BMR? BMI?

[Mrs.Pedro]

Which one is better? Is there an online calculator for them that is recommended. I'm getting tired of using MyFitnessPal, so I'd like a new way to track my calories possibly.

[mcginnisc]

BMI is not for counting calories. It is your Body Mass Index. Unfortunately, unless you go and have a body pod or body immersion done, it is just a guess and not accurate at all as it does not calculate lean muscle mass or body fat % like the actual tests do. 

BMR is your Basal Metabolic Rate. This is the number of calories your body needs to be inactive-think digestion, blood flow and organ functions. Once you add in activity, you have to consume more in order to offset that activity and to avoid starvation mode. 

MFP, Sparkpeople and Livestrong are just a few free websites to track calories..you can also use caloriecount, fat secret and more... they all use the same principle though- BMR + exercise= weight loss.... 

[musicpisces]

The two are different types of measurements.  BMR is the amount of calories your body requires to function each day, without taking into account any normal activity.  This accounts for the calories required for breathing, cell regeneration, keeping your heart beating, etc.  More calories are required for digestion, talking, walking, etc.  So by calculating your BMR, you know the minimum amount of calories you need to eat each day, and you can further calculate how many at max you should eat using the Harris Benedict equation and doing a little math.

Your BMI is a more simple calculation of your body mass only taking into account your height and weight.  It doesn't factor in your body type, metabolism, health, etc.  Only those two factors.  Its accuracy as a health measurement is often questioned because of that- thin doesn't mean healthy or within a healthy fat %.  It just factors the proportion of height and weight.

I eat clean, which in principle doesn't have you count calories.  Any book by Tosca Reno can help you if you are interested, and I have the basics posted here.  But all of the sites out there basically do things the same way for calorie tracking if you still want to do that.

Good luck!