Calculate BMR and total daily energy
By Thomas Freimoser · Updated: October 26, 2026
Enter height, weight, age and sex – you instantly see how many calories your body burns at rest.
Short answer
Your basal metabolic rate is the energy your body needs at complete rest for heart, breathing, brain and body heat. By the Harris-Benedict formula it is about 1,394 kcal a day for a 30-year-old woman, 165 cm, 60 kg, and about 1,865 kcal for a 30-year-old man, 180 cm, 80 kg.
How many calories do you burn in a day?
With an office job and little exercise (PAL 1.45) a 30-year-old woman, 165 cm, 60 kg, burns about 2,021 kcal a day, a 30-year-old man, 180 cm, 80 kg, about 2,704 kcal. Standing and walking a lot (PAL 1.85) takes it to about 2,579 and 3,449 kcal.
| PAL | Everyday life | Woman, 30 y, 165 cm, 60 kg | Man, 30 y, 180 cm, 80 kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 | only sitting or lying | 1,673 | 2,237 |
| 1.45 | office job, little exercise in free time | 2,021 | 2,704 |
| 1.65 | seated, sometimes walking or standing | 2,300 | 3,076 |
| 1.85 | mostly walking or standing | 2,579 | 3,449 |
| 2.2 | heavy physical work or lots of sport | 3,066 | 4,102 |
PAL values after the reference values of the German Nutrition Society (DGE), midpoint of each range.
The Harris-Benedict formula
Weight in kg, height in cm, age in years. Result: kcal per day.
- Women
- 655.0955 + 9.5634 × kg + 1.8496 × cm − 4.6756 × age
- Men
- 66.473 + 13.7516 × kg + 5.0033 × cm − 6.755 × age
Example man, 30 years, 180 cm, 80 kg: 66.47 + 13.75 × 80 + 5.00 × 180 − 6.76 × 30 = about 1,865 kcal.
For “diverse” our calculator uses the mean of both formulas. The formula dates from 1918 and estimates – for very muscular or very overweight people the real value often differs by 10 % or more.
Values by age
| Age | Women165 cm · 60 kg | Women165 cm · 75 kg | Men180 cm · 80 kg | Men180 cm · 95 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1,417 | 1,561 | 1,898 | 2,105 |
| 35 | 1,370 | 1,514 | 1,831 | 2,037 |
| 45 | 1,324 | 1,467 | 1,763 | 1,969 |
| 55 | 1,277 | 1,420 | 1,696 | 1,902 |
| 65 | 1,230 | 1,374 | 1,628 | 1,834 |
kcal per day by Harris-Benedict, rounded. Per decade of life BMR drops by about 45 kcal (women) to 70 kcal (men) at the same weight.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between BMR and total daily energy?
- BMR is what you burn at complete rest. Total daily energy adds what you burn in everyday life and sport. Fitness watches show total daily energy as the day's value.
- How many calories do you burn while sleeping?
- Roughly your BMR per hour: about 58 kcal for a 30-year-old woman weighing 60 kg, so about 465 kcal in eight hours.
- Why does BMR drop with age?
- Mainly because muscle mass declines over the years. The formula reflects this through age: at the same weight a 65-year-old woman is about 190 kcal below a 25-year-old.
- How accurate is the calculation?
- For many adults the formula is within about 10 % of the measured value, for some it is clearly off. More precise results need a measurement of the breathing gases (indirect calorimetry).
And then?
The calorie calculator uses your BMR too: it shows how many calories every sport burns per hour for you.
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