Find your Basal Metabolic Rate — the calories your body burns at complete rest.
BMR is the number of calories your body needs at complete rest just to keep your organs functioning — breathing, circulating blood, and maintaining cells. It doesn't include digestion or movement. BMR typically accounts for around 60-70% of your total daily calorie burn (TDEE), making it the largest single piece of your energy needs.
Because BMR excludes activity, it should never be used directly as a calorie target for weight loss — eating at or below your BMR long term isn't sustainable and isn't how weight-management guidance works. Use your TDEE Calculator to find your full daily number and a safe deficit or surplus from there.
| Equation | Notes |
|---|---|
| Mifflin-St Jeor (1990) | Widely used today; generally performs well across body types |
| Harris-Benedict (1919, rev. 1984) | Older equation; tends to overestimate, especially in overweight individuals |
Mifflin-St Jeor:
Men: 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5
Women: 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161
Harris-Benedict (revised):
Men: 13.397 × weight(kg) + 4.799 × height(cm) − 5.677 × age + 88.362
Women: 9.247 × weight(kg) + 3.098 × height(cm) − 4.330 × age + 447.593
There's no single "good" number — it depends on body size, muscle mass, and age. Men often fall around 1,600-1,800 kcal, women around 1,400-1,600, but this varies widely.
BMR is rest-only; TDEE adds activity and digestion on top, making up around 60-70% BMR share of TDEE.
Mifflin-St Jeor is widely regarded as more reliable than the older Harris-Benedict equation, though no formula is exact for everyone.
Yes — muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so more lean mass raises your resting calorie burn.