RMR and V02 testing.. anyone done it? Has it helped with weight loss?

kverenat
kverenat Posts: 31 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I found a place that does RMR, V02 testing along with ultrasound body fat %, $225.

I would really like to know what my metabolism is actually doing. I feel like it's a reasonable cost. But my question is, has anyone done it and has it actually helped you lose weight as opposed to just the online calculator? I feel like it's best to be as accurate as possible and maybe there is something going on with my metabolic calorie burn. I really just want to know people's experiences and if that knowledge has helped in your weight loss goals.

Replies

  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    You aren't likely to gain any better insight from that than you would just by tracking calories and seeing if your weight trends up or down. While that test may give you a little better starting point, the difference in RMR & your TDEE, will be significant enough, that you will still have to track and see if your weight trends up or down.
  • stacy7533
    stacy7533 Posts: 11 Member
    I'd like to hear more takes on this as well. I just did an RMR test yesterday and mine came back much higher than I expected--1900 cals. Add in lifestyle and exercise and my maintenance calories alone are about 800 more than what I was eating. I'm not looking to lose weight but recomp. I'm fairly new to actively tracking and macros, etc, so still getting my bearings.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    I "measure" my VO2max every time I run or ride my bike. Knowing what it is has had zero impact on my weight loss.

    What would you do with that number in order to lose weight? Absolutely nothing. It's useful for training purposes but not for weight loss.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Sounds interesting - that's how I would look at it, potentially not very useful but interesting.

    RMR testing - downside is that most people's food tracking isn't that accurate so "knowing" your RMR may not guarantee any better results. May give you a slightly better start point from which to fine tune.

    Bodyfat testing - not familiar with ultrasound as a method. Worth researching the accuracy as normally hydrostatic or DEXA are seen as gold standard. I had BodPod tests and wasn't that impressed.

    VO2 Max testing - are you physically fit and used to pushing yourself really, really hard? If not then you may be in for a shock if it's a maximal effort to failure test rather than a non-maximal effort rough estimate. I found the test and the data very interesting and useful for exercise performance. But it's totally irrelevant for weight loss.
  • kverenat
    kverenat Posts: 31 Member
    I made an appointment for next week. Let you know how it goes.
  • kverenat
    kverenat Posts: 31 Member
    edited June 2017
    So... my RMR was higher than I expected. It's higher than any online calculators have given me. So on the one hand, great news! On the other hand, what on Earth have I been eating and drinking for past two years?!

    I'd like some help in figuring out my calorie goal for weight loss. I'd be happy with a pound a week. My RMR is 2088. My stats: I'm female, 41, 5'9, 237lbs. I'm pretty sedentary. I work from home and often don't get many steps in. But I do play tennis 2-3 times a week and my HRM says I burn anywhere from 400-700 calories depending on length. I'd like to start adding fitness classes and more walking.

    Any help would be appreciated.
    Thanks
    Kirsten
  • Running_and_Coffee
    Running_and_Coffee Posts: 811 Member
    I can find my VO2Max from my Garmin. What can I do with it?? So far I've just patted myself on the back for becoming more efficient. Is there a calorie takeaway?
  • kverenat
    kverenat Posts: 31 Member
    Right that's exactly what I found. I'm happy my metabolism isn't broken and is actually functioning at a high level for my age. Just bummed that I haven't been able to put it to better use.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Do you feel that spending $225 to learn that your metabolism isn't broken represents a good value?
  • kverenat
    kverenat Posts: 31 Member
    Hard to say. It's a lot of money but, I've probably that much on clothes or other things I haven't used to their worth either. The place I went offers weight loss plans, with dietician and exercise etc. I prob won't go there because I already belong to gym. I may get a prescription from my doctor for a visit with the dietician.

    Is it sort of peace of mind for me? Maybe. I tend to be an information gatherer, so I guess for me it's worth knowing that my RMR is almost 300 calories higher than a generic online calculator told me it was. Now it's up to me to make the $225 worth it, you know?
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    kverenat wrote: »
    Right that's exactly what I found. I'm happy my metabolism isn't broken and is actually functioning at a high level for my age. Just bummed that I haven't been able to put it to better use.

    Never view these experiences as anything other than a great experience to learn and grow. If you're not failing, you aren't trying for anything worthwhile.

    In the grand scheme of things I would call $225 a fair exchange for what you've learned. How much money does the average person spend on fad diets and weight loss programs in their lifetime?
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    @kverenat

    There are some online VO2 estimating calculators at Shape Sense. I'd be interested in seeing how your test results compare with their estimates. I've used those to see if they compare with my tracker and it's pretty close - which actually leads me to believe the tracker uses similar formulas. (Shape Sense provides the formulas they use).

    Anyway, would be very interested to see if you those numbers are close for you.
  • kverenat
    kverenat Posts: 31 Member
    I was mainly interested in the RMR. The V02 was part of package so I'm not sure how much worth it is for me at the moment because I'm very out of shape. I did the V02, not to Max which is different. My V02 peak was 27.4. That puts me in fair category, probably from my tennis. I haven't researched much yet in what that means. I'm concentrating today on RMR and calculating my TDEE based on it because the online calculators mostly calculate your RMR for you which I don't need.
  • kverenat
    kverenat Posts: 31 Member
    Thanks @CSARdiver

    I know.. I just am hard on myself sometimes. I had a day of beating myself up yesterday and am on to better mindset today and actually putting the $225 to good use. Luckily there is a lot of help and information on MFP so I'm hopeful.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    Do you feel that spending $225 to learn that your metabolism isn't broken represents a good value?

    Different strokes. I've done DEXA twice now; wasn't that much money though.

    I've thought about doing an RMR check because I spent a good length of time where I was weighing/tracking and training. My calories were only about 100 over sedentary TDEE @ around body weight in pounds X 11ish while my activity was definitely a good bit above sedentary. Instead of losing looks like I recomped.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    I have access to a metabolics lab as part of my job and test myself constantly. Huge data geek and have been collecting data on my VO2/VO2Max since the 90s with a Polar. Your RMR will adjust continually based upon what you ate recently - known as adaptive thermogenesis. So don't fall into the trap of thinking you are always at this rate. These changes are very short term - think of this as putting wood into fire - the more wood the hotter the fire, but quicker burn. Much of weight management is timing your fueling.

    You are already way ahead on the learning curve - you've found MFP and getting a handle on the data that matters.
  • kverenat
    kverenat Posts: 31 Member
    Thanks for the support!

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