What Is A Good BMR For Weight Loss?
Understand what BMR means for weight loss and how to use your number to set effective calorie targets.
There's No Single 'Good' BMR For Weight Loss
Your BMR itself doesn't determine whether you'll lose weight—your BMR is simply a measurement of how many calories your body burns at rest.
What matters for weight loss is eating fewer calories than you burn (calorie deficit). You create this deficit from your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), not your BMR.
Two people can have different BMRs and both lose weight successfully as long as they're each eating below their own TDEE.
For example, Person A has a BMR of 1,200 and Person B has a BMR of 1,800. Both can lose weight equally well by eating appropriate deficits relative to their own numbers.
How To Use Your BMR For Weight Loss
Step 1: Calculate your BMR using our calculator
Step 2: Calculate your TDEE by multiplying BMR by your activity factor (usually 1.2-1.55 for most people)
Step 3: Eat 300-500 calories below your TDEE to lose 0.5-1 pound per week
Step 4: Never eat significantly below your BMR for extended periods (this can slow metabolism)
Example: If your BMR is 1,500 and you're lightly active, your TDEE is about 2,060 calories. To lose weight, eat 1,560-1,760 calories per day (300-500 deficit). You're staying above your BMR while still creating a deficit.
Higher BMR = Easier Weight Loss
While there's no 'good' or 'bad' BMR for weight loss, having a higher BMR does make weight loss easier because you can eat more food while still losing weight.
Ways to increase your BMR:
Build muscle through strength training (muscle burns more calories than fat)
Stay active throughout the day (increases daily calorie burn)
Eat enough protein (supports muscle and has high thermic effect)
Get adequate sleep (supports metabolic hormones)
Manage stress (chronic stress can lower metabolism)
Even small increases in BMR (50-100 calories) add up to significant differences over weeks and months.