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A Real Gem
What's Your Resting
Metabolic Rate?
Metabolic Rate?
By Laura Paul
Solar conducts the BodyGem test by attaching a clip on his client's nose and asking her to breathe into a mouthpiece for 10 to 15 minutes. The mouthpiece is a one-time use disposable item. After the appropriate time has elapsed, a number appears on the BodyGem displaying the RMR.
Teresa Barnes, of Golden, Colo., the director of public relations for HealtheTech, says everyone has a different metabolism and a minimum requirement for fuel every day for their body to properly function.
While scientists have used metabolic measuring tools in research settings, testing an individual's metabolic rate was cost prohibitive and simply not practical before BodyGem. In fact, most dieticians did not have any real tool to measure their clients' metabolism on a regular basis. They resorted to the Harris-Benedict equation created in 1919 that guessed a person's basal energy expenditure based on height, age, gender and weight. Unfortunately, the standard equation did not work because two people with the same age/weight/height profile can have vastly different metabolisms.
Barnes says generic weight loss programs that prescribe the same number of calories to people with different body builds and body fat percentages often leave people frustrated. "Let's say the estimate for your resting metabolic rate is 1500," he says. "Now, let's say the actual number is 1250. That's 250 off. Over a week you could gain a half-pound of weight. You are already gaining weight on the program by having the wrong starting point."
Barnes says women who have had children often struggle with managing their weight. "New mothers are very concerned about their weight and even women who are pregnant want to know how many calories they can consume," she says. "One of the most common question a physician gets asked after he tells a woman she is pregnant is, 'How much do I need to eat for me and my baby?' The typical answer is a generic 300 calories more."
