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TDEE vs BMR: what's the difference?

One is what you burn lying still. The other is what you burn living your life. Only one should set your calorie target.

Written by AdnanUpdated 5 min read

BMR is the energy you burn at complete rest; TDEE is everything you burn in a day, including movement and exercise. Set your calorie target from TDEE, not BMR. The TDEE calculator shows both numbers side by side, and the maintenance calories calculator shows your TDEE at every activity level.

What is BMR?

Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the energy your body needs to stay alive at complete rest: breathing, circulating blood, keeping your temperature steady and running your organs. If you lay in bed all day without moving, you would burn roughly your BMR.

BMR depends mainly on how much lean tissue you have, which is why it rises with body size and muscle and tends to fall slowly with age. Calculators estimate it with equations such as Mifflin-St Jeor. Measuring it directly takes lab equipment.

What is TDEE?

Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is BMR plus everything else: digesting food, walking, working, exercising and fidgeting. For most people BMR is about 60–70% of TDEE, digestion is roughly 10%, and movement makes up the rest.

TDEE = BMR × activity factor

The activity factor runs from 1.2 for a sedentary person to 1.9 for someone training twice a day.

Side by side

BMRTDEE
What it coversEnergy at complete restAll energy used in a day
Includes exercise?NoYes
Typical example (80 kg man, 178 cm, 30)1,768 calories2,740 calories at moderate activity
Use it forUnderstanding your baselineSetting your calorie target

Which one should you eat?

Base your target on TDEE, not BMR. TDEE is what you actually burn, so it is your maintenance level. To lose weight, eat a little below TDEE; to gain, eat a little above.

A common mistake is to treat BMR as a diet target. For an active person that can mean a deficit of 1,000 calories or more, which is hard to keep up and makes it harder to keep muscle. Eating below your BMR is not dangerous in itself for a short period, but large deficits should be planned with a professional.

What changes them?

  • Muscle: more lean mass raises BMR, and so TDEE.
  • Weight loss: a smaller body burns less, so both numbers fall as you lose weight. Recalculate after every 4–5 kg.
  • Everyday movement: daily steps change TDEE much more than they change BMR.
  • Age: BMR tends to drift down slowly, largely because of muscle loss, which training helps limit.

See your BMR and TDEE together.

Open the TDEE calculator

Frequently asked questions

Is BMR the same as resting metabolic rate (RMR)?
They are very close. BMR is measured under stricter conditions (fully rested, fasted, at a set temperature), while RMR is measured more loosely and is usually slightly higher. Calculators use the terms almost interchangeably.
Should I eat below my BMR to lose weight?
Most people don't need to. Base your target on TDEE minus 250–500 calories. A target below BMR usually means a very large deficit for an active person, which is hard to sustain.
What percentage of TDEE is BMR?
For most people, roughly 60–70%. The rest comes from digesting food (around 10%) and all your movement and exercise.

Sources

  1. Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241–247. PubMed 2305711
  2. Frankenfield D, Roth-Yousey L, Compher C. Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate in healthy nonobese and obese adults: a systematic review. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005;105(5):775–789. PubMed 15883556