Resting metabolic rate, which is shortened to RMR, is an important health measure that helps you gain insight into your nutrition.
You can use this RMR measure to make better workouts and kitchen choices every day.
Don’t mistake RMR for Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR; we will expand on that later.
The RMR will represent the number of calories you burn outside of exercise and will be a better number for looking at your daily calorie needs. At the same time, BMR is more representative of your resting caloric needs. With all that said, they are very close to one another in their results.
Use the Resting Metabolic Rate Calculator, RMR calculator, below by entering your age in years, sex, height in feet or meters, and your weight in pounds or kilograms.
What Is Resting Metabolic Rate?
This health measure will represent the calories your body uses throughout the day, excluding exercise. So, it is a really accurate way to see what your body burns in an average day without exercise, as you will still have some light forms of physical activity.
The Resting Metabolic Rate will include everything that is included in your BMR, like:
- Pumping blood throughout your body
- Digesting food
- Breathing
- Keeping astable body temperature
- Growing hair and skin
- Maintaining levels of different chemicals
On top of that, what makes the RMR different and more accurate for total daily calorie burn is the inclusion of these things:
- Eating
- Walking for short periods
- Using the bathroom
- Consuming caffeine
- Sweating or shivering
So, the RMR will include all of those low activity level items that we do daily. If you have a more physical job or walk more, you will have a higher resting metabolic rate, which will differ even more from the basal metabolic rate.
Even though the RMR and BMR are different in what they include, they are still within a good margin of each other and can sometimes be used in place of one another unless an equation calls for a specific one.
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Remember, RMR is only a small piece of the total daily energy expenditure puzzle. So, we will generally use this calculation with these other factors to reach our TDEE and decide on someone’s diet afterward.
How Do You Calculate RMR?
RMR is calculated on this page by way of the harris-benedict equation.
This equation is considered to be the most common and accurate method for calculating our resting heart rate. The other popular choice is the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation.
Here is the RMR formula we used, AKA the Harris-Benedict formula:
- For men: BMR = 66.5 + (13.75 x weight in kg) + (5.003 x height in cm) – (6.755 x age in years)
- For women: BMR = 655.1 + (9.563 x weight in kg) + (1.850 x height in cm) – (4.676 x age in years)
The Mifflin-St. Jeor’s equation is as follows:
- Women:(10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age in years) – 161
- Men:(10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age in years) + 5
Having a dietician or nutrition professional find your RMR with calorimetry is best for the most accurate result.
Calorimetry can be direct or indirect calorimetry.
Both of these options will be much more expensive and time-consuming, but of course, more accurate.
Still, the online calculator here is a pretty close estimate to what you would see when it is done professionally.
How Can I Burn More Calories In A Day?
It is possible to increase your resting heart rate through many different functions, and we will focus on some of those main ones here.
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The first main method to burn more calories daily involves non-exercise activity thermogenesis. This is also shortened to NEAT.
NEAT changes generally involve three activities:
- Choosing to walk rather than drive for short distances
- Parking further away from stores in a parking lot
- Doing more yard work or other work around the house
Most people avoid some of these activities or go out of their way to avoid walking farther or things like this.
It is important to realize that activities like this really do add up in the overall realm of health, and we should seek to add these into our day, as it goes a long way over time.
Another way to burn more calories is more of a side-effect of physical activity. So, training helps people build muscle and lean body mass, increasing the resting metabolic rate.
The way this works is that the body requires a certain amount of calories to upkeep the cells of the body, and the simple presence of more muscle cells will result in an overall greater amount of energy burned every day.
This means that over time, with a focus on changing your body composition to include more muscle mass and less body fat, your basal metabolism will change for the better, and your energy requirements for the body to maintain its state will be greater.
Is It Possible To Use RMR For Weight Loss Or Muscle Gain?
You can use an RMR or BMR calculator to determine your total daily energy expenditure or TDEE.
From there, the TDEE is generally used to make a nutrition program that aligns with your nutrition and fitness goals, such as muscle gain or weight loss.
If you have a dieting plan which has you in a calorie surplus, along with a good fitness plan, then you will gain good weight in the form of muscle.
The opposite would be a caloric deficit, where you would take in fewer calories than your TDEE and go through weight loss.
Both of these need to be done for a good amount of time to see significant results, but it is a good idea to track your calorie intake and retest your TDEE every now and then to account for body composition and lifestyle changes.
We hope this page has helped you to get closer to your fitness or nutrition goals.
Make sure that you check out the other fitness calculators that we have available here on PTPioneer.
FAQs About Resting Metabolic Rate
What is a good resting metabolic rate?
A good resting metabolic rate (RMR) varies by individual but generally:
• Women: 1,200 to 1,500 calories/day
• Men: 1,500 to 1,800 calories/day
Factors Influencing RMR:
• Age: Decreases with age
• Sex: Higher in men
• Body Composition: More muscle increases RMR
• Hormones: Thyroid hormones affect RMR
How to use RMR to lose weight?
1. Calculate RMR: Use an online calculator or consult a healthcare provider.
2. Determine TDEE: Multiply RMR by an activity factor (e.g., sedentary: RMR x 1.2). 3. Create a Caloric Deficit: Consume 500-1,000 fewer calories than your TDEE to lose 1-2 pounds per week.4. Monitor Intake: Track calories and focus on nutrient-dense foods.
5. Adjust as Needed: Reassess and adjust caloric intake as you lose weight.
6. Exercise: Combine strength training and cardio.
7. Stay Consistent: Maintain a steady routine and avoid extreme restrictions.
For personalized advice, consult a healthcare provider or dietitian.
What is the difference between BMR and RMR?
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) measures the energy expended at complete rest in a thermoneutral environment, typically after 8 hours of sleep and 12 hours of fasting. Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is similar but less strict, measuring energy expenditure at rest without the stringent conditions, making it slightly higher than BMR. Both metrics estimate the calories needed to maintain basic physiological functions.
How is RMR measured?
RMR is measured by seeing how much air you breathe in and out while you rest. This helps to know how many calories your body uses when you are not moving. Sometimes, we can also guess this number using your age, weight, and height.
