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Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator
Work out how many calories your body burns at rest, and roughly how many you need each day, with our free UK calculator.
How to Find Out Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Finding your BMR takes seconds. Choose metric or imperial, enter your age, sex (at birth), height and weight, then press Calculate my BMR. You’ll get two numbers straight away: your BMR, and an estimate of the daily calories you need to maintain your weight. Keep reading to see what each one means and how to use them.
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) Calculator
See how many calories your body burns at rest, and roughly how many you need each day to maintain your weight. Enter your details and hit calculate.
Your Basal Metabolic Rate
0calories / day at rest
To maintain your current weight, based on your activity level:
0calories / day
Calculated using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. These figures are an estimate for general guidance only.
Want the full picture?
BMR is one number. A workplace health check also gives your team their blood pressure, body fat percentage, muscle mass and metabolic age.
Explore employee health checksYour BMR is just one number. A health check gives you the full picture.
The BMR you just worked out is one of the readings we measure in an Employee Health Check.
Our on-site checks also give your team their blood pressure, body fat percentage, muscle mass, metabolic age and more, with goal setting and individualised advice based on your results.
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What is Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)?
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest to keep essential functions going, such as breathing, circulation, digestion and cell repair.
In other words, it’s the energy your body needs just to keep you ticking over, before you’ve done anything active at all.
What do your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) results mean?
The calculator gives you two figures. Your BMR is the calories your body burns at rest. The second figure is your estimated daily calories to maintain your current weight: we take your BMR and adjust it for how active you are. That combined number is your total daily energy expenditure, or TDEE.
The activity level you choose decides how much is added on top of your BMR. Here’s what each level means and the factor we apply:
| Activity Level | What it Means | Multiply BMR by |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | Little or no exercise | 1.2 |
| Lightly active | Light exercise 1-3 days a week | 1.375 |
| Moderately active | Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week | 1.55 |
| Very active | Hard exercise 6-7 days a week | 1.725 |
| Extremely active | Very hard exercise or a physical job | 1.9 |
If your maintenance figure looks higher or lower than you expected, change the activity level in the calculator to see how it moves.
How to improve your BMR
Metabolic rate isn’t entirely fixed. It varies from person to person and even through the day, but the factors you can influence most are body composition and activity. Building and keeping muscle, maintaining a healthy weight and staying active all help, since muscle burns more energy at rest than fat. Very low-calorie dieting can push your BMR down, so steady, sustainable changes tend to work better.
If you’re over 40 and live in the UK, you can get a free NHS Health Check. Private and workplace-based providers like New Leaf Health can measure these stats too, for you or your whole team.
Frequently Asked Questions about BMR
Is this BMR calculator accurate?
It uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the formula most widely used by dietitians today and generally more accurate than the older Harris-Benedict one. It gives a solid estimate, though results vary with body composition, genetics and health conditions.
What’s the difference between BMR, RMR and TDEE?
BMR is what you burn at complete rest. RMR (resting metabolic rate) is measured under less strict conditions, so it’s usually slightly higher. TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is your BMR plus everything else you do in a day, which is the maintenance figure this tool gives you.
Does BMR change with age?
Yes. BMR tends to fall gradually as you get older, mostly because muscle mass declines. Staying active and keeping muscle helps slow that down.
How can I increase my BMR?
The biggest levers are building muscle, keeping a healthy weight and staying active. Crash dieting can lower it, so gradual change tends to work better.
Can we measure this for our whole team at work?
Yes. New Leaf Health runs on-site employee health checks across the UK that measure the stats behind your BMR, including body fat percentage, muscle mass and metabolic age.
Please note, the information on this page is for educational purposes only. You should always speak to your healthcare professional before undertaking any changes to lifestyle, or before adopting a new diet or exercise programme.