BMR Calculator: Calculate Your Basal Metabolic Rate & Calorie Requirements (2024)

BMR + Daily Calorie Calculator

This BMR calculator tool works on a proven formula and is very accurate. The calculator uses two formulas to calculate your body's daily calorie requirements.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) Formula
The basal metabolic rate formula takes several variables like height, weight, age and gender to calculate your calorie needs as if you did not do any exercise.
Harris Benedict Formula
The Harris Benedict Formula takes the number produced by the BMR formula and multiplies it depending on your activity level.

The only factor it omits is lean body mass and thus the ratio of muscle-to-fat a body has. Remember, leaner bodies need more calories than less leaner ones. Therefore, this equation will be very accurate in all but the very muscular (will underestimate calorie needs) and the very overweight (will over-estimate calorie needs).

2.1K Comments

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Joanna

Posted on: Wed, 06/19/2024 - 07:10

I hope you're doing well. I need your help with some questions about my fitness and nutrition plan.
Here are my details:

Weight: 50 kg
Height: 153 cm
Body fat percentage: 18.9%
Age: 41
Gender: Female
Strength training: 5 days a week (3 days upper body, 2 days lower body, 1.5-hour sessions)
Daily activity: 30-34k steps per day, 7 days a week
My goal is to build more muscle without gaining too much weight or fat. Based on my research, my maintenance calories are estimated to be around 2,147. Is this number accurate, or could it be too high considering my stats and activity level?

I would appreciate your guidance on adjusting my caloric intake to support muscle growth while keeping fat gain to a minimum. Any advice on macro-nutrient distribution or other tips would also be very helpful.

Thank you

Roger

Posted on: Thu, 06/20/2024 - 08:30

Hi Joanna, thank you for reading M&S!

If you are looking to add size, then you will need more calories since you are taking so many steps. However, I understand the desire to keep fat gain to a minimum or none at all if possible.

So, I would suggest starting at 2,500 calories a day and sticking with that for at least two weeks. If you see no change, up it 100 a day for another week, and so on until you start seeing the results you want. Once you see changes in the wrong way, then back off a bit.

As for macros, I would go with 40/30/30 percents in protein, carbs, and fats to start with. Again, roll with that for two weeks and see how you do. I will leave this open for others to chime in with their own tips if they like. Keep us posted on how you're doing.

Sonya

Posted on: Mon, 06/17/2024 - 04:42

Hello.I'm 21,165cm and weigh 44 kg.I want to start working out and have a healthier diet to gain weight and muscle but i cannot find any workout/diet plan to gain weight.could you please help me out?

Roger

Posted on: Tue, 06/18/2024 - 08:35

Hi Sonya, nutrition info can be found here.

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/complete-guide-how-to-increas...

A beginner workout for building muscle can be found here.

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/8-week-mass-building-workout-...

I hope these help, and thank you for reading M&S!

Norita

Posted on: Fri, 06/07/2024 - 07:19

Hello. I’m 61, 5’7” and weigh 162. My current BodyFat is 21.3%. I want to get to 18%. I need help with my macros. I exercise 3-4 times a week lifting weights I walk between 5000 to 7000 steps 3/4 times a week at my job. On my days off I do state state for 45min. My goal is to lose bodyfat and gain muscle. Thanks

Roger

Posted on: Fri, 06/14/2024 - 07:51

Hello Norita, this guide can help you set up your nutrition to get started moving towards your goals.

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/expert-guides/fat-loss

Natan

Posted on: Tue, 06/04/2024 - 10:29

Im 18 year old małe, 178cm 69kg and im doing the 6 wrek Lean muscle program. Is the amount of calories a day i need right (2757) thats without adding or subtracting 500 calories. I want too build muscle!!
Thanks in advance

Roger

Posted on: Thu, 06/13/2024 - 06:37

Hi, Natan! If your BMR number was 2757, then you need to go up in order to build muscle. Start with 500 more a day, or 3257 total a day.

