How to Calculate Calories Burned at Rest
To calculate how many calories your body burns while resting, you need to find the BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) or the RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) of your body. The result will tell you how many calories your body needs in order to keep your heart pumping, your lungs functioning properly, and to maintain a normal body temperature. In other words, it will tell you how many calories your body needs while just resting. The BMR is typically taken in a dark room after eight hours of sleep. The RMR can be taken anytime, and is thought to be more accurate.
Instructions
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Finding Your RMR
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1
Weigh yourself and convert it into kilograms if it is not already. If you weighed yourself in pounds, one pound equals approximately .45 kilograms. Multiply your weight in pounds by .45; the result will be your weight in kilograms.
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2
Measure your height in centimeters and note the result. Write down your age.
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3
Multiply your weight in kilograms by ten and note the result as A. Multiply your height in centimeters by 6.25 and note the result as B. Multiply your age by five and note the result as C.
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4
Add A, B, and C together. If you are a woman, subtract 161 from the result. If you are a man, add 5 to the result. The end number is the number of calories it takes to keep your body alive in resting mode, or your RMR.
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1
Tips & Warnings
This equation does not consider body composition. A very muscular person will have a higher RMR than the calculation shows, and someone with very little muscle will have a lower RMR than the result shows.
