RMR testing accuracy

Phrick
Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone know if the BodPod or similar can accurately measure RMR in someone with hypothyroidism? We have a few places with BodPod testing equipment fairly closeby so I am curious... my husband is following MFP and doing a decent job of it, but is losing in-cre-di-bly slowly. He has hypothyroidism (for about the past 10 years but it's currently untreated, he has a doctor appointment next week). We're thinking his RMR may be lower than average due to the hypo, so that he's technically eating too much even though all the calculators say that for his CW (about 299 lbs; he's 5'7" tall) he should be eating nearly 3k calories a day! He's seen just 9 pounds come off since July and understandably he's getting very frustrated. So would shelling out the $ for a BodPod test be worthwhile?

Replies

  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    bump
  • okolo
    okolo Posts: 24
    Is it possible to try lowering his calories first for a few weeks and see if that would give him any results?
  • 2kellymike
    2kellymike Posts: 75 Member
    Does anyone know if the BodPod or similar can accurately measure RMR in someone with hypothyroidism? We have a few places with BodPod testing equipment fairly closeby so I am curious... my husband is following MFP and doing a decent job of it, but is losing in-cre-di-bly slowly. He has hypothyroidism (for about the past 10 years but it's currently untreated, he has a doctor appointment next week). We're thinking his RMR may be lower than average due to the hypo, so that he's technically eating too much even though all the calculators say that for his CW (about 299 lbs; he's 5'7" tall) he should be eating nearly 3k calories a day! He's seen just 9 pounds come off since July and understandably he's getting very frustrated. So would shelling out the $ for a BodPod test be worthwhile?
    I also lose weight verrrry slowwwwwwwly. I've lost 25 lbs in just over a year. I have been working with a dietician all along, and she has recommended that I go for RMR testing. They have several different methods at the university health sciences labs, including the BodPod. They do offer the testing to the public, and it is $45 for the test I will have. I think the BodPod is a little more. I'm hoping the insight will be helpful and the dietician highly recommended doing it.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    Bod Pod does NOT test RMR in any fashion. It tests your body fat and then estimates your RMR using a formula taking into account the body fat. If you want your RMR tested, you need to get it tested specifically, not via Bod Pod.

    I have had my RMR tested twice, in a hospital lab setting, and had a Bod Pod test in the same hospital facility. I also am hypothyroid (and adequately medicated for it). My RMR is actually 10% higher than all the online estimators. Being hypothyroid, if you're adequately medicated, won't affect your RMR. However, he could have a lower RMR than the norm, completely unrelated to his thyroid conditions.

    And, the RMR the Bod Pod estimated was quite a bit below what it actually was. On my last test, Bod Pod said 1387 and reality was 1521 - so off by almost 10%
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    Bod Pod does NOT test RMR in any fashion. It tests your body fat and then estimates your RMR using a formula taking into account the body fat. If you want your RMR tested, you need to get it tested specifically, not via Bod Pod.

    I have had my RMR tested twice, in a hospital lab setting, and had a Bod Pod test in the same hospital facility. I also am hypothyroid (and adequately medicated for it). My RMR is actually 10% higher than all the online estimators. Being hypothyroid, if you're adequately medicated, won't affect your RMR. However, he could have a lower RMR than the norm, completely unrelated to his thyroid conditions.

    And, the RMR the Bod Pod estimated was quite a bit below what it actually was. On my last test, Bod Pod said 1387 and reality was 1521 - so off by almost 10%
    good to know this, thanks a lot. I'll look into hospital settings as an alternative, since we also have a university-affiliated hospital nearby.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    Good luck! I was sure my RMR would be lower than the norm, but it wasn't LOL. The RMR test cost about $150 at my local hospital, but they are an expensive hospital. I think $75 to $100 is more the norm.

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