Bmr is fake??

SugarAndSugar

So there are many bmr websites including myfitnesspal. However all of these websites disregard muscle and sometimes body fat percentage.
For example a 200 pound man body builder or even a genetic faster metabolism would burn more calories than a 200 pound man who occasionally goes to the gym and has little muscle mass.
This is not for calorie needs, i am talking about bmr and how muscle and genetics could affect it.

So my question to you all is how we would accurately measure each of our bmr

CyberTone

One can never accurately measure their BMR. One can only estimate it.

The cheapest and easiest way is to use the online calculators that use equations derived from research on a population sample, which is then used to provide an estimate based on population averages.

One can get a more refined estimate (but not accurate) by having their RMR (resting metabolic rate) measured using a breathing machine that records the VO2 (volume of oxygen) uptake over a period of about 10 minutes.

I had my RMR measured seven months ago using a Korr Metacheck device. It was about 5% below the projected RMR for a person with my stats.

TavistockToad

It's not 'fake' it works for the general population... you're talking about specific outliers.

AnvilHead

You're overthinking this.

A pound of muscle burns ~6 calories per day, a pound of fat burns ~2 calories per day. So with a difference between the two of 4 calories per day, you'd have to be an extreme outlier in terms of muscle mass to make a significant difference. So comparing two people of the same body weight, if one had 40 more pounds of muscle than the other (which is a huge difference), that person would burn somewhere around an extra 160 calories per day.

As far as "faster metabolism", people don't vary near as much as some apparently think they do.

WinoGelato

Why do you think it’s important to accurately measure, or even estimate, your BMR? This is the amount of calories you’d need to sustain bodily functions if comatose. Are you comatose or planning to be bedridden any time soon?

A far more helpful number to understand for an individual is TDEE since this is the sum of all the calories one burns in a day - including BMR+daily activity+purposeful exercise. This is the amount that you need to understand to adequately manage your weight.

AnvilHead

WinoGelato wrote: »

Why do you think it’s important to accurately measure, or even estimate, your BMR? This is the amount of calories you’d need to sustain bodily functions if comatose. Are you comatose or planning to be bedridden any time soon?

A far more helpful number to understand for an individual is TDEE since this is the sum of all the calories one burns in a day - including BMR+daily activity+purposeful exercise. This is the amount that you need to understand to adequately manage your weight.

And TDEE varies far more than BMR between people. A 5'7", 170 lb construction worker who lifts weights and/or runs 5 miles a day in addition to work won't be even remotely comparable to a 5'7", 170 lb. office worker who then goes home and sits in front of the television all evening. That doesn't mean TDEE is "fake".