Vertoq
BMR Calculator
Enter your details to see your basal metabolic rate.
This is your resting number. See your full daily calorie needs with activity included → TDEE Calculator
What is BMR?
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at complete rest, just keeping your organs running: breathing, circulation, cell repair, and everything else that happens without you moving a muscle. It doesn't include digestion or any physical activity.
How BMR is calculated
Mifflin-St Jeor: This is the same formula the TDEE calculator above uses to get its BMR number, shown here on its own, without any activity multiplier applied.
Men: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age (years) + 5
Women: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age (years) − 161
BMR vs TDEE
BMR is the starting point, not the finish line. Add the calories burned through movement, exercise, and everyday activity on top of it, and you get your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), the number that actually reflects how many calories you burn in a full day.
What affects your BMR
Several factors shape BMR: age (it tends to decline over the years), muscle mass (muscle burns more energy at rest than fat, so more of it raises BMR), sex (already built into the formula above), genetics, and hormonal factors such as thyroid function. None of these are something a calculator, or a quick trick, can meaningfully override on their own.
Frequently asked questions
Is BMR the same for everyone at the same weight?
No. Age, sex, and muscle mass all shift it, which is why the formula accounts for age and sex, and why two people at the same weight can have noticeably different BMR.
Should I eat exactly my BMR?
No, eating at or below your BMR for long periods isn't a safe target. Your body needs more than that just to get through a normal day, so use the TDEE Calculator to get a realistic daily calorie number that includes your activity level.
Can I increase my BMR?
To some extent: building muscle raises it, since muscle burns more energy at rest than fat does. Age-related decline is largely outside your control, and there's no reliable shortcut beyond consistent strength training and adequate protein over time.