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Instructions
This BMR 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).
1.2K Comments+ Post Comment
18 year old male. Im about 178cm tall, I weigh 62 kg and I try to do weight training 3-6 times a week. I put my details into a Body Fat Calculator and my score was 2.8%. I also put my details into the BMR and was recommended a calorie intake of 2600 cals, but I know that I eat no where near that amount. How can I effectively eat more to build muscle without putting on any fat? pls help.
It keeps saying please fill in all the fields to get a response of my BMR, but i am...i don't see what else there is to fill in. What do i do?
Hi Jeremiah,
Make sure you are only entering in numbers to the field.
I am 93.1KG and 172.5CM I carry muscle but I’m 26.5% body fat after my bulk should i eating 2300 to cut and is this workout plan good for me to follow, how long till I reach 12%
I had my BMR test completed and found it was extremely low, 804. I am a 54 year old female. I use no medications and never any health challenges. I need to lose 20 lbs but wondering how do I do this with a BMR that is low. Eat 600 calories a day, I think that is not healthy? I do not intend on taking a prescription hormone replacement (which was a recommendation). I would like to keep it natural and diet related. I just re-started working out, cardio 45 min 4 days per week and reading weights would help. Any tips for raising my metabolic rate and losing the weight around my waist to help keep my heart healthy?
Excuse me but you don't lose weight if you just do cardio
Really? Have you ever seen a marathoner obese?
I would say no, definitely do not eat only 600 a day! At least double that, start with 1200 at least and track your week. As far as spot fat reducing, don't count on it..fat loss is an overall loss, I'm not just one area...have you thought of trying HIIT cardio before?
Emily, your BMR is what your body needs to sustain with zero activity. Like you are in a coma. Your TDEE is your caloric requirements and it is a lot higher than 800
Hi,
I am 26years old male, 64Kgs & 172cms height. As per your website calculator for BMR it says I need 2236 calories per day.
But I need to muscle up as I am a lean body type with fast metabolic rate. My target weight I suppose it to be around 72-74kgs according to my height.
So should I re-calculate my BMR with my target weight instead of my current weight so as to get the intake calories to achieve the target weight?
Please guide for the same.
Awaiting your response.
Hi Avinash,
No, simply add 250-500 calories to your current bmr and utilize that to create a surplus. Recalculate your bmr every couple of weeks and repeat the same process until you've reached your goal.
Hope this helps!
Your BMR rate is essentially giving you the amount of calories you need to eat to remain at your current body weight. To gain muscle you need to be in a calorie surplus. In a calorie surplus of around 500 calories per day(granted you are eating clean) you should be gaining around a pound (lb) in weight weekly.
I am also an ectomorph (lean with high metabolic rate). I started lifting at 10 stone 7lb and 4 years later I have just hit 14 stone!
Your Basal Metabolic Rate & Daily Calorie Calculator is not working, it keep on relating to me Please fill in all fields, which I have done. example : English LBS, Weight: 226 LBS, Height: 71 inches, Age: 66 years old, Gender: Male, Activity level: Moderately active, exercise 3-5 days a week. "What up with that?"
Hi Mike,
2987 calories. Make sure you're not including "lbs" and "inches". Should be solely numbers put in the text box.
Hope this helps!
Hii i am 19 years old my weight is 53.5 which is less as compared to my heights 5.8 inches..i look so skinny with no chest and no developed muscles properly.. help me what can i do to look fit
Hello. I have been reading and researching articles for a while now. I have seen quite a few different BMR calculators through my searches. My dilemma is that they are different, and some quite dramatically. I am a 40 year old male weighing in a 231 pounds currently. I am weight lifting 3 days a week, about an hour per session, and cardio 2 day a week at 35 to 45 minutes per session. I'm in the landscaping business, so I would think I'm moderately active for the most part. The BMR calculator here states around 3300 caloric intake. I want to do my cut phase first before I bulk, so should I start at around 3000 calories? I'm averaging around 2500 calories daily now, but I'm just not losing weight. I've been fluctuating up and down a pound or two for over the past month. Any advice or insight on this matter would be appreciated.
Steve,
Try calculating your macros and avoid eating 3 hours before bed. Also you need to switch on to different foods and check how your body responds because sometimes our body doesn't allow to loose weight if we eat some kind of food. For me it is Tofu ,so even if I keep the same calorie count and add tofu in my diet, I gain weight instead of loosing so I switched over to plant based protein to complete the protein need. Hope this helps.