Karen

Posted on: Mon, 05/27/2024 - 14:37

I'm not overweight, but I want more lean body mass. I'm 61, female, 115 lbs, and 5'2". I sit at a desk most of the day except for working out for about 45 minutes to an hour, 4-5 days a week. I do weights along with 2 days of cardio for 30 min. The calculator result was 1589 calories to maintain my weight. That seems high. Should I keep with that if I'm trying to gain more lean muscle? What do you recommend for macros? I have kept to more low-carb, higher protein, and fat. Thanks

Roger

Posted on: Tue, 05/28/2024 - 09:07

Hi Karen, thanks for reading M&S!

What type of cardio are you doing? If it is anything high intensity, I would suggest changing to a more moderate steady state version.

I actually think around 1500-1600 is right on the money. You just need to focus on protein when it comes to building lean mass. Based on the 1500-1600 calorie range, I could suggest doing something like this.

150 grams (600 calories) of protein a day
100 grams (400 calories) of carbs a day. These should be sources such as rice, grains, and whole-wheat pasta. Fruit in the morning would work for energy as well.
60 grams (540 calories) of fat. Again, true sources such as natural peanut butter, other nuts, fats from fish, etc.

I think if you were able to break these up into 5 meals a day, then you could see positive results. I hope this helps you.

Amy Thompson

Posted on: Sat, 04/27/2024 - 10:09

I’ve used the calculator. I’m 40, female, 175cm, 120kg. I’m currently training 3 days a week (weights training for 1hr) and consistently on 7-10k steps a day. The blurb under the calculator result says to be mindful of the calculator overestimating my calories for those who are overweight which I am! How can I get a more accurate calorie goal? I’m after a 1-2lb a week loss but want to know both my deficit goal and a maintenance figure. Thanks in advance!

Roger

Posted on: Mon, 04/29/2024 - 17:25

Hi Amy, based on what you told me, I would say you could choose moderately active to find your numbers. You should be able to work with those to reach your goals.

Gilbert

Posted on: Wed, 04/24/2024 - 02:48

Hi! I am a 56-year-old male who stands 5 ft 8 inches and weighs 185 lbs. I am an office worker, skinny and fat, and I classify my body type as an endomorph. I am on my third day of the 4-Day Dumbbell and Body Weight Fat Loss Workout here.

When computing my calorie requirements, I want to know if I should choose "sedentary" or " moderately active" under the activity level.

Roger

Posted on: Sat, 04/27/2024 - 20:53

Hi Gilbert, I would suggest Moderately Active becasue you are putting in work with that program. So, you definitely are NOT sedentary.

Gilbert

Posted on: Sun, 04/28/2024 - 04:50

Thank you so much, Roger!

James

Posted on: Tue, 04/16/2024 - 20:04

Hello I am 64 yr old male 6ft 0
and 180lbs, skinny looking except a fat belly
I'm starting the ab workout here and
Basic weight lifting.
I think I'm consuming about 2000 calories a day
What do you recommend?
Thanks

Roger

Posted on: Wed, 04/17/2024 - 17:17

Hi James, thanks for reading M&S. I would suggest taking a day to count your calories so you know for sure. Then, fill out the calculator based on what you think your activity level is now, and then we could possibly help you figure out what to do.

Jason G

Posted on: Mon, 04/15/2024 - 13:24

Hello! I’m currently doing a 4day split (lower, upper, rest, lower, upper, rest, rest). I’m 42 yo, 6’2”, approximately 230 lbs. My strength is near what I was at 20 years ago and feel that I’m in much better shape now than in my 20’s and 30’s.

I’m ingesting roughly 2,400 cal/day (35 protein, 35 carb, 30 fat). The BMR calculator states ~3,300 cal/day for maintenance. Am I taking in too little calories? Overall I feel good and strong. I would like to cut fat it feel that an increase to my caloric intake would be detrimental. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

Roger

Posted on: Tue, 04/16/2024 - 08:24

What's good, Jason? Thanks for choosing M&S!

