BMR vs. BMI

I first heard about BMR when I was listening to Jillian Michaels' old radio show, and I initially thought she was just talking about BMI or Body Mass Index. BMR is different, it stands for Basal Metabolic Rate, and essentially represents the amount of calories you would burn if you were to lie in bed all day. So if you did absolutely nothing, you would still burn that many calories. BMR Calculators are a great tool when you're trying to set your daily caloric intake goals.

My BMR is 1557.4. That means that if I go under that amount of calories per day my body will go into starvation mode. Then I will have difficulty burning excess fat because my body will be holding on to everything it's got in order to get me through a time when there isn't enough food.

When I first heard about this I was ecstatic! You mean I shouldn't live off of 500 calories a day if I want to lose fat??? Awesome!

Although they are not the same thing, both your BMR and your BMI are important numbers to know. It's pretty common knowledge at this point, but for those that don't know.... your BMI indicates whether you are at a healthy weight for your height. So if you're embarking on a weight loss or health challenge of your own, make sure you know both of you numbers!