Free BMR Calculator
Estimate the energy your body uses at rest for functions like breathing and circulation. Our free BMR calculator uses your stats to suggest a basal metabolic rate before accounting for daily activity.
Your BMR isn't an eating target. Once you have the resting estimate, you can add activity and a goal to work out daily targets for meal planning.
What Your BMR Result Means
Your Basal Metabolic Rate is the energy your body uses at rest. Your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) also includes movement and processing food, so it's the more useful starting point for deciding how much to eat (Mayo Clinic). Our TDEE calculator covers that distinction in more detail.
Treat your result as a starting estimate. Body size, muscle mass, and age affect resting energy use, and a formula can't capture every individual difference. A higher or lower number isn't a score to improve.
Use Your Result to Plan Meals
Below your result, choose your preferred diet, goal, and usual activity level. Include your workday as well as exercise. We account for activity to estimate maintenance calories, then adjust for your selected weekly weight-change rate if you choose Lose fat or Build muscle.
Select Generate Meal Plan to open the homepage planner with your daily calorie and macro targets. Review the calories and number of meals, then use its generate button to create meals and recipes. No account is needed; setting specific macro targets yourself requires a free account.
Your requested rate of weight change isn't a promise: energy needs change over time (Hall et al., 2011). After a few weeks, review your average weight trend, hunger, and energy before adjusting your daily target. For more on setting that target, see our calorie calculator or calorie deficit calculator.
How We Calculate Your BMR
We use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (Mifflin et al., 1990). With weight in kilograms (W), height in centimeters (H), and age in years (A), it estimates resting Calories per day (kcal/day):
- Male setting:
10W + 6.25H − 5A + 5 - Female setting:
10W + 6.25H − 5A − 161
For Non-Binary, we average the two results; this isn't a separately validated equation. We convert U.S. units automatically. Your body-fat choice helps set later protein suggestions, but doesn't change this resting estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I use this BMR calculator?
Enter your stats. Choose your units and sex, then enter your height, current weight, and age.
Estimate body fat. Choose Low, Medium, or High. If you're unsure, leave Medium selected. You don't need a measured percentage.
View your result. Submit to see your estimated resting Calories per day. Use Edit to change your stats.
Continue to meal planning. Choose your diet, goal, and activity level below the result. For weight change, select a weekly rate too. Generate Meal Plan opens the homepage planner with your adjusted targets; use its generate button to create meals.
Can you show an example calculation?
For a 30-year-old using the Female setting, weighing 70 kg and standing 170 cm tall:
(10 × 70) + (6.25 × 170) − (5 × 30) − 161 = 1,451.5
That gives a resting estimate of about 1,450 Calories per day, before accounting for activity.
What's the difference between BMR and RMR?
Both describe energy use at rest, but basal metabolic rate (BMR) is measured under stricter resting and fasting conditions than resting metabolic rate (RMR). Mifflin-St Jeor estimates RMR. We use the familiar BMR label here, but the result is an estimate, not a laboratory measurement. See the Obesity Medicine Association’s explanation.
How accurate is this BMR calculator?
The equation was developed from measurements of 498 healthy adults, but your actual resting needs may differ. Tracking your weight can help you adjust a daily eating target; it cannot measure BMR separately from activity. If you need a measured resting metabolic rate, ask a healthcare professional about indirect calorimetry.
Can I increase my BMR?
Building muscle can increase resting energy use, but there is no guaranteed calorie boost from a workout routine. Focus on building strength and a routine you can keep up. NIDDK explains how muscle-strengthening activity can help.
How are the meal planner’s macro targets set?
We suggest amounts in grams, including minimums for most macros and a carb limit for keto. They depend on your stats, goal, activity, and diet preference. Our macro calculator explains the approach.
When should I recalculate my BMR?
Recalculate when your weight has changed enough that your old inputs no longer describe you. You don't need to do it for every small fluctuation. If only your activity changes, update the activity setting for meal planning; that changes your daily calorie target, not the resting estimate.
Health & Fitness Calculators
Looking at a different part of your plan? Choose the calculator that answers your next question.
- Calorie Calculator
- Choose a daily intake for your goal, check how it works for you, and turn it into meals.
- TDEE Calculator
- Estimate what you burn in a typical day and understand your maintenance Calories.
- Calorie Deficit Calculator
- See how your selected weight-loss pace changes your daily intake target.
- Macro Calculator
- Plan protein, carbs, and fat in grams with room for different food choices.
- Protein Intake Calculator
- Get a daily protein suggestion and find ways to reach it with everyday foods.