Since RMR accounts for up to 75% of the total calories we need each day, it’s a critical piece of information to appropriately establish daily calorie needs, whether we’re trying to lose or maintain weight. Most healthcare and fitness professionals recognize that metabolism is impacted by a variety of characteristics such as fever, illness, high fitness, obesity, active weight loss, etc.

When managing a client or patient’s nutritional needs and calorie requirements, knowledge of RMR is critically important. Traditionally, healthcare professionals, who have not had access to measurement technology, have relied on estimates of RMR. Because metabolism is different among individuals, estimating can lead to errors, and inaccurate calorie budgets. As a result of these estimates, individuals can be both over- or under-eating, and not be successful in reaching their personal goals. As technology advances, professionals must reassess their practices. The most accurate assessment of caloric needs is by measuring oxygen consumption and determining individual metabolism.

There are tools that will provide information vital for determining a personalized calorie budget, based on individual metabolism, necessary to achieve and maintain proper weight and nutrition. Additionally, these devices play a significant role in providing an individual’s daily caloric needs to improve individual care through nutrition assessment.