 × age in years )
From this formula of your BMR calories above, we can then use the answer of the equation to determine your total daily estimated caloric needs. So, now you will multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
Sedentary (little or no exercise): calories = BMR × 1.2
Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week): calories = BMR × 1.375
Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week): calories = BMR × 1.55
Very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week): calories = BMR × 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & a physical job): calories = BMR × 1.9
If you are unsure of where you fall in this chart above, I recommend using the "‘lightly active’ and/or ‘moderately active’ options as a starting point.
Once you have calculated your BMR using the Harris-Benedict equation, it’s important to note that this number is only an estimate—and not necessarily an exact one at that! That being said, it’s still a useful tool for getting an idea of how much energy your body needs on a daily basis and can be used as a starting point when trying to determine how many calories you should eat each day in order to reach your fitness goals.
Calculating your Basal Metabolic Rate with the Harris-Benedict equation is a great way to get started on understanding how much energy your body needs each day in order to stay healthy and fit! Knowing what your BMR is can help you make informed decisions about nutrition and exercise so that you can achieve whatever fitness goals you have set for yourself! So don't delay - try calculating yours today! And if you have any questions about this, that’s where I come in! Feel free to email me at the email on the bottom of this webpage if you have any questions!