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Free BMR Calculator

Find out exactly how many calories your body burns at rest — the foundation of any real fat loss or muscle-building plan.

Mifflin-St Jeor formula
Metric & imperial units
Instant TDEE breakdown
Calculate Your BMR
Units
Age
yrs
Weight
kg
Height
cm
Activity Level
SedentaryDesk job, little or no exercise
×1.2
Lightly ActiveExercise 1–3 days/week
×1.375
Moderately ActiveExercise 3–5 days/week
×1.55
Very ActiveHard exercise 6–7 days/week
×1.725
Extra ActiveAthlete or physical job
×1.9
Your Basal Metabolic Rate
calories / day at complete rest
Daily calorie needs by activity level

These numbers are estimates. Individual results vary based on hormones, muscle mass, sleep, and metabolic adaptations.

Your BMR is just step one. FitUpToday coaches build your full nutrition plan around your actual lifestyle, Indian food included.

Get a personalised plan →
The Science

What is BMR?

Your Basal Metabolic Rate is the number of calories your body needs to keep you alive while doing absolutely nothing — breathing, keeping your heart beating, regulating temperature.

It accounts for 60–75% of all calories you burn in a day. Whether you eat in a deficit, maintenance, or surplus is entirely determined by how many calories you consume relative to your BMR plus activity.

Getting this number right is the difference between a plan that works and one that leaves you spinning your wheels for months.

60–75%
of total daily calories burned by BMR alone
±200kcal
accuracy range vs lab-grade calorimetry
Mifflin-St Jeor Equation (gold standard)
Men:
BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm)
− (5 × age) + 5
Women:
BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm)
− (5 × age) − 161
Why Mifflin-St Jeor? A 2005 study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found it to be the most accurate predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in both obese and non-obese adults, outperforming the older Harris-Benedict formula. We use this by default.
Applying the Number

How to use your BMR

01
Find Your Maintenance Calories

Multiply your BMR by the activity factor that matches your actual lifestyle — not the one you wish you had. This gives you your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).

BMR 1,680 × 1.55 (moderate) = 2,604 kcal/day to maintain weight
02
Set Your Deficit or Surplus

For fat loss, eat 300–500 kcal below your TDEE. For muscle gain, eat 200–300 kcal above. Going too aggressive (>750 kcal deficit) causes muscle loss and metabolic slowdown.

Fat loss target: 2,604 − 400 = 2,204 kcal/day
03
Reassess Every 4–6 Weeks

As your weight and composition change, so does your BMR. Recalculate regularly and adjust. Ignoring this is why most people plateau after 6–8 weeks of initial progress.

Losing weight? Your BMR drops. Recalculate and adjust — don't keep eating the same number.
Reference

Activity multipliers

Use these to convert your BMR into a realistic daily calorie target. Most people overestimate their activity level — be honest.

Level Description Multiplier Example (BMR 1,700)
Sedentary Office job, no intentional exercise, mostly sitting ×1.2 2,040 kcal/day
Lightly Active Light exercise or walking 1–3 days/week ×1.375 2,338 kcal/day
Moderately Active Gym 3–5 days/week or physically active job ×1.55 2,635 kcal/day
Very Active Hard training 6–7 days/week, physically demanding job ×1.725 2,933 kcal/day
Extra Active Twice-daily training, athlete, construction, manual labour ×1.9 3,230 kcal/day

Most gym-goers fall between Lightly Active and Moderately Active. If you go 3×/week but sit for 8 hours otherwise, choose Lightly Active.

Common Questions

BMR explained

No. BMR is the calories your body burns at absolute rest — just to stay alive. TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) includes your BMR plus all the calories burned through movement, exercise, digestion (the thermic effect of food), and NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). TDEE is the number you actually use to set calorie targets.
Several factors affect BMR beyond the formula's inputs. High muscle mass raises it; chronic dieting or hormonal imbalances (thyroid, PCOS, insulin resistance) can lower it significantly. Genetics also play a role — two people with identical stats can have BMRs that differ by 10–15%. If your results feel off, it may be worth getting a metabolic panel done.
Recalculate every 4–6 weeks, or whenever your weight changes by more than 3–4 kg. BMR scales with body weight — as you lose fat (or gain muscle), your daily calorie needs shift. This is the number one reason people plateau: they're eating for the person they used to be, not who they are now.
You can, but you shouldn't. Eating exactly at BMR means your body has just enough energy to survive while sedentary — any movement pushes you into a very deep deficit. This leads to muscle loss, hormonal disruption (especially in women), extreme fatigue, and metabolic adaptation. A sustainable deficit is 300–500 kcal below TDEE, not BMR.
The formula itself is universal — it calculates energy based on body composition, not food type. The challenge is accurately tracking calories in Indian meals (dal, sabzi, roti, rice), which can vary widely in portion and preparation. At FitUpToday, our coaches are trained specifically on Indian food tracking and build macros around the meals you actually eat, not Western meal plans.
The formula gives a useful starting estimate, but hormonal conditions can significantly affect actual metabolic rate. Women with PCOS or hypothyroidism often have BMRs that run 10–20% lower than the formula predicts. Use the number as a starting point, track your results for 3–4 weeks, and adjust. Better yet, work with a coach who understands your condition — this is one of FitUpToday's core specialities.
Take the next step

Your BMR is one number.
Your results are a whole system.

Knowing your BMR is the foundation — but building the plan around it takes experience, consistency, and daily accountability. That's what FitUpToday coaches deliver from ₹89/day.

From ₹89/day
1,000+ clients · 12 countries
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