Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): Simply put, is the amount of energy your body requires to properly function while in a state of rest. This can be further narrowed down to “the amount of energy expended when the individual is awake, in a postabsorptive, thermoneutral state while having not exercised for typically 12 hours.” (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise) This differs slightly from Basal Metabolic Rate which “is usually measured in the morning, after an overnight fast, no exercise for the previous 24 hours, free from emotional stress, familiar with the apparatus, and the subject completely rested” (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise)

These assessments give an in-depth look to the overall function and efficiency of one’s metabolism. There’s numerous functions that your body uses energy for while at rest, to name a few: breathing, sustaining body temperature, circulating blood, digesting food, tissue repair and regeneration, etc.

Knowing your RMR is an incredible tool that helps facilitate weight loss, but more importantly fat loss. Pairing knowledge of nutrition with metabolic rate allows individuals to properly assess their macro-nutrient needs. Given the right circumstances and knowledge many people can experience body re-composition which is commonly defined as the ability to lose fat mass while putting on lean muscle. This primarily applies to beginner lifters, overweight/obese individuals, and athletes who are returning to training after an injury. The more trained and advanced an individual is, the harder it is to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously, but for a vast majority of Americans, it’s completely feasible.

Body re-composition is one of the most common fitness goals that people strive for. Although it is possible to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously, it isn’t always obvious when it is occurring. The power of a DEXA, RMR and nutrition plan is that it gives you vital information with an actionable plan. A DEXA will show you your total fat, visceral fat, lean mass and bone density. These are important metrics for overall health that can only be tracked by DEXA, MRI, or CT scan. A CT scan exposes one to high levels of radiation. An MRI is incredibly expensive, and both require medical prescription. If you desire to know an accurate assessment of how your body composition is changing, a DEXA is your best overall option.

Many training novices become discouraged in the first 90 days of there health journey as they don’t see much progress on the scale or in the mirror. Often, this is because they are losing fat and gaining muscle at a similar rate. It takes time and consistency to put lean mass on and if you are starting with a high body fat percentage, it can be hard to tell if your body is changing much during the first couple months of a re-composition. DEXA and RMR will allow you to assess your progress accurately. The scale doesn’t give the whole picture. 

Many people will elect to go into a deep calorie deficit without implementing a resistance plan or accurately determining their macro-nutrient needs. They will see movement on the scale and may notice a difference in the mirror. But, without a DEXA and RMR they will not be able to assess the quality of their weight loss. It’s possible that while in catabolic state (breaking down tissue for energy), the majority of their weight loss was from lean tissue and bone density, not fat. This will lead to a weaker, atrophied body. As a second order effect, if the weight they loss was mainly muscle, their RMR will begin to drop as well. This is because lean mass is more calorically demanding than fat mass.

Ultimately, this way of “dieting” is unsustainable and leave people weaker, with less energy, and a slower metabolism. This increases the likelihood that they will put on the weight they lost and possibly more, leading to a worse body composition than what they started with. We can call it the “Biggest Loser Affect“. By knowing your RMR, you can build an eating plan that will be sustainable and increase probability of success. 

Kaizen would love to walk beside your on your health journey, schedule your RMR & DEXA today.