How to Calculate your Metabolic Rate

Are you going on a diet? Or are you just trying to figure out the best way to measure what your body does all day? Whatever your reasons, knowing your metabolic rate can help you determine how many calories you burn a day from your normal activities. Once you have that information, you can compare it to the calories you're taking in to see what you need to do to make sure you maintain your health.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Calculator

1. Weigh yourself in pounds.

2. Measure your height in inches.

3. If you're a woman, take the numbers you got from the earlier steps and perform this calculation to determine your metabolic rate: 655 + (your weight in pounds x 4.35) + (your height in inches x 4.7) - (your age x 4.7). For example, if you are 30 years old and weigh 150 pounds and are 5'4" in height, you will get a metabolic rate of 1467.3 (655+(150*4.35)+(64*4.7)-(30*4.7))=1467.3

4. If you're a man, take those same numbers, but use this calculation: 66 +(your weight in pounds x 6.23) + (your height in inches x 12.7) - (your age x 6.8). For example, if you are 30 years old, 180 pounds, and 5'9" in height, you would use (66+(180*6.23)+(69*12.7)-(30*6.8)), you have a metabolic rate of 1859.7.

Tips & Warnings

• When calculating, be sure to do the operations inside the parenthesis first, before you do any addition or subtraction.
• The metabolic rate doesn't take activity level into account; it is a very basic calculation that assumes a sedentary lifestyle. If you want to increase your metabolic rate, get out and get moving!
• The best diet is a sensible mix of good nutrition and exercise. Don't assume that you can quit eating and let your metabolic rate do all the work- when your body is deprived of food, the number of calories it burns while resting drops as your body attempts to protect you from starvation and preserve body fat.

[xivyisazombiex]

on 12/9/2009 Easy to follow article.
Terrific information.