What is resting metabolic rate?
Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the amount of energy your body needs to do the essential things- breathing, cellular processes, circulating your blood, and other life sustaining processes while you are at rest. It is the majority of your total daily calorie expenditure (60-75%).
How is resting metabolic rate different from basal metabolic rate?
- Basal metabolic rate is a stricter measurement. You must measure it at complete rest after a full night’s sleep.
- Resting metabolic rate allows for minor movements. It is done under a normal waking condition. Because you aren’t as stringently at “rest,” RMR can be 5-10% higher than BMR.
How can you measure RMR?
At Biohackr Health! In our Palo Alto clinic (and soon in our Union St. clinic in San Francisco) we have a VO2 testing unit. This offers the popular VO2 max measurement, to assess your fitness for heart health and endurance, and it also includes a resting metabolic rate measurement. This test is done with you resting. It collects data for around 10-15 minutes.
Our machine uses indirect calorimetry, which uses oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide output produced during rest. This is a more precise measurement.
Why is resting metabolic rate important?
RMR is important for
- Nutrition planning. What are your calorie needs?
- Weight management. We see many people doing weight loss have immense, fast changes in their RMR. This may cause their weight loss to slow or stop.
- Athletic training. How can you improve?
- Disease management. Do you have thyroid issues? metabolic related issues? Age related metabolic decline? (Yes, this is another issue we see in menopause)
What affects your resting metabolic rate?
- Sex. Men have a higher resting metabolic rate than women, likely due to more lean muscle mass.
- Body composition. Lean muscle mass increases resting metabolic rate, as muscle requires more energy than fat.
- Genetics.
- Hormone status. Checking levels of thyroid, cortisol, and other endocrine issues can affect metabolic rate
- Body size. Larger people have higher RMR due to more tissue mass