Try following myfitnesspal for your macros.
I am 20, female, 177cm and 133lb.
I put my activity at 'sedentary'. (I do actually do about 60 minutes of weights and 15 minutes cardio 5 times per week but, figured I'd add however many calories I burned that day onto my total i.e. 400)
The calculator suggested 2,366kcal.
However, I'm confused as I've gotten varying results from different sites e.g. 1744 and 2074.
I’m 6 Ft 1 And I Weigh 256 Lbs
This calculator shows my BMR IS 2833 SO ANYTHING BELOW THAT SHOULD BE CALORIE DEFICIT TO ME PAST 2 MONTHS I AM DOING 2500 AND NOW 2100 CAL/ DAY BUT STILL I GAINED WEIGHT (MUSCLE TOO) I WENT FROM 71.5KG TO 75.3KG BF% IS STABLE AROUND 14-15 %.. PLEASE HELP I AM CONFUSED
Hello Rishabh,
no worries! you are gaining muscle which weighs more than fat and is more dense. That is a very good BF %. You don't say how old you are, activity level. You are cutting cals so I assume you are trying to lose??? Are you a body builder and looking to get very lean? don;t be confused, you are doing very well ... cutting calories, building muscle and gaining small amount of weight (muscle) you sound pretty healthy
Hi I just bumped into this amazing site. I am in little confusion while selecting appropriate activity category to figure out my BMR/Daily calorie calculator.
I am a 60 yrs old woman. 219 lbs, 5'3" is in the process of losing weight. I've a desk job, since last 2 months I've been doing 60 min cardio during lunch and 45 min weights/misc workouts at the gym in the evening. I work out 6 days/week and wear a Polar HRM, that logs avg daily training burn in the range of 750-850 cal. Can you please guide me? Thanks.
Best bet is get my fitnesspal and track your calories, and sync it with your hrm monitor. As long as you find out your BMR put yourself in a deficit a few hundred under it for your height and activity level id say whatever fitness pal gives you at a loss of 2pounds a week so maybe around 1500 your height? But once you put into fitnesspal with current and goal weight it will set your cals. You may need to tweak it as you see fit but try a week or 2 on certain cals and check its working with measurements/photos. Don’t get stuck on scales tho do that every 3 weeks maybe!
Hi Anita
You have a excellent start toward weight loss and replacing with muscle. a little about me, I'm 65 yrs old 5'5" 191lbs, I work out (for me) mostly with weights 5 days on 2 days off (but maybe hike on sunday). What it takes is this..... Diet (caloric deficit..not too much, as you are active so that is good) activity.. keep what you are doing..if you can, get up from your desk to stretch or walk around the floor of you dept each 1/2 hr. (keep doing your 60 min cardio and gym work outs) perseverance!!! even when you don't feel like it (as long as you are physically able) remember your goal! PATIENCE !!!!! don't try to do it all at once or fast! take your time... Diet...find the foods you enjoy that are weight loss friendly... make them a staple.. we have consumed what we wanted all this time but now it is our health and longevity (grand children) at stake. My diet is straight forward and to most boring... (breakfast).. (i work out at 0500 in the morning) I make a protein / breakfast shake the night before... 8oz of egg whites (costco pasteurized cage free in the carton, 4oz of almond milk, 1/2 cup of raw oatmeal (non cooked quaker original or a brand called coaches oats) no instant! Frozen strawberries and or bananas and 2-3 scoops of a whey protein... blend VERY well so to break down the oatmeal. work with flavors etc to your taste... ((pls note .. if you have problems with the dairy use isolated protein) We cook our lunch for the week (chicken breast or salmon) plus veggies we get from the farmers market and fruit. dinner for me is most evenings is three eggs with chicken /fish and vegs. Sundays.. 2 per months are cheat days!! no over eating make your choices wisely (moderation)... sometimes after dinner we go to the mall and walk around for 30-45 mins...or to the park..make this a new way of life!! I train power lifters but I know what it takes to lose weight, keep you cholesterol numbers in check.. this is me personally .. it is not just the weight in pounds, it is your overall health that will benefit. make the deitary changes that work for you and your taste buds, but keep your goals in mind always... I know this is long but wanted to give you a good look at what it takes... good luck Anita! great start!
