RELATED: 21 Tips for Weight Loss That Actually Work. Knowing your BMR or RMR can help you better determine your total daily energy expenditure in order to create a caloric deficit, defined as consuming fewer calories each day than you burn for energy.

A caloric deficit is required to lose weight. But because most people do not have access to state-of-the-art labs that are required to determine BMR, equations are often used to make approximations.

The easiest way to measure your metabolic rate is to use an online calculator. You can find many calculators online, and all use varying equations. The commonly used metabolic equation, called the Harris and Benedict equation, was first designed in and updated in While it was intended to estimate BMR, it actually estimates RMR, according to the NASM.

It uses height, weight, biological sex, and age to determine RMR and is based on average lean mass levels. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is another equation that uses the same variables but may be more accurate, Church says.

Other metabolic equations, such the Cunningham equation, use your total levels of lean body mass, which is a primary determiner of BMR and therefore RMR. Calipers and smart scales are two popular at-home options, while the most accurate measures are performed in professional and laboratory settings.

RELATED: 9 Hard Truths About Weight Loss That Can Help You Slim Down. Men: For example, if a man is pounds, 5'11", and 43, his RMR is 1, calories.

For example, if a female is pounds, 5'3", and 36, her RMR is 1, calories. For example, if a male is pounds, 5'11", and 43, his RMR is 1, calories. Women: 9. For example, if a man is pounds, 5'11", 43, and his body-fat percentage is 20 percent, his RMR is 1, calories. For example, if a female pounds, 5'3", 36, and her body-fat percentage is 25 percent, her RMR is 1, calories.

BMR or RMR can be used to estimate total daily caloric expenditure. According to the American Council on Exercise , after you determine your RMR, based on one of the above equations or an online calculator, you can multiply it by one of the numbers below, called activity factors:.

If the man in the above example exercises two days per week, his daily caloric expenditure is roughly 2, to 2, calories. If the woman in the above example exercises six days per week, her daily caloric energy expenditure is roughly 2, to 2, calories.

This calculation gives you the estimated number of calories you burn in one day at your current level of activity; this is how many calories you need to consume per day to stay at your current weight.

To lose weight, you need a caloric deficit, meaning that you either must reduce your caloric intake below your total daily energy expenditure or increase your total daily energy expenditure, says Greaves.

For example, you can try multiplying your RMR by various activity factors to see how your daily caloric burn would fluctuate with increased exercise. Another benefit of increased exercise is that it can have a small effect on both RMR and BMR. Research shows that intense exercise provides a temporary boost to your RMR, an effect sometimes referred to as afterburn, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption EPOC.

This represents the calories that the body expends to return the body to homeostasis following exercise. As previously stated, a pound of fat burns roughly two calories per day while a pound of muscle burns six at rest, Church says.

To put that into perspective, gaining two pounds of muscle will increase RMR by about 12 calories. Additional reporting by Dennis Thompson Jr. Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

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Health Tools. This number will give you a general idea of how many calories your body needs per day to maintain your current weight. A higher BMR can indicate that you have a larger body, more muscle mass, genetics that favor a faster metabolism, or, potentially, an underlying medical condition such as hyperthyroidism.

Your BMR is based on a variety of factors , such as:. While you can change some of these, such as your body composition to some degree, there are others that you cannot change, including genetics, height, and age.

However, research has shown that increasing muscle mass can increase BMR, since muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat. Therefore, gaining muscle may help increase your metabolic rate.

Also, following a very low calorie diet may lead to metabolic adaptation, a gradual slowing of your metabolic rate to prevent extreme weight loss. Learn more about safe and sustainable weight loss.

Since you may not have access to a clinic that offers direct or indirect calorimetry, you can easily estimate your BMR using the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation. But keep in mind that this number does not tell you how many calories you need to eat in a day — you need to eat more than this to stay healthy.

Consider discussing your energy needs with a doctor or registered dietitian if you have more questions about how many calories you need.

However, your BMR is also based on some factors that you cannot change, such as your height, age, and genetics. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

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Medically reviewed by Adam Bernstein, MD, ScD — By Katey Davidson, MScFN, RD, CPT on November 15, How to change BMR Bottom line Your basal metabolic rate BMR reflects the calories you need to live with minimal movement.

How to use this calculator This calculator uses your age, size, sex, and activity level to estimate the number of calories you should eat per day to maintain your weight. Was this helpful? How BMR is calculated.

Limitations of the BMR calculator. What does BMR tell you? Can you change your BMR? The bottom line. How we reviewed this article: Sources.

Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Nov 15, Written By Katey Davidson, MScFN, RD, CPT. Medically Reviewed By Adam Bernstein, MD, ScD. Share this article. Read this next.