Has anyone here had a RMR (resting metabolic rate) test done?

Hi, everyone -

I'm working with a nutritionist in our bariatric program to lose some weight I've regained. (VSG surgery was in 2011) Doing great so far, the pounds are slowly but surely slipping away once again. (Emphasis on the "slowly", but it's hard to complain with progress.)

She recommended I get an RMR test. I have to fast overnight and then show up to their office and breathe into some sort of device that gives a more accurate picture of how many calories I'm burning just by existing. She says it is more accurate than using height/weight/body fat equations for estimating RMR and BMR. Plus, I was surprised to learn my insurance covers this - so why not?

Has anyone had this done? Did you find it helpful in either losing weight or going into weight maintenance?

I'm going in tomorrow for this, so I'll report back on how it goes. I suspect my metabolism is pretty average - not especially slow and definitely not fast either. I don't have a thyroid (removed for cancer) but I do take meds that probably compensate for any loss of metabolism there. I am hoping this will give me a good idea of where I need to park my calories for maintenance.

The data-nerd in me is very excited.

Hi

I never had the test but did a search and found other posts asking about this test. Hopefully this will help you.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/search/?q=RMR%20testing

I had this done years and years ago when I was in a weight loss program called HMR. I found out that I'm super efficient and burn a whopping 9 calories per pound. I've found that it's been pretty accurate for me over the years. I'm interested to learn how yours turns out!

Jen

I've had it done 3 times post-WLS. Helpful? I'm not sure. All three readings said I had a high metabolism, they registered within 250calories of each other, and the lowest reading was 2100 calories RMR

While I can eat 2100 cal some days and not gain weight, in theory I should be losing weight at 2100 calories. Since I eat less than that most days, why am I not constantly losing weight? Metabolism is an interesting thing. But it did show me that in maintenance I could eat more than I thought. But I don't know if the actual number itself makes sense post WLS

a dietitian told me years ago that a formerly obese person who weighs, say, 160 lbs has to eat about 200-300 fewer calories a day than a 160 lb person who's the same height and frame size and who has never been obese. I wonder if the test accounts for that kind of thing? If not, that might be where your calorie gap is.

That's true, and one of the reasons that, once obese, it gets harder and harder to maintain weight loss for the formerly obese. It's the reason that WLS becomes a necessity, not just a convenience.

But it's true only for "normies." WLS resets our metabolism, so it's like those who haven't been obese. It's what allows us to maintain our losses once the weight is off. It truly is bariatric AND metabolic surgery.

I agree with Grim, that statistic is more for the morbidly obese with never had surgery. I know some people maintain on a very low calorie count, but I have absolutely been able to increase mine since the weight-loss phase. Now according to that I should be eating probably 2500 cal a day which so is it totally accurate no.... but I definitely have a larger range then I thought I did.

I say I eat 1500-1700, but I'm almost always at or near 1700. The two or three times a month I'm at or just over 1500 offset the two or three times a month I've gone over my 1700 limit (1800 or so). I've thought about increasing it a little more, but since I've been staying in my self-imposed weight range (138-142) while eating 1700 calories, I'd probably be better off staying right where I am. Besides, it's easy to make 1700 calories work. I'm very grateful I'm not one of those who has to eat 1000 or 1200 calories to maintain. Yikes. That would be tough!

Well I'm glad I didn't have to pay out of pocket for that. The test was easy enough, although I was kind of crammed into a crowded little room and it felt a little awkward. The results said my RMR is 1400 - which is fine and dandy I suppose. But then looking at the print off I see my weight was entered incorrectly by a wide margin (100 pounds) so I am not sure if that 1400 is accurate or not.

Not going to make any major changes based on this info... and like I said I'm glad I didn't pay for it. LOL!

I'll ask my nutritionist the next time I see her if that number would change if my weight were entered correctly. I'm not sure if 1400 is based purely on my breathing data or if my weight was used in that calculation too.

I've thought about having mine tested, but as you said, it would not make a difference in what I eat based on the results. If it said I could eat more, and I did, I would end up gaining.

It's interesting, but purely academic.