Best machine for testing RMR?

I'm trying to get an accurate idea of where my body is really at as far as maintenance calories and I know years of way too much cardio has driven down my metabolism. That being said, what is the best way to measure RMR? I have had the test in the past where you wear something on your nose and breathe (very uncomfortably I might add) through your mouth into a tube. You have to actually take it out of your mouth to swallow! Anyway I was wondering if the mask that covers your entire face would produce more accurate results - it seems like it would.

If anyone knows I would appreciate it.

Thanks!

Here is a segment from the website that I visited last month in order to get information on the test I was going to take. It is from a company called Fitness Wave, they're in the Los Angeles area. Which is where I was going to go. But just to give you an idea of the accuracy, read on.
"This medically based breath test is not a estimate and you will know exactly how many calories your body expends at rest in a 24-hour period. Resting Metabolic Rate- Find out precisely how many calories you burn each day and then learn how many calories you need to maximize fat loss. FitnessWave uses in-direct Calomitry.

A simple 10 minute test can calculate the amount of food you need to consume each day to gain or lose weight. Weight loss, or body fat loss, can be tricky. You must eat enough calories for daily activities and to keep your metabolism active while creating a deficit.".

I still haven't gone to have the test done yet. But I did have one done several years ago when I was a member of Bally's fitness. It is the most accurate at testing your calories. There's another one called the hydrostatic water displacement test. Also known as the "dunk test" where they measure your lean muscle ratio vs.body fat. Where are you thinking of going to have your test performed?

This link refers to the VO 2 max testing that you're referring to when you wear the mask on your face. I think it's more for performance to tell you how well you're utilizing your calories. Again this is from the Fitness Wave people too but just to give you some insight as to what the test provides I thought I'd include it.




http://www.fitnesswave.com/portal/portal/getdunked/services/submaxtesting

I hope this helps a lot.

RMR is only a portion of your daily burn. Why not track your total daily burn using a tool like BodyBugg or BodyMedia. Both are over 90% accurate, which is about as good as it gets outside of a lab.

By the way, the mask tests like MedGem are inaccurate unless you follow the pre-test protocol 100%.