Actually, I think you're right on the money if you want to lose fat. As long as you make progress, don't change anything. If you do feel progress is stalling, do more cardio before you start reducing calories.

Cecilia

Posted on: Fri, 04/12/2024 - 10:52

so i currently strenght train 5 days a week, walk 5 to 7 days a week. what should i put as my actvity level?

Roger

Posted on: Sat, 04/13/2024 - 07:49

It would depend on how hard you are pushing yourself. If you don't train very hard, then go moderately active. If you do, then go very active. I hope this helps, Cecilia. Thanks for choosing M&S!

Robert

Posted on: Fri, 04/12/2024 - 05:55

Hello Roger,
I’m about to embark on the 8 week 4 day full body workout program for beginners. My weight is 63kg and I’m 173cm tall. My calorie intake should be 2018 to maintain my weight. I want to build muscle to achieve a weight of around 75kg. What would my calorie intake need to be to reach my goal?
Many thanks,
Rob

Roger

Posted on: Fri, 04/12/2024 - 08:23

Hi Robert, take the BMR calculator number and add 500 to it. That would be your number of calories per day.

I also feel that those calories should be split up so you are taking in 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fats. A lot of people think those are fat loss percentages, but if you eat more calories, you can also use them to build quality mass.

Robert

Posted on: Fri, 04/12/2024 - 11:15

Thanks for the reply. Your help is greatly appreciated.

PRAVEEN KUMAR GAUTAM

Posted on: Tue, 04/09/2024 - 14:32

Hey
I am 23 male of body weight, 93 kg, height 6ft and waist is 37inches doing calisthenics full body workout which include pushups pull-up and squats of 50 minutes 6days a week with 30 min of walking what should my calories to get 18%bodyfat and 85kg bodyweight

Roger

Posted on: Wed, 04/10/2024 - 18:14

Hi Praveen, please fill out the calculator and let me know what it says. That will help me provide the best answers possible.

Rohit

Posted on: Thu, 04/04/2024 - 13:12

Hey,
I am a 26 year old personal trainer, I weigh 189 pounds and I wanna go to 179 lean, How much calories should be my intake. I weight lift 3-5x a week.

Roger

Posted on: Fri, 04/05/2024 - 06:14

Hi Rohit, how much cardio are you doing? That would also help me answer this question better. I would suggest finding your BMR number and eating 500 calories less than that every day. A pound is 3,500 calories. So, eating 3,500 calories less a week should equal 1 pound of weight loss on its own.

Andre

Posted on: Mon, 03/18/2024 - 18:48

Hey,

Should I interpret the calorie count as net or gross against my workout calorie expenditure? For example, if my calorie requirements are 2000 and I burn 800 calories in a workout, do I stick with a 2000 calorie intake or up it to 2800?

Roger

Posted on: Tue, 03/26/2024 - 07:09

Stick to the 2,000, Andre, but that was a great question. I appreciate you reading and being a part of the conversation.

Chelsea

Posted on: Sat, 03/16/2024 - 13:41

Hello! I have been frustrated with my health recently. I have hormonal issues and am working on stabilizing those, but I haven’t reached that point yet, so it’s affecting a lot. Also wondering if I have thyroid issues. Anyway, it says I need 2.3k calories to maintain, but I eat likely 1.7k-2k a day. I’m a 21yr old female, somewhere around 140 pounds. I weight lift 3-5x a week, or did before I was diagnosed with Lyme. The scale hasn’t budged and I’ve gained weight in the past few years since starting hormonal treatment. Super frustrating!!!

Do I need to eat less? More? What can I do to help myself?

Roger

Posted on: Mon, 03/25/2024 - 20:20

Hi Chelsea, thank you for reading M&S!

