This metric of BMR, or Basal Metabolic Rate, looks at how much energy is expended during rest.

Every person needs calories to live, and if we were to look at the bare minimum of what the body needs, then we would be looking at the BMR calculation.

If you choose to stay in bed all day and perform no physical activity, then your caloric needs would only include the number of calories the body burns to stay alive.

Use the BMR calculator below to find an estimated basal metabolic rate by plugging in your age, sex, height, and weight.

The BMR formula our calculator uses is the Harris-Benedict equation:

  • For men: BMR = 66.5 + (13.75 x weight in kg) + (5.003 x height in cm) – (6.755 x age in years)
  • For women: BMR = 655.1 + (9.563 x weight in kg) + (1.850 x height in cm) – (4.676 x age in years)

What Is A Healthy Person’s BMR?

A BMR will vary greatly from one person to the next.

There will not be many changes in your basal metabolic rate based on daily activity level, as this is made up of your functions considered to be involuntary.

The involuntary functions that makeup BMR will be things like pumping blood through the body, breathing, upkeeping body temperature for proper functioning, and the presence and upkeep of different types of cells.

One major thing that increases your basal metabolic rate is your amount of muscle mass. It is proven that when the body has more muscle mass and less body fat, it will burn more calories and increase your basal metabolic rate and total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).

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A healthy BMR depends mostly on the makeup of your body and your BMI. Again, it is highly related to the makeup of your body and the bare minimum daily calories needed to sustain it.

If you are taking in less than your basal metabolic rate, then you would definitely be in a calorie deficit, not including your other factors for TDEE.

It might be better to use our TDEE calculator and find a healthy total daily expenditure first to find what a healthy amount of calories would be for your own health and fitness goals.

Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator (BMR) Calculator 3
Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator (BMR) Calculator 4

How Are BMR and RMR Different?

Many people use the terms RMR and BMR as interchangeable words with no real difference.

In reality, the two words are different and not interchangeable.

BMR, as we have discussed, is the Basal metabolic rate and is the bare minimum to keep the body alive with involuntary functions and being in a resting state.

RMR, which is short for Resting Metabolic Rate, is everything included within the basal metabolic rate. Still, it also includes the energy expended through the digestion of food and daily non-exercise movements.

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If someone works a more physical job, their non-exercise movements will be greater and their resting metabolic rate will be much higher than the BMR. This is one example where they could differ more greatly.

So, they are both very similar since the BMR is included inside of the RMR.

The two numbers will come out very close to one another but not always the same, so make sure that you clarify which one is asked for in certain equations.

Can I Use My BMR to Gain Muscle, Lose Fat, or Change my Body Fat Percentage?

Ideally, you will use your BMR to find the overall amount of energy you need in a day by calculating your total daily expenditure.

As we have stated, a change in your lean body mass, like if you were to build muscle, will cause greater differences in calorie intake to reach whatever your BMR may be.

So, we can use our BMR in the sense that it is used for a greater calculation of the total daily expenditure.

If you want to maintain your body weight, it may be better to use RMR since it is unlikely you will be without any form of activity and in a state of pure rest.

If you were to use this number as a way to diet and eat under this basal metabolic weight, you are guaranteed to go through weight loss, but it is not the healthiest of ways to go about this goal.

It is still always a great number for you to know and at least aim to take in to maintain your current weight.

In healthcare, the RMR formula is used and looked at when needed, but total daily expenditure is the general formula used when looking at health and dieting.

Are There Any Other Ways to Calculate BMR?

We find that the most accurate, on average, is the Harris-benedict formula. Again, this one is:

  • For men: BMR = 66.5 + (13.75 x weight in kg) + (5.003 x height in cm) – (6.755 x age in years)
  • For women: BMR = 655.1 + (9.563 x weight in kg) + (1.850 x height in cm) – (4.676 x age in years)

But there are a few options out there to explore. Another formula is the Mifflin-st. Jeor equation, which looks like this:

  • Men: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age in years) + 5. 
  • Women: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age in years) – 161.

And then the last formula of the most popular options that are out there is:

  • Men: BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 x weight in kg) + (4.799 x height in cm) – (5.677 x age in years)
  • Women: BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 x weight in kg) + (3.098 x height in cm) – (4.330 x age in years)

We hope our BMR calorie calculator has been of help to you and you have found the proper amount of kcals to maintain this BMR.

Tyler Read - Certified Personal Trainer with PTPioneer

Tyler Read


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