Calculate Your Resting Metabolic Rate
Your RMR is the foundation for calculating your daily calorie needs. It represents the calories burned at rest.
Mifflin-St Jeor Equation
For men: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age) + 5
For women: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age) - 161
To get your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), multiply RMR by an activity factor. Learn more: TDEE Calculator.
References
Frequently asked questions
What is RMR?
Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest — breathing, circulation, cell production, and basic bodily functions. RMR is similar to basal metabolic rate (BMR) but measured under less strict conditions. RMR accounts for about 60-75% of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).
How is RMR different from BMR?
BMR is measured under strict conditions (after 8 hours of sleep, 12-hour fast, in a thermoneutral environment). RMR is measured under less strict conditions and is typically 10-20% higher than BMR. For practical purposes, RMR and BMR are used interchangeably in most calorie calculators.
What formula is used?
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the most accurate formula for estimating RMR: For men: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age) + 5. For women: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age) - 161.
How to read the result
The number is an estimate of resting energy from Mifflin-St Jeor, the same equation as the BMR calculator. It is not a lab measurement and it is not the number of calories you should eat. Multiply it by an activity factor to get TDEE, then set food intake from that larger number. Eating the resting figure while you also walk, work, and train is a much deeper cut than a planned deficit.
Worked example, shared with the deficit page so the site stays consistent. A 35-year-old man, 90 kg, 178 cm: 10 times 90 is 900, 6.25 times 178 is 1,112.5, 5 times 35 is 175. Men: 900 + 1,112.5 − 175 + 5 = 1,842.5, about 1,843 kcal. That is the resting estimate. Light activity at 1.375 gives about 2,534 kcal for the day. The difference, about 690 kcal, is the activity the resting number leaves out. Read the full comparison on BMR vs RMR vs TDEE.
Use a lower activity factor if the week is mostly sitting. Recalculate when body weight changes, because the equation uses weight. If the goal is fat loss, move to the calorie deficit calculator and keep the usual low-calorie range from MedlinePlus in view. The MyPlate app is free to download, try every feature free, with a 3-day free trial. The calculator on this page stays free.