RESTING METABOLIC RATE
At Atlantic Endocrinology & Diabetes Center we know and believe that the best way to learn more about your metabolism, specifically your metabolic rate (the rate at which metabolism occurs), is through an RMR test.
Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the amount of energy (calories) your body burns while at rest.
WHAT CAN RESTING METABOLIC RATE HELP DIAGNOSE?
Metabolism is an essential function for weight management and general health. Measuring resting metabolic rate enables your doctor to determine whether metabolism is fast or slow. Furthermore, RMR testing reveals if the body utilizes carbohydrates or fats for energy. This information often helps to determine the number of calories a person needs to maintain and how many the person may need to lose or gain weight. In endocrinology, RMR is valuable to the diagnosis and management of conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, overactive thyroid, mitochondrial disorders, and COPD.
WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW MY RESTING METABOLIC RATE?
Weight management depends upon the energy balance equation: the amount of energy you put into your body (your caloric intake) versus the amount of energy you expend. The best way to lose body fat is to maintain a negative energy balance.
An RMR test answers the question, how much should you eat? Your RMR is your body’s baseline caloric requirement. Knowing your RMR enables you to:
• Set accurate individualized calorie targets to help you lose, gain, or maintain your weight.
• Verify if a training or nutrition program has increased or decreased your metabolism.
• Compare the speed of your metabolism to others of your gender, age, height and weight.
HOW IS RMR TESTED?
RMR testing is convenient and comfortable. The test is conducted in a seated position. The patient wears a mask that fits over the nose and mouth to enable us to measure oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output. No extra air is provided in the mask; air in the environment seeps through. Throughout the test, a member of our team will also monitor your heart rate and rhythm through EKG leads.
Knowing how many calories you expend at rest will allow your doctor to adjust your training and nutritional intake to suit your health and fitness goals. We can calculate the basal metabolic rate using our RMR screening.
Fundamentally, your body needs a certain amount of energy to stay alive – to keep your heart beating, your brain functioning, etc.
Larger people will need more energy than smaller people because larger people have more tissue to sustain. Additionally, your body composition will also affect your RMR because fat tissue and lean tissue burn calories at different rates. However, factors other than body composition – including genetics, stress, hormone levels, and age – will contribute to your RMR as well.
BENEFITS OF A RMR TEST?
Some of the benefits of having a Resting Metabolic Rate test include:
• Identifying whether you have a slow or fast metabolism.
• Determining if you are a fat burner or sugar burner at rest.
• Establishing the minimum number of calories you can eat without the risk of slowing down your metabolism.
• Identifying the number of calories you burn on a rest day as well as an exercise day.