Saturday, February 17, 2007

Resting Metabolic Rate

Last night I did a nutrition talk at the Pickering Running Room. Whenever I do these talks I start off by telling them about my own personal struggle with being overweight. When I designed my program, one of the main things I looked at was something called the RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate). What this means is that we all need a certain amount of calories to keep us alive for a period of 24 hours. There are a number of factors that affect our RMR such as age, weight, fat free body mass, the weather, meals, crash dieting, pregancy an some supplements;

AGE: As we age our RMR goes down

Weight/Fat Free Body Mass: The more muscle we have the higher our RMR is

The Weather: The colder the temperature, the more energy we expend

Meals: Small regular meals will increase your RMR.

Crash Dieting: Our bodies need consistency and most diets end up lowering the RMR by not giving people the amount of calories they need just to survive safely.

Pregnancy: It can increase your RMR.

Supplements: Some supplements can increase your RMR.

There are a few different calculations to determine what your RMR is. Fortunately when I get my clients to complete their questionnaire, I input this information into my nutrition program and it gives me a very accurate measurement. After I have determined their own RMR I begin the process of completing a meal plan specifically for their own needs. This includes not only their RMR but also any physical activity they do such as running, lifting weights, etc.
For more information about my nutrition programs you can contact me at:
gregdcruz@rogers.com

1 comment:

charlenelaw said...

Dear Greg
Great article. Did not know that you gave nutrition talks. I would be interested in going to them.
People need this type of education. Our parents equated love with food. We need to re-educate ourselves to be healthy and give up some of the "comfort foods" we were taught to love. I know from my own life that my family equated the food with affection. Keep up the great work!