Why should I care about my BMR, or Base Metabolic Rate? I know my BMI and my scale gives me my body fat percentage.
Your BMR tells you how many calories your body needs to sustain basic functions while awake. This includes fueling skeletal muscle support, smooth and cardiac muscle movement. In other words, BMR is the number of calories you use when sitting upright, moving your eyeballs to focus and breathing in and out. If you are thinking, that consumes 20% of your daily calorie intake.
BMR is MUCH more useful and actionable information than a BMI (body mass index) which tells you how much weight you carry across your height. Consider that 1 lb of muscle is about the size of a lacrosse ball, while 1 lb of fat is about the size of a shot put. Someone with a BMI of 22 (considered healthy) with a body weight comprised of more fat could be less “healthy” and “fit” than a person with a BMI of 26 (considered overweight). They might also be physically larger, while weighing less.
In addition to BMI being a flawed measurement, BMI and body fat provide you with information about what you have done in the past, not what you can do today or in the future. BMR allows you to plan, understand and take control over your calorie consumption.
Knowing your BMR puts you in control. myVitFit’s BMR calculator allows you to see what your body needs to sustain life as well as how those calories needs change as your activity levels change . In addition, our tool provides a suggested breakdown of basic macronutrients for three weight goals- maintain, lose or gain weight.