Facts about the RMR-Diet: You want to lose weight. You may have tried various programs or diets such as the Atkins-Diet, low-carb-diet, or perhaps any or All of the commercial weight loss centers canned approaches to weight loss and had some initial success but later failed. You may be able to relate to the story of Joe Dieter, and like him you are frustrated by trying to find a permanent solution to weight management. It shouldn’t be this difficult, and the RMR-Diet explained below will show you an entirely different approach.
The physiology of the RMR-Diet The RMR-Diet is a program based on your individual resting metabolic rate (RMR). It is simple and is still, unfortunately, one of the best kept secrets in the weight management arena. Why? It is not flashy, it does not promise fast weight loss or “magical” food combinations to “melt” off fat. Therefore it often does not always make media headlines, or get touted by celebrities. The truth is, the RMR-Diet has been used by smart health professionals and nutrition coaches like David Dansereau to teach their clients the skillpower to lose excess bodyfat permanently by understanding their own unique RMR or metabolic rate. Your RMR is the number of calories you burn at rest and the number you need to eat to maintain normal body functions (heart beating, breathing, etc.). If you eat the number of calories equal to your RMR, you will lose weight – safely – and keep it off. Why? Because your RMR accounts for about 60-75% of all the calories you burn in a day. The other calories you burn from normal daily activity (working, going to the grocery store, etc.) will go towards weight loss. Remember, weight loss is a simple balance: if you burn more calories than you eat, you will lose weight. Nearly all diet programs require that you eat less, so why don’t they work? Most programs guess at the number of calories that you need to eat to lose weight. Often, this results in restricting your calories too much. This actually decreases your metabolic rate, can be very difficult for you to stick with for very long, and can be dangerous to your health. Other times, the recommended caloric intake is too high for you to lose weight and, of course, you become frustrated when you aren’t successful. RMR is unique to every individual, and it can be vastly different in people who are the same age, gender, height and weight –the normal predictors of metabolic rate. In fact, one study showed that women similar in the characteristics above varied in their measured RMR by about 900 calories/day!¹ Consider these metabolism facts....  If you’re just consuming an extra 100 calories per day over your current "Burn Rate" (RMR), you’re gaining 10 pounds of unhealthy bodyfat a year! WOW! A study published in the journal Metabolism compared women of the same height, age, and weight and found that their metabolic rates varied by almost 900 calories a day! Did you know? Existing charts in a doctor’s office or health facility estimate RMR from a population based predictive equation that was developed in 1919. Clinical research has shown that this outdated formula is unreliable for 1 of every 3 estimations. As a result, one-third of all people who base their nutrition plan on these unreliable figures or a generic RMR will not get the results they desire. Guessing at your burn rate often results in a poor end result and in many cases the outcome is weight gain not weight loss! Everyone has a unique metabolic rate, and the only way to know yours for sure is to have it measured. |
RMR Measurement
The RMR measurement is simple. You will sit quietly and breathe through a metabolic device called the BodyGem™ for about 10 minutes. This measures the amount of oxygen you are consuming which allows determination of the number of calories you are burning, through a scientifically validated process called indirect calorimetry. After the measurement, you will know your individual RMR. If you eat an amount of calories equal to your RMR, you should expect to lose about 1 pound per week. If you want to lose weight at a slightly faster rate, then you simply need to add some additional exercise to increase the calories you are expending. It is that simple.
Break through weight loss plateaus with the RMR-Diet As with any weight management program, you will probably reach a weight loss plateau after a few weeks and stop losing weight or even start to put weight back on. This may be a signal that your metabolism has changed as a result of your weight loss and you need to schedule an appointment to re-measure your RMR to adjust your caloric intake for continued success. Also, you may want to introduce a few of these strategies to continue with weight loss: - Log the foods that you eat and any exercise you are doing to help you keep track of your calories in and calories out. You can do this on paper with a tool like our Smart Moves Success Journal or, more conveniently, on your computer using an interactive tool like our online meal planner found here-My-Nutrition-Coach.com Nutrition Coaching System. Regardless of the method you choose, studies show that clients that keep track of the calories they eat and calories they burn, as well as other nutrients, show better long term success with weight loss and weight maintenance. It is believed that this process develops nutrition skillpower and shows you throughout the day/week/month if you are on track to meet your goals.
Source: ¹ Foster et al (1988). Resting energy expenditure, body composition, and excess weight in the obese. Metabolism 37(5): 467-472.
Sample RMR-Diet plan | RMR = calories eaten | Calories burned through activity (lifestyle + occupation) | Total calories burned | (Total - RMR) | Weight loss (1 pound = 3500 kcal) | | 1350 | 450 | 1800 | 450 | 3150 calories/week (just under 1 pound/week)* | * While just under a pound per week may not seem like a significant loss, following this simple plan would lead to 47 pounds of weight loss in 1 year! Simply adjust your exercise/activity level to lose weight at a faster pace. Consult your health professional to develop a customized plan based upon your unique RMR or order our Smart Moves 7-Day Nutrition Action Guide to develop your own nutrition plan.
Remember: You can not manage what you can not measure. Start Measuring. My New Action Guide Shows You How:  To begin measuring now try one of our online nutrition subscription options or if you prefer order my new Smart Moves 7-Day Nutrition Action Guide.
*If you order the guide (print or digital versions available) you receive a special offer to purchase my online nutrition subscription services for helping me evaluate and constantly improve the guide.
Learn more about my new Action Guide and order your copy here Book and RMR-Diet Review by: David Dansereau, Licensed Physical Therapist and Nutritionist No exercise |
