Basal Metabolic Rate: The Calories Your Body Burns at Rest
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body needs to maintain basic physiological functions — breathing, circulation, cell repair, and organ function — while at complete rest. It accounts for 60–75% of total daily energy expenditure for most people.
Three Key Formulas Compared
Mifflin-St Jeor (most accurate for most people):
Men: BMR = 10W + 6.25H − 5A + 5
Women: BMR = 10W + 6.25H − 5A − 161
(W = kg, H = cm, A = age)Harris-Benedict (older, tends to overestimate):
Men: BMR = 88.362 + 13.397W + 4.799H − 5.677A
Women: BMR = 447.593 + 9.247W + 3.098H − 4.330AKatch-McArdle (most accurate if you know your lean body mass):
BMR = 370 + (21.6 × lean body mass in kg)Which Formula Should You Use?
- Most people → Mifflin-St Jeor
- Athletes / bodybuilders with known body composition → Katch-McArdle
- Legacy calculations / research comparison → Harris-Benedict
BMR vs TDEE
BMR is your resting baseline. TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) multiplies BMR by an activity factor (1.2–1.9) to estimate actual daily needs including all movement. For weight management, always work with TDEE, not BMR alone.
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