BMR Calculator – Calculate Your Basal Metabolic Rate

Metabolic Science

BMR
Calculator

Discover your Basal Metabolic Rate—the exact number of calories your body burns at rest just to stay alive. This is the foundation of every successful nutrition plan.

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Did you know? Your BMR accounts for about 60-75% of the total calories you burn each day. Digesting food and physical activity make up the rest.

Male Female

Age

Weight (lbs)

Height (ft)

Height (in)

This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation, widely considered by clinical dietitians to be the most accurate formula for estimating Basal Metabolic Rate.

Your Metabolic Profile

Here is your base metabolic rate, along with your daily calorie requirements based on your lifestyle.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

1,850

Calories / Day

This is the absolute minimum number of calories your body needs to function at complete rest (breathing, circulation, cell production).

Total Daily Energy Expenditure

Maintenance Calories (TDEE)

Multiply your BMR by your activity level to find out how many calories you burn in a typical day. Eat this amount to maintain your weight.

Sedentary

Little to no exercise

2,220 kcal

Lightly Active

Exercise 1-3 times/week

2,543 kcal

Moderately Active

Exercise 3-5 times/week

2,867 kcal

Very Active

Intense exercise 6-7 times/week

3,191 kcal

Extra Active

Very intense exercise daily, or physical job

3,515 kcal

Understanding Your BMR

Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) represents the absolute minimum amount of energy (calories) your body requires to perform its most basic life-sustaining functions. This includes breathing, circulating blood, controlling body temperature, cell growth, and brain and nerve function.

Even if you lay in bed all day and did not move a single muscle, your body would still burn your BMR amount of calories.

BMR vs. TDEE

While BMR is what you burn at rest, your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) accounts for your daily movement and exercise. If you want to lose weight, you create a caloric deficit from your TDEE, not your BMR.

What Influences Your BMR?

Your metabolism isn’t static. Several physiological factors determine how many calories your internal engine burns every day.

Muscle Mass

Muscle tissue is highly metabolically active. The more lean muscle you carry, the higher your BMR will be, even while you sleep.

Age & Gender

BMR naturally decreases as we age, largely due to a loss in muscle mass. Men typically have higher BMRs than women due to higher lean body mass.

Genetics

Your genetic code plays a role in your metabolic speed. Some people naturally run “hotter” and burn slightly more calories at rest.

Metabolism FAQs & Myths

Understanding the truth about “boosting” your metabolism and calorie deficits.

Yes, primarily by altering your body composition. Because muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, engaging in resistance training to build lean muscle mass is the most effective way to permanently increase your BMR.

Generally, nutritionists recommend not eating below your BMR for extended periods. Doing so forces your body to break down muscle for energy and can lead to metabolic adaptation (where your body lowers its BMR to conserve energy, stalling weight loss).

The Mifflin-St Jeor equation, created in 1990, has been proven by multiple clinical studies (including those by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) to be more accurate than the older Harris-Benedict equation, which often overestimates caloric needs by about 5%.

No. BMR only calculates the calories burned at complete rest. Calories burned from walking around, digesting food, or working out are added on top of your BMR to calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).

Master Your
Metabolism.

Stop guessing. Find out exactly how many calories your body needs to fuel its base functions today.

BMR Calculator