Hi I'm 28 years old I wait 132 lb I'm 5 6 I just start working out couple months ago I have muscles on my arms on my legs on my back and my shoulders but the problem I have a little belly and I'm trying to lose it I don't know what to do should I bulk and then cut or just cut right now I'm trying to have a shredded body I don't know how much calories should I eat can you help me please
Hi Adam,
Start here: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-do-you-know-whether-to-cu...
Hope this helps!
hi
Iam 22 age 168cm tall and 65 weight
i want to know all information about my body
for be fitness man
Hey, I’m 24 f weight 45.6kgs and 153cm tall.
I want to lose a little bit of fat (obviously not heaps) but enough so I can then tone and gain muscle.
I was wondering if 60 minutes of exercise 3-5 times a week elevated heart rate majority of the time class as moderate exercise? If so think for cutting I need around 1500 calories. That sound right? Also the days couple or few days I don’t exercise do I then lower my calorie intake for cutting or does it stay at 1500 because the other 3-5 days of exercise make up and it all works out? Hope that makes sense! Really need advice on macro stuff.
I'm 6'3, 200 lbs, 26 yr old male. I'm eating roughly 2,000 calories a day and working out an hour each day. I Just started your Chris Pratt program the beginning of the week, before that i was doing basic aerobic exercises for about 20 min daily. The BMR calculator says to eat 3,500 calories a day. That seems almost impossible. I want to bulk up, then cut. Any suggestions on how to do all this? Thank you for your time!
Hi Brigham,
2000 cals is pretty low for someone of your size and age. 200lbs is a solid weight, so I'd stick closer to the 3500 estimated here. You may need to give or take some calories depending on your goal at the time.
I'd recommend starting slow. Bump up your calorie intake ~250-300 calories at a time until you get back up to 3500.
Getting that many calories down a day certainly is challenging. But if you want to build muscle, it's going to be necessary.
The next step is figure out macros. Start here: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-calculate-perfect-macros
(Side note - we're about the same size, and I eat that amount of calories daily. It is certainly doable. Macro breakdown for me is ~170g of protein, 400-450g of carbs, 85-95g of fat just to give you some anecdote - everyone will be different.)
Best of luck! Let me know how you like that Chris Pratt program!
Hi. I´m consuming like 1800 calories. according to the calolrie calculator, I need like 2942. Now, I´ve been taking this diet for more than a year and I´m still gaining weight and I´m stronger everyday. Why? how is it happening?
Hi I am a 16 year old male 133 pounds and ive been training for 6 months, i see little progress and i thought it was because of my calories so i increased them by 250 and I just got fat in a short period of time. Please help
Are those 250 extra calories from lean protein? Make sure to eat a high protein meal (or a post workout shake) after your workout. Chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna are all good choices.
Also, what sort of "training" are you doing? Whats your routine like? Are you doing heavy enough weights?
I'm 27 M, 6'3", 165lbs. trying to bulk up to 205 over the next year or so. Recommended 2907 calories per day. Can anyone break this down for me? ie. protein intake etc.
Hi I weigh 133 IBS I would like to get down to 126 pounds what should my daily calorie intake be? I workout everyday as well as long walks
If your looking to lose weight it's important to look at your caloric intake for the day, and eating a few hundred calories less than what is needed to maintain your body weight. If your active like you say, your body will naturally lose weight with lesser calories and consistency in your workouts.
cut of like 200 calories of your daily intake in the beginning. see if if you drop like a 1pound or something over the course of 3-4 days. if not cut out a little bit more. just take baby step until you see some change on the scale
Hi, how much percent protein carbs and fat I must take during bulking?
I am 27, male,6" 0 inches 194 pounds would like to bulk up
What should my calorie intake be? Any advice?
Im 5’8 (68 inches) weighing 225lbs i was 237lbs.
My goal is to be 160lbs and tone.
What should be my calorie intake ?
I’m currently 16, weight around 195 lbs and am 5”5, and I’m currently working on trying to lose fat and gain muscle but other apps said that I need 2,300 to maintain weight and around 2,000 to lose fat while this says I need 2700 calories daily to maintain and I’m guessing around 2300-2400 calories a day to lose weight- but I just wanted to make sure how accurate this was because I have had a hard time losing fat and thought I ate too much, but could it be that my body hit a plateau when I kept eating fewer calories? So would raising my calorie intake daily help me with my fat loss problem?
