To calculate your BMR - Select your Gender, Height (nearest inch), Weight (nearest pound) and Age in the boxes provided below, then click the calculate button.

MALE: FEMALE:

HEIGHT: Feet Inches

WEIGHT: Stones Pounds

AGE: Years

Conversions: 1Kg = 2.2 lbs 1ins = 2.54 cms

NOTES

The BMR figures given are based on calculations using the Harris-Benedict Equation.

To calculate your daily calorie requirements for your lifestyle:

Sedentary - Little or no exercise

= BMR x 1.2

Slightly Active - Light exercise up to 3 days a week.

= BMR x 1.4

Moderately Active - Moderate exercise 3 - 5 days a week.

= BMR x 1.5

Very Active - Hard exercise 6-7 days a week.

= BMR x 1.7

Hyper Active - Very hard exercise every day and a physically demanding job.

= BMR x 1.9

If you want to lose weight and are not sure where to start, you are not alone. We'll sortly be adding a community area with peer to peer Buzz Boards - please feel free to use and contibute to those.

CAUTION - Particularly if you are seriously overweight, before you embark on any new exercise or dietary regime, you should always seek professional medical advice.

WHAT IS BMR?

The Basal (or Resting) Metabolic Rate (BMR)is the amount of energy ( in calories) your body needs each day just to sustain its basic life processes. If you took no exercise at all and lay still, in bed all day, you would still expend this energy.

It is slightly different for men and women but is a very useful figure to be aware of if you are dieting or trying to lose weight.

WHAT AFFECTS BMR?

Health & Nutrition - Our Metabolism comprises hundreds of separate chemical reactions which must be fed through a constant supply of the right nutrients. Without vitamins and minerals (particularly vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6 & C) our metabolism can become inefficient and sluggish. This is why a well balanced diet is so important.

Eating Frequency - Our metabolic rate increases during digestion. So it is better to eat little and often if you are trying to burn more calories. Be aware that your body has a super efficient 'starvation mode' which starts to kick in after only about 5 hours without food for men, 3 hours for women.

Muscle - The more muscle you have, the faster you burn calories. Muscle cells are around 8 times more demanding on energy resources than fat cells.

Exercise - It stands to reason that if you do work you burn calories. However, the effect continues for several hours afterwards during which time we continue to burn energy faster.

Age - As we get older, we need fewer calories. Our BMR drops around 2% every 10 years.

Genetic makeup - Some people have a naturally faster metabolism. (drat!)

WARNING: We accept no liability for how you interpret or use the information provided here. We stress this is just a guide and there is no substitute for seeking professional advice from a qualified medical practitioner if you have concerns about your weight or other health condition.