BMR

I'm not sure of any specific way to figure out your unique BMR, but there are several calculators you can find on-line (including this site) that estimates your BMR. You can determine if the estimated BMR is close or not by tracking food to that estimated BMR number. if you do that and don't gain or lose in a week, then that's a pretty good estimate. If, however, you gain or lose then you can adjust your BMR up or down appropriately. The caloric goal on this site is based on your estimated BMR (and I think this site's estimate is pretty low).

If I wore a HRM from morning to bedtime on a typical day during the week and also a typical day on the weekend, would that give me a more accurate picture of calories I burn in a day to figure out what I need to eat to to lose 1 lb a week. Does that make sense? I wouldn't really need to accurately know my BMR then right? Just trying to dial this in for optimum loss. I don't want to lose fast, just want to lose. Am I making this too hard?

you don't want to lose fat????? well what are you trying to lose then?

I'm not sure of any specific way to figure out your unique BMR, but there are several calculators you can find on-line (including this site) that estimates your BMR. You can determine if the estimated BMR is close or not by tracking food to that estimated BMR number. if you do that and don't gain or lose in a week, then that's a pretty good estimate. If, however, you gain or lose then you can adjust your BMR up or down appropriately. The caloric goal on this site is based on your estimated BMR (and I think this site's estimate is pretty low).

This would be incorrect.

BMR is not the number of calories you burn in a typical day, it is the number of calories your body burns just to stray alive. If you were to simply lie in bed doing nothing, not moving at all and just breathing you would burn your BMR in a day. The moment your start moving you will start burning more calories, so eating at your BMR will result in your losing weight.

To those who are thinking about wearing your HRM all day to get a calorie count, that number will not be accurate. HRM are specifically designed to be used during exercise. In fact, for the most part they are designed for cardio type exercise, not strength training. They are not designed for all day wear and their numbers will get less a less accurate the longer you wear them in a setting they are not designed for. If you want your total day calories either look at the estimate here on MFP and estimate it with some of the online calculators, get tested in a clinic, or get a bodybugg/bodyfit media which are designed for all day wear.

Just so you know, the margin of error on all of those is quite big unless you are going to a lab with lots of expensive equipment. When it comes down to it, close is just fine.

agreed....the HRM isn't going to give you the information you want. your body burns calories all the time that is not reflected in an increased heart rate. go with the estimate from an on-line BMR calculator. Then, if you want to lose 0.5 pounds per week, reduce that number by 250 calories. add in the proper calories from exercise (that's where a HRM would be useful). and, at the end of the week, if you lost 0.5 pounds then the estimated BMR was correct. If you lost 1 pound that week, then the BMR estimate was off by 250 calories per day so add those back. you can do the same thing if you want to lose 1 pound (subtract 500 calories/day) or 2 pounds (subtract 1,000 calories/day) per week.

BMR can be measured in a clinical environment using indirect calorimetry. This is done by measuring oxygen consumption - VO2, carbon dioxide production - VCO2 and the respiratory exchange ratio - RER. For an accurate measurement, the sympathetic nervous system must also be in a state of rest. A person's BMR will also change over time as their lean body mass changes which is why resistance training helps improve BMR. Aerobic activity does not correlate with BMR, nor does gender although gender is normally a parameter used to estimate BMR along with weight and height because men and women typically have different body fat percentages.

From a weight loss perspective, estimated BMR is just a guideline from which to start in order to establish a caloric deficit. The estimated number is not that important. If weight loss is not occurring, then no caloric deficit. Change the energy balance by either increasing lean body mass, reducing caloric intake, or increasing calories expended in exercise or some combination of all three. How these factors are balanced will depend on individual goals.