It's going to be hard to figure this one out because of the hormonal issues as well as the thyroid. Have you been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, or Hashimoto's? Each would require their own approach. The medication could also be a factor.

Regardless, I don't think eating less is the answer here. You mentioned lifting, but what about cardio? Also, are you able to take supplements? If you can provide some more details (if you're comfortable doing so), I might be able to provide some help.

Victoria Bradshaw

Posted on: Fri, 05/31/2024 - 03:42

Can I suggest That u drop your calories to 1500 for a wk sometimes you need a little kickstart! Keep your protein at 1g pound per pound of bodyweight! I'm 118lbs and to kick my fat loss up this is what I did! I went from 25% bodyfat to 19.7 currently! I lift 3x a wk Monday, Wednesday and Friday and fasted walking Tuesday and Thursday, light jog Saturday and rest Sunday! X

Roger

Posted on: Fri, 05/31/2024 - 05:05

Thank you for your input, Victoria. Your insight is appreciated.

Shivani

Posted on: Fri, 03/15/2024 - 02:27

Hi, I’m a 22 year old female and I weigh 172 pounds. I workout around 2 hours a day. I do 1 hour of CrossFit 6 days a week and also the M&S fat loss workout. My daily calorie intake shows as 2800-3000. I want to loose around 35 pounds and also bring down by body fat percentage from 37% to 22%. Could you please suggest what would be the ideal number of calories to eat per day for a calorie deficit? Also what do you recommend would be an ideal macro split between protein, carbs, fat and fiber? Also, would you recommend anything else that I might have to keep in mind while on this weight loss and fat loss journey? Thank you!

Roger

Posted on: Sun, 03/24/2024 - 16:10

I would suggest going with 2,300 to start with, Shivani. I would suggest reading this guide to help you figure out the macros.

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/expert-guides/fat-loss

As for anything else, please monitor your recovery. That is a lot of work, which will take a big toll on your body. The joints, cartilage, and tendons all need to recover from that work as well as the muscles. Sleep optimally, don't skip meals, and massages occasionally would be very beneficial. Good luck, and keep us posted.

sarah fletcher

Posted on: Wed, 03/13/2024 - 07:27

Hi there, I'm a 41 year old female, I'm currently sitting at 160 Ib. A few weeks back I started to work out 5 x a week...Mon legs, Tues shoulders and chest, Wed legs, Thurs back and arms and Friday legs again. I am hitting at least 10000 steps a day and also 20 minutes steady on the bike afterwards keeping my heart rate between 120 & 160.
I used your calculator and my maintenance calories are 2227 so I have set my calorie intake at 1700, also taking in 2 ltrs of water.
I have started to take 3000mg of creatine monohydrate (tablets) and consuming a whey protein shake straight after my work out.
I have been weighing daily and I am fluctuating between 158Ib and 160Ib but not dropping any lower. Would you say this was normal?
i'm tracking absolutely everything including the milk in my morning coffee.
I am going away in 10 weeks and would like to see a difference, but i'm, afraid that with not seeing any kind of significant drop in weight i'm not making progress.
Any help would be greatly sppreciated.

Roger

Posted on: Sat, 03/23/2024 - 16:47

Hi Sarah, thank you for reading M&S and for your comments.

Are you tracking body commposition? My guess is you've built muscle and lost fat, which is why the weight may be similar. If you have, let me know what you found out.

That said, if you are dead set on dropping weight, here is what I would do in your position.

Adjust the heart rate to between 100 and 120. You don't need it going as high as 160 to lose fat. Also, up that bike session to 30 minutes.
When you get to four weeks out, drop the creatine. It's great but will also lead to you holding water. At four weeks out, you can cut this out and your body may start getting rid of that excess water.
Make sure sleep is absolutely optimal. That is crucial, especially for weight loss.
Consider taking a weight loss supplement. Not essential, but it can help.

Hope this helps. If you did that body comp test, let me know how it went.

