What exactly is basal metabolism?
Our bodies need energy for everything, from carrying out basic bodily functions to exercising vigorously. The energy we need during complete rest just to stay alive on a daily basis is known as our resting metabolic rate.
Under normal conditions, resting metabolic rate accounts for 60-75% of our total energy needs each day. The rest of our energy needs come from our daily activities (from fidgeting to intense exercise) and also the energy needed to digest, transport and assimilate our food (called the thermic effect of food).
Estimating your basal metabolism can help you to determine how many calories your require each day to maintain your current weight. With this calculator, all your day-to-day exercise (over and above general moving around) has to be taken into account and added to your caloric requirement but you can use the activity calculatorto gauge this.
The following calculator uses the Harris-Benedict equation. Please bear in mind that as with most fitness and nutrition calculators, you can only arrive at rough estimations. It’s best to use these estimations as a starting point for a fat loss or weight gain programme and then adjust your energy intake and output accordingly based on your results.
Jacky has a degree in Sports Science and is a Certified Sports and Conditioning Coach. He has also worked with clients around the world as a personal trainer.
He has been fortunate enough to work with a wide range of people from very different ends of the fitness spectrum. Through promoting positive health changes with diet and exercise, he has helped patients recover from aging-related and other otherwise debilitating diseases.
He spends most of his time these days writing fitness-related content of some form or another. He still likes to work with people on a one-to-one basis – he just doesn’t get up at 5am to see clients anymore.