Calculating Your Basic BMR number helps give you a better understanding of who you really are. A BMR calculator will calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate or (BMR); this is the number of calories you’d burn if you stay in bed all day. This is a better and a more realistic way of knowing how much fuel your body is using every day. Now these BMR calculators are all over the web and you can find tons of free one with a simple Google search. So let’s say, Bob is a male, 35 yrs old, 5’11″ and weight 380lbs. Now according to the BMR calculator Bob needs 3079 calories if he stays in bed to maintain his current weight. Now some of you may be saying WOW! Now don’t get to excited, that’s not all, remember this is if Bob stays in bed and doesn’t move, and this is an average. Some people will be higher and some lower, but most will be within +- 5%.
Next we must ask ourselves what activity level Bob has on a daily bases. Our BMR is just a number useless until we apply it you our everyday life and how we live and move around. The Harris Benedict Formula will get Bob a more realistic number of calories he burns each day. This formula is based on the level of activity he is at on an average day.
Harris Benedict Formula;
To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
So, let’s take the example from up above. Bob is a 35yrs old male who plays basketball two times a week with his friends. Our formula would look like this; his BMR (3079) X 1.375 = 4234 calories a day is what he is eating to maintain his current weight. These numbers are not perfect, but are close and will help Bob to know what he needs to do to reach his goal of a healthy happy body. Bob can now re-calculate his numbers to the weight he wants to be at and see what changes he needs to make to lose the weight.