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BMR & TDEE Calculator

Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate and daily calorie needs for weight loss, gain, or maintenance.

Updated

What is the BMR & TDEE Calculator?

Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) to understand exactly how many calories your body needs at rest and with activity.

Your BMR is the minimum calories your body burns just to keep you alive—breathing, circulating blood, and basic cell function. TDEE adds your activity level on top of that baseline. These numbers are the foundation for planning weight loss, muscle gain, or maintaining your current weight.

Enter your height, weight, age, gender, and activity level to get personalized calorie targets that match your goals.

How it works

Our calculator uses the most scientifically validated formulas to determine your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). Here is how the engine processes your data:

  1. Data Input: You provide your biological gender, age, height, and weight. The calculator natively supports both metric (kg/cm) and imperial (lbs/in) systems.
  2. Formula Selection: By default, we use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, widely considered the gold standard by health and nutrition professionals today. You can also toggle to the traditional Harris-Benedict formula or the Katch-McArdle formula (ideal for athletes who know their exact body fat percentage).
  3. Activity Multiplier: Once your baseline resting calories (BMR) are calculated, we apply an activity multiplier ranging from Sedentary (1.2) to Extremely Active (1.9) to estimate your TDEE—the total calories you burn in a 24-hour period.
  4. Goal Mapping: Based on your TDEE, the tool automatically calculates targeted daily caloric limits for healthy weight loss, maintenance, or muscle gain, complete with optimal macronutrient breakdowns.

Examples

Sedentary Office Worker (Female)

Calculating maintenance calories for a 30-year-old female weighing 65 kg.

Female, 30 years old, 65 kg, 165 cm, Sedentary
 
BMR: 1,406 kcal | TDEE: 1,687 kcal

Active Athlete (Male)

Finding the caloric baseline for an active 25-year-old male weighing 180 lbs.

Male, 25 years old, 180 lbs, 5ft 10in, Very Active
 
BMR: 1,863 kcal | TDEE: 3,214 kcal

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the bare minimum number of calories your body burns at complete rest just to keep your organs functioning (breathing, circulating blood, etc.). TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) takes your BMR and adds the calories you burn through daily movement, exercise, and the digestion of food. TDEE is the actual number of calories you burn in a given day.

Is a BMR calculator female specific different from one for men?

Yes. Biological men and women generally have different body compositions, specifically regarding muscle mass percentages and hormonal profiles. The established mathematical formulas (like Mifflin-St Jeor) account for this by using different constants for males and females to ensure highly accurate metabolic estimates.

Can I use kg instead of lbs for this calculator?

Absolutely. This tool functions seamlessly as a BMR calculator kg (metric) and lbs (imperial) system. You can easily toggle between the two systems at the top of the calculator without losing your current inputs.

Why does my BMR decrease as I lose weight?

A smaller body simply requires less energy to maintain itself. As you lose weight, there is less physical mass for your body to sustain, which naturally lowers your daily caloric baseline. This is why weight loss plateaus happen and why you must periodically recalculate your BMR during a fitness journey.

Which BMR equation is the most accurate?

The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is currently recommended by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as the most accurate for the general population. However, if you are very lean and know your exact body fat percentage, the Katch-McArdle formula can provide a more highly individualized estimate because it bases the math strictly on your lean muscle mass rather than total body weight.

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