Free tool
BMR Calculator for Women: Calories Burned at Rest
Your basal metabolic rate: the calories your body burns at rest just to keep you alive, by three formulas, and how to use it.
Calories you burn at rest
1,347 a day
Your basal metabolic rate (Mifflin-St Jeor)
- Harris-Benedict
- 1,414
This is your floor, not your target: you also burn calories moving. Eating below it for long costs muscle. Your maintenance is higher; the TDEE calculator adds your activity.
Get a coach to adjust these with youNumbers are a starting point. A coach changes them as your body answers.
How your numbers are worked out
- 1Mifflin-St Jeor is the default: the most accurate formula for most adults today. Why
- 2Know your body fat? Katch-McArdle uses your lean mass, which is what drives your burn. Why
- 3Your BMR is a floor: eat below it for long and you lose muscle and slow down. Why
For education, not medical advice. On a GLP-1 medication, pregnant, or managing a medical condition? Set your numbers with your doctor.
Questions women ask
What is BMR?
Basal metabolic rate: the calories your body burns at complete rest, for breathing, circulation and keeping your organs running. It's usually 60 to 70% of what you burn in a day.
Does BMR go down after 40?
Mostly because of muscle loss and moving less. Strength training to keep and build muscle is the most reliable way to keep it up.
Should I eat my BMR to lose weight?
No. Your BMR is the minimum your body needs at rest. Eat from your maintenance (BMR plus activity) with a gentle deficit, and stay above your BMR.
Which BMR formula is most accurate?
For most women, Mifflin-St Jeor. If you know your body fat percentage, Katch-McArdle can be closer because it's based on lean mass.
Go deeper
Metabolism, Eating More & Reverse Dieting
Does metabolism really slow down with age?
Mostly no, according to the show. Guests on The WarriorBabe Show cite research showing metabolism stays fairly steady through midlife. What slows it is losing muscle, which happens quietly from your 30s on unless you strength train and eat enough protein. Nikkiey adds that moving less as we age plays a big part too.
Read the answer →
Metabolism, Eating More & Reverse Dieting
How can I speed up my metabolism?
Build muscle. Nikkiey calls it the number one way to speed up your metabolism, because muscle is more metabolically active than fat and burns more calories even at rest. That means consistent strength training, paired with eating enough to fuel it, rather than chasing more cardio or cutting calories further.
Read the answer →
Metabolism, Eating More & Reverse Dieting
Is my metabolism broken from years of dieting?
No. Nikkiey's view is that your metabolism isn't broken, it's down-regulated. After years of eating too little, your body adapts to survive on less: it burns fewer calories at rest, moves less, raises hunger and holds on to fat. What adapted can readapt once you change the environment it's responding to.
Read the answer →