Hi Everyone,
I thought I'd circle back to this thread as I went this morning and had this done.
How it was done
I had to breathe normally into a machine - it had to be 'sealed' by my mouth but I didn't have to do anything special/bite down hard or anything. It took about 10 minutes of regular breathing before it was done. A little bit of drool, I won't lie. Also you had to wear a nose plug - not terrible but a little uncomfortable.
After that the practitioner asked me questions around my exercise habits, sleep, and my weight loss goals. We talked about how a .5lb weight loss at my size was a good target.
Interesting Data
Online calculators gave my RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) ~1380. But the test revealed my RMR was actually about 1580. Basically I need to eat 1580 calories a day (at my current weight) just to live. To maintain my weight I need about 2200 calories a day. Add in exercise and I'd need more calories.
Summary
So, (for me - your body will be different):
* To maintain 134: I need ~2200 calories (does not include exercise calories)
* To lose 1/2lb week I need ~1700 calories. (does not include exercise calories)
* To lose 1lb/week I need ~1500 calories - although this puts me under my RMR so I shouldn't do that.
Pretty eye opening as I've been targeting between 1400-1600/calories a day, sometimes more when I had a heavy exercise day to account for calories burned. I had no idea my body actually needed more.
Body Fat
I also got my body fat tested. Unfortunately I had a body fat of 24.8% which is just fair. (I wonder what it was when I first started). They wanted me to target 21.3-24.3 so maybe in 6 months I'll go back for another test. Definitely something I want to look out for.
My RMR will change too as my weight goes down, but it will go up if I increase my lean muscle mass.
Where I did it
My local hospital gave the tests. $55 for the RMR and $15 for body fat. They give referrals if you need one to nutritionists and weight loss specialists, but did give some tips for nutrition/exercise. They might be well known but thought I'd list them here:
* The biggest was to eat small meals + snacks throughout the day and always have a protein with each meal. 3 meals + 2 snacks, spaced about 2-3 hours apart. For protein with your snacks think apple + cheese, banana + peanut butter.
* Drink lots of water
* Exercise with intensity
* Strength/weight train
* Don't skip breakfast
* Don't starve yourself
* Lower your fat intake
* Get enough sleep
Anyway, just wanted to give a summary incase anyone was thinking of doing this!
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