How accurate is the Metric BMR Formula?

fret_wimp

Just found the Metric BMR Formula on another thread here, and wondering how accurate it is for calculating your calorie needs. Also, does it calculate the min amount of cal's you need or the max amount of cal's you should take to stay healthy?

Working it out for myself comes out as follows:
Weight In Kilos: 56
Height in Cm : 161
age in years : 26
Activity factor : moderately active BMR * 1.55 - I exercise 3 times a week and cycle when the weather allows

So the formula is:
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )

plugging in my data gives:

(66 + (12.7 * 56) + (5 * 161) - (6.8 * 26)) * 1.55 = 2342.67

Im not a big guy, so is that a lot of calories? considering that when i am not exercising im quite sedentary, as im in front of a pc for 8+ hours a day.

Im not trying to lose weight, but i am trying to lean up, and lose the miniscule layer of fat on my abdomen.

any info on how to interpert this info intelligently would be appriciated.

brianblaze

http://calorieneedscalculator.com/

I'm the most ectomorphic person I know, and it takes a MASSIVE amount of calories every day to get weight on.

I find the best way to cope with taking in all the food is to set reminders on your phone and have the food there ready to rock and roll.

Expensive business this not being skinny!

fret_wimp

brianblaze wrote: »

http://calorieneedscalculator.com/

I'm the most ectomorphic person I know, and it takes a MASSIVE amount of calories every day to get weight on.

I find the best way to cope with taking in all the food is to set reminders on your phone and have the food there ready to rock and roll.

Expensive business this not being skinny!

My Girlfriend gets annoyed when i complain how difficult it is to put on weight! I dont have the time to explain that its not fat im after, she has usually stormed off in a huff shouting that i boys have it too easy when it comes to weight!

rubadub

fret_wimp wrote: »

Also, does it calculate the min amount of cal's you need or the max amount of cal's you should take to stay healthy?

Most estimate the calories you need to maintain your current weight, if you drop 500kcal below your daily level then in theory in a week you will lose 1lb, since 3500kcal are in a lb of fat. You could eat 250kcal less and exercise 250kcal more. They are all estimates I would say +/-20% accurate for most people, you just have to work it out yourself empirically, i.e. if you are not losing/gaining weight then obviously it is wrong, so adjust until you get the gain/loss you want. It is severely dumbing down many factors, the time you eat at, the type of foods, how well it is cooked -lots of factors so it is only an estimate

brianblaze wrote: »

I'm the most ectomorphic person I know, and it takes a MASSIVE amount of calories every day to get weight on.

I find the best way to cope with taking in all the food is to set reminders on your phone

If you have to remind yourself to eat I am not surprised you are thin! What is "massive"? over christmas I expect I will be taking in over 10,000kcal some days. I would easily down 3000kcal for dinner in 10mins. Most thin people I know do not actually seem to like food all that much, in another thread a guy admitted he found it a chore and could go days without food. 1L of milk and 200g of nuts is an incredibly easy 1800kcal to get in extra per day.

brianblaze

rubadub wrote: »

If you have to remind yourself to eat I am not surprised you are thin! What is "massive"? over christmas I expect I will be taking in over 10,000kcal some days. I would easily down 3000kcal for dinner in 10mins. Most thin people I know do not actually seem to like food all that much, in another thread a guy admitted he found it a chore and could go days without food. 1L of milk and 200g of nuts is an incredibly easy 1800kcal to get in extra per day.

I don't have a massive appetite, so I have to eat when I'm not all that hungry. Many the bag of Mixed Nuts/ Almonds and Protein bar have been forced down when I'm not hungry. In an average meal I'll take in a lot of kcal, but before I started working out, I'd only have breakfast and dinner. No snacking at all really.

TommyKnocker

Hi Fret_Wimp

I beleive it was me who posted that formula that you quoted

As to the accuracy of the formula, I think the are pretty accurate and give a base to start from. I am sure that there is a margin of error and that they will not be correct for everybody.

The formula you quoted is known as the Harris Benedict Formula and this is the one I found first when I first started taking an interest in my nutrition a number of years ago. Since then I have also come across the Katch McArdle formua with takes into account your lean to fat ratio and is supposed to be slightly more accurate then Harris Benedict. However to use the Katch McArdle formula you will need to know your body fat %.


Best Regards,

M