Hey Marko,
The tough news is that equations are just an estimate, however they can be used to effectively give you a good baseline! From here what you want to do is take approximately 500 away from your TDEE (total daily energy expediture) and this should give you a pretty good target. Once you have done this you want to plan out your macros and work your diet around this, but make sure it’s convenient for your lifestyle too; don’t get too caught up with this, but don’t slack either. At this stage it’s best to keep a note of what you are eating ( this can be done easily and efficently on a free app called myfitnesspal) and keep track of how your weight. A nice round target is around about 1lb. When doing this please bear in mind your body will take a little time to adapt to the current diet so a week or two of tracking should do fine (just measure 3 times per week, don’t obsess over this as weight fluctuates a little all of the time), and when measuring try to do it under the same conditions every time(i.e last thing at night, or straight away in the morning).
At this point if you are losing 1lb a week roughly then just carry on as you are, and if not, readjust your calories- try knocking off an additional 250 kcals as a start point to see what happens. It’s not quite a science unfortunately, you have to play around a little and this all comes with more experience!
Take home message:
1) These provide a good estimation, but keep track of how your body is responding and adjust
2) keep protein high during weight loss (particularly if you this will help to keep FFM (fat free mass) from breaking down.
3) experiment and find what works for you! There is no one size fits all approach. My best advice is to keep reading and learning, the more knowledge and experience you gain the easier this process gets!
Hey i am 71 inches tall and i weigh roughly between 150-155. I want to gain muscle and be toned. i currently run around 2 to 3 miles a day and i take pre workout, and i drink plant based protein powder. i havent noticed any results and id love some advice. The BMR is telling to have 2727 calories per day. Truthfully i dont even know my intake. ive been looking up meal plans and such but it is difficult.
Hi Damian,
First step is to track what you're currently consuming. Then, you'll be better able to see where changes need to be made to accomplish your goals.
Hope this helps!
I’m 30 % body fat . Is this calculator accurate
Hi Kendall,
It will provide a good starting point, but it's not 100% accurate for everyone. Utilize the amount of calories it gives you as a base and track your weight while consuming that amount over time. If you gain weight or lose weight consistently, you'll know you are eating in a deficit or surplus.
Hope this helps!
I'm a 30-year-old female, weigh around 48kg and am 160cm tall (or short, depends on the viewpoint ;-) ) and I've been working out for over ten years, doing it all wrong. XD Three years ago I realised that and made some changes, got my first smartphone in 2016 (lol, I'm that backward) and the first thing I did is getting some stupid calorie tracking app - and that thing made me go on a calorie deficit for over 1,5 years.
I educated myself, decided to change everything considering my workout routine (because I seriously want to gain muscle mass - I'm lean and ''toned'' but that is not enough for my personal taste) and found this calculator here. So typed in my stats, selected moderately active (am doing workouts 5 times a week and will include cardio soon) and nearly died from a heart attack. This calculator says I need 1957 calories per day. O_O It might not be that much but for a person who's been going on 1447 calories per day for over a year, it's quite a...revelation.
Side note: I'm not anorexic nor do I have any other sort of eating disorder - I was just dumb and trusted the wrong app. XD
Any thoughts or recommendations? As I stated in the beginning, I want to gain muscle and I know it'll take some years until I get where I want to be...but I'm worried that if I switch my diet so drastically and suddenly, it'll backfire and I'll only gain stupid body fat and nothing else.
Help?
Hi Peresphone,
Yes, I likely have the same app you're talking about haha. My "maintenance level" on it is generally what I consume while on a cut. I've found this calculator to be fairly accurate for my own calorie intake and needs.
That said, you want to increase calorie intake slowly to get it back to your optimal intake level. Add in ~100 calories every 2 weeks or so, and measure to make sure you're not adding on unwanted bodyfat while doing so. It'll take some time and commitment, but it'll be worth it.
Once you've found your true maintenance level, you'll want to create a calorie surplus of about 250 calories. This might add on some small amounts of bodyfat, but it's a necessary evil when trying to build lean muscle.
Hope this helps!
Hey Josh,
thanks for your reply and advice. So far I've added only 150 calories to my daily intake and I'll wait to see what happens. Already thought that going for the drastical route wouldn't be the best option. XD
The idea of even a moderate fat gain bothers me though, I can't help it. Would it be possible to counteract that with a low-fat diet without cutting the fat out entirely (I know it's important to make one's body function properly)? Also cardio exercises such as running are said to counteract fat gain, though they also make it a bit harder to gain muscle mass - but I'd rather take the longer route to my goals.
Can that work?
Sorry for asking so many questions but I still feel like a noob in these matters. XD