Basal Metabolic Rate is the minimal caloric
requirement needed to sustain life
in a resting individual.
Let's look at some factors that affect BMR:
Age: In youth, the BMR is higher;
age brings less lean mass and slows the BMR.
Height: Tall, thin people have higher BMR's.
Growth: Children and pregnant women
have higher BMR's.
Body Composition: The more lean tissue,
the higher the BMR.
The more fat tissue, the lower the BMR.
Fever: Fevers can raise the BMR.
Stress: Stress hormones can raise the BMR.
Environmental Temperature: Both the heat
and cold raise the BMR.
Fasting/Starvation: Fasting/starvation
hormones lower the BMR.
Malnutrition: Malnutrition lowers the BMR.
Thyroxin: The thyroid hormone thyroxin
is a key BMR regulator; the more thyroxin
produced,
the higher the BMR.
General Calculation: BMR = your body weight in lbs x 10 kcal/lb
For example: BMR = 150 x 10 kcal/lb = 1,500 kcals
For more info, download Basal Metabolic Rate, a free ebook.
Percentage of Body Weight from Specific
Tissues
|
Body Tissues
|
Male
|
Female
|
|
Muscle
|
45%
|
36%
|
|
Bone
|
15%
|
12%
|
|
Total Fat
Essential Fat (women need
more)
Storage Fat
|
15%
3%
12%
|
27%
12% (mainly for
reproduction)
15%
|
|
Other Tissues
|
25%
|
25%
|
|
Total
|
100%
|
100%
|
| 