Brooke

Posted on: Mon, 03/11/2024 - 16:05

Hi, I'm a 35 year old female and weigh 145 pounds. I lift weights 5x per week and do 25min incline walks 3-5x per week. I can't seem to get the scale to move. I've been staying around 1700-1900 calories per day. Do I need to go below 1700?

Roger

Posted on: Wed, 03/13/2024 - 09:15

Hi Brooke, try dropping to 1600 and upping the walks to 30 minutes per session. This combo may help you see some change.

Brooke

Posted on: Mon, 03/18/2024 - 09:57

Thank you! Going to try!

Samantha Amber ...

Posted on: Mon, 03/11/2024 - 06:17

Okay, I am looking to gain, and between working out to maintain a military and Drill Sergeant fit standard, I also work in a physically demanding job. I have started making sure that my protein shake has calories, but beyond that, I can not seem to eat enough. I do not even intake enough to maintain.

Roger

Posted on: Wed, 03/13/2024 - 09:14

Hi Samantha, what did the calculator say your BMR is. Go with the highest settings possible on the calculator to find your number since you have the tough job and high standard.

Roger

Posted on: Sat, 03/23/2024 - 16:52

I've never known speed of eating to be an issue. If you're looking to gain, then bump the calories up to 3,000, with emphasis on protein and whole ingredient foods. Grazing is the right approach in my opinion. It will be less impactful on your digestive system.

Good luck, and thank you for reading M&S!

Samantha Morales

Posted on: Wed, 03/13/2024 - 14:31

I am at 2436 I'm 35 5'2 and currently 115. I am not a picky eater and find my self heavy grazing all day. I have been told that my issue is I eat slow. But um I don't know.

Mercy Olowoyo

Posted on: Thu, 03/07/2024 - 02:42

Hi, I'm 22, 5'4" and 190lbs. Fat is about 33% of total weight and I recently started weight training 5x/week using the 12-week womens program. I am trying to lose weight and gain definition; BMR 2602. I usually eat less than 1800 kcal/day between 1 and 8pm and workout in the afternoons but my diet isnt great. What do you recommend as far as meals/diet and my plan so far?

Roger

Posted on: Wed, 03/13/2024 - 09:13

Overall, I see no issue with the training or even the calorie count.

This guide will help you a lot with the nutrition component.

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/expert-guides/fat-loss

The biggest takeaway is that you need to be consistent in order to make it happen. I told past clients to not look past the day in front of them and make the most out of that day.

Christine DuPilka

Posted on: Mon, 03/04/2024 - 06:44

I’m 52, 132, 5’2” and not sure if I should focus on fat loss or weight loss (if that even makes sense). I don’t necessarily care what I weigh I just want to look more toned. Perimenopause and hypothyroidism are killing me!!!

Roger

Posted on: Tue, 03/12/2024 - 19:04

Hi Christine, thank you for reading M&S. If the look is all that matters, then completely ignore the scale. Get rid of it, even. The mirror and clothes sizes are what matter to you now.

That said, focus on fat loss by eating a low calorie diet with emphasis on protein and healthy fats. Don't be afraid of carbs, but don't make them the bulk of your diet, either. This is especially true with both issues you referenced. If the medication for hypothyroidism isn't working and consistent, then nothing I say can help you. So, make sure your doctor runs your numbers to make sure your thyroid is getting the support it needs.

Ashlee

Posted on: Sun, 03/03/2024 - 13:15

Hi, I'm a 43-year-old female 5'5" 230lbs looking to lose 65lbs. My recommended caloric intake was 2726. My goal of course is to lose fat and gain muscle; however, I definitely would like advice on how to slim my thighs down as well as hormonal belly. I have been working out for the last month 3-4 days a week, my diet is not that great it's up and down. Trying to find ways to be more consistent. Any advice?

BMR Calculator: Calculate Your Basal Metabolic Rate & Calorie Requirements (2024)

BMR + Daily Calorie Calculator

2.1K Comments

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