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BMR vs TDEE: what’s the difference?
BMR (basal metabolic rate) is what your body burns at complete rest, just staying alive. TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is everything you burn in a day: BMR plus daily life, steps, exercise and digesting food. TDEE is the same as your maintenance calories. For a 40-year-old woman of 70 kg (154 lb) and 165 cm, BMR is about 1,370 and TDEE at 8,000 steps a day about 1,890: 1.38 times her BMR.
BMR and TDEE side by side
| Person | BMR | 3,000 steps | 8,000 steps | 12,000 steps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woman, 60 kg 132 lb | 1,270 | 1,620 | 1,730 | 1,830 |
| Woman, 80 kg 176 lb | 1,470 | 1,890 | 2,040 | 2,160 |
| Man, 75 kg 165 lb | 1,670 | 2,130 | 2,280 | 2,410 |
| Man, 95 kg 209 lb | 1,870 | 2,400 | 2,590 | 2,750 |
What's in each number
| Part | Calories | In BMR? | In TDEE? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resting burn | 1,770 | Yes | Yes |
| Daily life | 180 | No | Yes |
| Steps | 250 | No | Yes |
| Digestion | 240 | No | Yes |
| Total | 2,440 | 1,770 | 2,440 |
Is TDEE the same as maintenance calories?
Yes. Your TDEE is the number of calories that keeps your weight stable, which is exactly what "maintenance calories" means. Eat below it to lose weight, above it to gain. Get yours from the maintenance calorie calculator.
BMR vs RMR
RMR (resting metabolic rate) is measured under slightly looser conditions than BMR, so it usually comes out a little higher. In everyday use, and in calculators, the two are treated as the same thing.
How to get from BMR to TDEE
The classic way multiplies BMR by an activity factor from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extra active): see the TDEE formula and what each activity level means in steps. Deficitly adds up the parts instead: BMR, 10% for daily life, your steps, your workouts and about 10% for digestion. That's what the BMR table by age and the full calculator use.
Which one should you use to lose weight?
TDEE. Your deficit is measured from what you actually burn, not from your BMR. Eating at your BMR is already a sizeable deficit for most people, because TDEE is usually 1.25–1.7 times BMR. The popular advice "never eat below your BMR" isn't precise; Deficitly uses fixed minimums instead (1,200 calories for women, 1,500 for men). See how many calories to eat to lose weight.