Health & Fitness · Guide
BMR vs TDEE: What Is the Difference?
Eat by your TDEE, not your BMR. Here is why — and how to work both out.
Want the answer for your own numbers? Use the free Calorie Calculator — it does every step below for you.
The short answer
- BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the energy your body burns at complete rest — breathing, circulation, keeping warm. It is your baseline.
- TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is everything you burn in a day: BMR plus movement, exercise and digesting food.
Your TDEE is always higher than your BMR. For most people it is 1.2 to 1.9 times higher.
What makes up your TDEE
| Part | What it is | Typical share |
|---|---|---|
| BMR | Energy to stay alive at rest | 60–70% |
| NEAT | Everyday movement: walking, standing, fidgeting | 15–30% (varies a lot) |
| Exercise | Planned workouts | 5–15% |
| TEF | Digesting food | about 10% |
How to calculate your TDEE
- Find your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation:
Men: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5
Women: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age − 161 - Multiply by your activity factor:
| Activity level | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Sedentary (desk job, little exercise) | 1.2 |
| Lightly active (exercise 1–3 days a week) | 1.375 |
| Moderately active (3–5 days) | 1.55 |
| Very active (6–7 days) | 1.725 |
| Extra active (hard training or physical job) | 1.9 |
Example: a 35-year-old woman, 165 cm, 70 kg
BMR = 700 + 1,031.25 − 175 − 161 = 1,395 calories.
Lightly active: 1,395 × 1.375 = 1,918. Moderately active: 1,395 × 1.55 = 2,163.
TDEE ≈ 1,920 to 2,160 calories a day
BMR and TDEE for different people
Here is how the numbers change with size, age and sex. All use Mifflin-St Jeor:
| Person | BMR | TDEE, sedentary | TDEE, moderately active |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woman, 30, 165 cm, 60 kg | 1,320 | 1,584 | 2,046 |
| Woman, 45, 160 cm, 75 kg | 1,364 | 1,637 | 2,114 |
| Man, 30, 180 cm, 80 kg | 1,780 | 2,136 | 2,759 |
| Man, 50, 175 cm, 95 kg | 1,799 | 2,158 | 2,788 |
Notice the gap between the two TDEE columns. For the 30-year-old man, being moderately active rather than sedentary is worth more than 600 calories a day. Activity moves your TDEE far more than age does.
Which BMR formula is most accurate?
There are three common equations. They give slightly different answers:
- Mifflin-St Jeor (1990). The usual default. In a major review it predicted resting metabolism within 10% of measured values for more people than the older formulas.
- Harris-Benedict (revised 1984). Tends to run a little higher. For the 35-year-old woman above it gives 1,455 calories, against 1,395 from Mifflin.
- Katch-McArdle. Uses lean body mass instead of total weight: BMR = 370 + 21.6 × lean mass (kg). It suits people who know their body fat percentage. At 70 kg and 30% body fat, lean mass is 49 kg, giving 1,428 calories.
A 60-calorie difference between formulas matters far less than getting your activity level right.
Which number should you eat by?
TDEE. It is your maintenance level — eat this much and your weight should stay steady.
- To lose weight: eat 300–500 calories below TDEE. That usually means losing about 0.25–0.5 kg (0.5–1 lb) a week.
- To gain muscle: eat about 250–500 calories above TDEE, with enough protein.
- Eating below BMR for long periods is generally not advised without medical supervision.
Most people overestimate their activity
If your weight is not moving the way the numbers say it should, you may be one level less active than you think. Track your weight and intake for two to three weeks, then adjust. Real results beat any formula.
Get both numbers at once: your BMR from the BMR calculator and your TDEE and goal calories from the calorie calculator.
Why your TDEE changes as you lose weight
A smaller body burns less energy. In the Mifflin formula, every kilogram lost lowers BMR by 10 calories. Lose 10 kg and your BMR falls by about 100 calories — and a moderately active TDEE by about 155.
That is why weight loss often slows down even when you change nothing. Recalculate your TDEE after every 4–5 kg lost, and adjust your calorie target to match.
Frequently asked questions
BMR is the calories you burn at complete rest. TDEE is your total daily burn, including movement, exercise and digestion. TDEE is usually 1.2 to 1.9 times your BMR.
Work out your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiply by an activity factor from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extra active). A BMR of 1,395 with light activity gives a TDEE of about 1,918.
For short periods it is not dangerous for most healthy adults, but it is rarely needed. Eating below BMR for long stretches makes it hard to get enough protein and nutrients, and is generally not advised without medical supervision. A 300–500 calorie cut from TDEE works for most people.
For most people, a good equation lands within about 10% of a lab measurement. That is roughly 130 to 180 calories either way for a typical adult. Use the result as a starting point, then adjust after two to three weeks of tracking your weight.
Sources and further reading
- Mifflin MD et al. (1990), American Journal of Clinical Nutrition — the original Mifflin-St Jeor resting energy equation
- Frankenfield D et al. (2005), Journal of the American Dietetic Association — review comparing resting-metabolism equations against measured values