BMR Calculator

What your BMR actually tells you

Your basal metabolic rate is the energy needed to keep you alive at complete rest — breathing, circulating blood, maintaining body temperature and repairing cells.

For most people BMR accounts for 60–70% of all calories burned in a day. That is why it is the foundation of every calorie target: exercise matters, but it is usually the smaller slice.

Never eat below your BMR for long

Sustained eating below BMR is a common beginner mistake. It tends to produce muscle loss, fatigue, hormonal disruption and poor adherence — and because muscle is metabolically active, losing it lowers your BMR further, making maintenance harder later.

What raises your BMR

• More lean muscle — muscle tissue is more metabolically demanding than fat.
• Greater height and body mass — a larger body costs more to run.
• Being younger — BMR declines gradually with age, largely via muscle loss.
• Adequate sleep and recovery — chronic deprivation suppresses metabolic and hormonal function.

To convert BMR into the number you actually eat against, run the TDEE calculator, which adds your daily movement and training.

Frequently asked questions