Bod Pod / BMR & RMR

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lar4290
lar4290 Posts: 55 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've read some posts about the bod pod because it seems that a lot of people on this site advocate eating more and using the Harris-Benedict BMR formula (which is about 175 calories over my Katch-McCardle BMR and my Mifflin-St. Jeor BMR). But it seems that when most women have their BMR tested, it's really around 1100-1200 (closer to the Katch-McCardle figures and the MPF Miffllin-St. Jeor numbers). I know I can't generalize off of other people, so I was considering having it done.

I looked up the local university's performance lab and they have bod pod and vox2 testing. Can someone explain what they'd recommend? It's not so much that I really *need* this done to lose weight, I'm just a numbers junkie and I'd love to know what they "really" are so I can be more accurate.

What I really want to know is: Is bod pod just body composition, and will vox2 give me my RMR? TDEE? Etc.

Also, I'm getting really confused by the BMR vs. RMR posts on this site. A lot of people say that they got their RMR tested and then folks go and use the multipliers for that figure e.g. RMR * 1.2 for sedentary, etc. But isn't that formula for BMR, aso would it be high for RMR (if say RMR is already BMR * 1.1, or BMR * 1.05). Is there a formula that connects them, even approximately?

Sorry, I know it's a lot, but it would be really helpful to get the record straight (hopefully for others too)!

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  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    Bod Pod tests body fat percentage. It will give you an estimate for BMR/RMR but it uses one of the formulas to do it - not something the machine actually measures.

    People WILL argue this next point, but BMR and RMR are basically the same number. The difference is in how they tested. For a true BMR, you spend the night in the clinic. They test it when you wake, but before you've even gotten out of bed. No food for a set period of time beforehand. No talking, no sleeping during the test - nothing, but you are laying down. RMR is tested mostly the same way except you don't spend the night in the lab. So, when I had my RMR tested at the local hospital, I arrived in the AM (fasting) and rested for a bit. Then they hooked me up and everything else was the same as BMR testing - no talking, no sleeping no moving at all, laying down. If RMR is tested in this manner, it is VERY close to BMR. The difference is negligible. You would then multiply that RMR number to determine sedentary vs. lightly active vs. active (confirmed by the documentation the hospital gave me, showing how to do these calculations)

    Some gyms will test RMR, but it's not fasting and the you're not laying down and the other qualifications aren't met. I'm not really sure how that number would compare to your BMR but must less directly I would assume.

    My RMR tested about 10% higher than the formulas, which shocked me. But, I do have a decent muscle mass, so apparently more than average. The RMR the Bod Pod estimated (I had the testing done the same day as my RMR test) was only maybe 1450ish while the real RMR test was 1662.
  • lar4290
    lar4290 Posts: 55 Member
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    Thanks! This is really helpful!

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