Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the minimum amount of energy your body requires to keep you alive while at complete rest. This includes the calories spent on breathing, blood circulation, brain function, cell repair, and maintaining body temperature. BMR typically accounts for 60–75% of your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, making it the largest component of your daily calorie burn.
BMR is determined primarily by body size, body composition, age, and sex. Lean muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat tissue, so individuals with greater muscle mass tend to have a higher BMR. As people age, BMR naturally decreases due to muscle loss and hormonal changes, which is one reason weight management becomes more challenging over time.
Common formulas used to estimate BMR include the Harris-Benedict equation and the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, both of which use height, weight, age, and sex as inputs. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is generally considered more accurate for modern populations. However, these formulas provide estimates and do not account for individual metabolic variations, thyroid function, or adaptive thermogenesis.
Knowing your BMR helps you set a baseline for calorie intake. Eating chronically below your BMR can trigger metabolic adaptation, where your body slows its metabolic rate to conserve energy — making fat loss harder over time. Vora uses BMR as a foundation for its personalized nutrition recommendations, combining it with real-time activity data to ensure your calorie targets support your goals without compromising your metabolism.