The Harris-Benedict formula for calculating basal metabolism

The problem of excess weight disturbs a lot of people in the modern world. Everyone asks himself the question: "How can you lose weight without diet and exercise?" The answer has long been known: it is almost impossible. If a person does not want to change something in his diet and way of life, nothing will turn out. But sitting on diets does not help your body to stay healthy, and all the weighed pounds will not just return, but lead to a larger set of masses. The output is very simple - proper nutrition and an active lifestyle.

Caloric content of food

Any food that enters our body is a source of energy for it. Its amount is usually measured in kilojoules or kilocalories. If a person eats too much food, then the excess energy is converted into adipose tissue and is deposited evenly throughout the body until the time when it is needed. If, on the contrary, fasting happens, these fatty tissues are expended for the normal vital activity of a person. Thus, each person should consume such a quantity of food, the energy from which would be equal to the one spent during the day. In this case, neither the set of mass nor its decrease will occur. Therefore, calculating the calorie rate is so important. If you establish its deficit, you can safely lose weight and not feel negative effects on the body.

How to calculate the energy consumed?

To date, there are formulas that can very accurately show how much energy you need to consume an individual. Calculation of the calorie rate is carried out on simple indicators, such as weight, height and age. Also here it is necessary to add the level of physical activity. In order to calculate exactly how many calories you need, you can use equations such as the Harris-Benedict formula or the later version - the formula of Mifflin St. George.

The concept of basic exchange

The main exchange is the level of energy expenditure in the body that is inherent in a person in a calm state. After all, even if we do not move, but, for example, just to sleep, there are a lot of processes in our body that we do not even think about. These include respiration, the work of the cardiovascular system, the production of gastric juice, the reproduction of new skin cells, blood and their replacement, the growth of nails and hair, as well as millions of other chemical reactions. Each of them requires a constant expenditure of energy throughout life. Calculating the calorie rate will provide a person with an understanding of what he needs for a full-fledged existence. Many factors affect the basic metabolism. In children, for example, it is higher, as they are in constant growth. And the elderly are lower, because their metabolism is slowed down. Also, gender and physical condition affect this indicator. For example, if a woman is breastfeeding a child, she spends far more calories than in normal life.

The main exchange by the Harris-Benedict formula

One of the two most common equations that will help you calculate your basic exchange is the Harris-Benedict formula. It shows the caloric content of the diet is not for weight loss, but only to maintain the weight that is available at the moment. This formula is suitable for people who do not go in for sports systematically, because bodybuilders, for example, have very different needs. As mentioned above, the need for calories differs for different sexes, and therefore the formulas for them are slightly different.

The Harris-Benedict formula for women is as follows: 655.1 + (9.6 × body weight in kg) + (1.85 × human height in cm) - (4.68 × age in years). This will help any woman who does not lead an active lifestyle, find out how many calories a day she needs to consume to maintain the already existing weight.

The Harris-Benedict formula for men looks like this: 66.47 + (13.75 × body weight in kg) + (5 × height in cm) - (6.74 × age in years).

The basic exchange by the Mifflin formula of San Jeron

The second equation that will help you calculate your basic exchange is the formula of Mifflin of St. George. It is considered more reliable, since the Harris-Benedict formula was derived as far back as 1919, and the pace and rhythm of the life of ordinary people have changed greatly since then. This led to the fact that it has an error of about 5%. In the Mafflin equation of Saint-Jérard, there is no such thing, since it was withdrawn in 2005 and more focused on the modern man. It is also divided by sex.

For men: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) + 5.

For women: (10 × body weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) - 161.

After this coefficient is calculated, it is also necessary to determine the degree of physical activity of a person. A certain activity is indicated by a number from 1.2 to 1.9. Therefore, the basic exchange, which has already been calculated, is multiplied by the degree of activity. This helps to more accurately determine how much energy you need for your body.

Use of formulas

If a person is concerned about his health and wants to support himself in a certain form, the formula of Harris-Benedict or Mifflin Saint-Jehore will become for him a good assistant. After all, when you know your basic metabolism, you can decide how many calories are consumed. If your weight suits you, but you do not want to gain pounds, just do not consume too much energy. If you want to lose weight, then just create a deficit in the norm of calories, and your body will begin to reimburse it from internal reserves.

Thus, knowing your basic metabolism will help those who want to lose weight. Calculate it simply by selecting one or both of the options. It should be borne in mind that the Harris-Benedict formula will be more old and less useful. The calculator, which has a lot of options, and they are available, will make all the complex calculations for you.