My Support Forums - View Single Post - Daily Check In Thread for those with an eating disorder of any kind.

LucyD · Aug 08, 2016 at 08:06 PM

My doctor told me I can eat less calories because I am sedentary and I am older-58. And I have this link that tells about BMR: Basal Metabolic Rate - How To Calculate and Find Your BMR

Here is a little of what is at that link:
Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is defined as the minimum number of calories your body burns whether at rest, working out or lying down. This means that everyone has a set number of calories that they need in order to stay alive and it’s as different for you as it is for your children, friends, parents or even siblings. These calories are the absolute minimum amount of energy your body burns, and includes all involuntary (independent of your own will) activities that your body does to stay alive such as digestion, respiration, circulation, removing waste products and regulating body temperature.

Factors that affect your BMR include age, genetics, weight, heredity, body fat percentage and gender. For example, your BMR is the number of calories your body would need to spend 24 hours asleep in bed. Your BMR number will depend on many factors such as your weight, your diet and your current activity level.

The BMR includes the number of calories used for activities from breathing, maintaining your body temperature, your heart pumping, to your brain working at various levels and other functions that occur in the body while asleep. The calories you burn when awake, moving (including exercising) are not included in the BMR. Think of your BMR as the number of calories needed to stay alive if you were bedridden.

Your BMR slows down at roughly 5% every 10 years after the age of 20. This is why many people can’t understand why they gain weight as they get older, but they still have the lifestyle (or eat) the same way they did in their 20’s, 30’s and even 40’s. They need to reset their BMR to reflect the changes that are taking place in their bodies!