BMR Calculator

Find your basal metabolic rate: the number of calories your body needs each day at complete rest.

How to use the BMR Calculator

  1. Select your sex and enter your age.
  2. Enter your weight and height in metric or imperial units.
  3. Read your BMR and the daily calories for each activity level.

What BMR means

Basal metabolic rate is the energy your body uses to stay alive at rest: breathing, circulation, temperature control and cell repair. It accounts for about 60–70% of the calories most people burn in a day.

Formulas used

Mifflin-St Jeor (1990), shown as the main result:

  • Men: 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age + 5
  • Women: 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age − 161

Revised Harris-Benedict (1984), shown for comparison:

  • Men: 88.362 + 13.397 × kg + 4.799 × cm − 5.677 × age
  • Women: 447.593 + 9.247 × kg + 3.098 × cm − 4.330 × age

BMR falls with age and rises with body size and muscle mass. Multiply it by an activity factor to estimate your total daily needs, as shown in the table under the result.

This calculator gives general information for healthy adults. It is not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet or exercise.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?

BMR is what you burn at complete rest. TDEE adds the calories used for movement, exercise and digestion, so it is always higher.

What is a normal BMR?

It varies with size, age and sex. Many adult women fall around 1,200–1,500 kcal per day and many adult men around 1,500–1,900 kcal per day.

Can I increase my BMR?

Building muscle raises it slightly, since muscle uses more energy at rest than fat. Age, height and genetics have a larger effect and cannot be changed.

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