Calorie Calculator (TDEE)
Find out exactly how many calories you need each day based on your stats and activity level using the Mifflin-St Jeor formula.
How This Calorie Calculator Works
This calculator estimates your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) — the number of calories you burn in a typical 24-hour period, including exercise and daily movement. It first calculates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiplies it by an activity factor that reflects how active you are.
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation was found to be the most accurate predictive formula in a 2005 review by the American Dietetic Association, outperforming the older Harris-Benedict equation in most populations:
- Men: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) + 5
- Women: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) − 161
Activity Multipliers Explained
Your BMR only covers what your body burns at complete rest. The activity multiplier accounts for everything else — your job, training, and daily movement. Picking the right one is the single biggest source of error, so be honest:
| Activity Level | Multiplier | Typical Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Desk job, little or no exercise |
| Lightly active | 1.375 | Light exercise 1–3 days/week |
| Moderately active | 1.55 | Moderate exercise 3–5 days/week |
| Very active | 1.725 | Hard exercise 6–7 days/week |
| Extra active | 1.9 | Physical job plus hard daily training |
Worked Example
A 30-year-old man, 75 kg, 175 cm, training 3–5 days a week:
- BMR = (10 × 75) + (6.25 × 175) − (5 × 30) + 5 = 1,699 kcal
- TDEE = 1,699 × 1.55 = ≈ 2,633 kcal/day
To lose roughly 0.5 kg per week he would eat about 550 kcal below that (≈ 2,080 kcal). To gain muscle slowly, he would eat about 250–350 kcal above it.
Choosing a Calorie Target
| Goal | Daily Calories | Expected Change |
|---|---|---|
| Aggressive fat loss | TDEE − 1,000 | ≈ −1 kg/week |
| Moderate fat loss | TDEE − 550 | ≈ −0.5 kg/week |
| Maintain weight | TDEE | 0 |
| Lean muscle gain | TDEE + 250–350 | ≈ +0.25 kg/week |
Avoid cutting more than 1,000 kcal below TDEE without medical supervision — very aggressive deficits make it hard to get enough protein and micronutrients, and increase muscle loss. Pair your target with our macros calculator to turn calories into a practical meal plan, and read our calorie deficit guide for how to adjust over time.
Why Your Real-World Number May Differ
Any formula-based TDEE is a starting estimate, typically accurate to within about ±10%. Genetics, muscle mass, hormone status (especially thyroid), and how much you fidget all shift the true number. The practical fix: eat at your calculated target for 2–3 weeks, track your weight trend, and adjust by 100–200 kcal if you're not moving toward your goal at the expected rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I eat back the calories I burn from exercise?
No — if you selected an activity level that already includes your training, your exercise is built into the TDEE. Eating back exercise calories on top of that double-counts them and is one of the most common reasons fat loss stalls.
Why am I not losing weight at my calculated deficit?
Formulas estimate, they don't measure. If your weight trend is flat after 2–3 weeks of consistent tracking, your true TDEE is lower than estimated — reduce your intake by 100–200 kcal and reassess. Also check for untracked calories from oils, sauces and drinks, which commonly add 200–400 kcal per day.
How is TDEE different from BMR?
BMR is the energy your body needs at complete rest just to stay alive — breathing, circulation, cell repair. TDEE is BMR plus all activity: walking, training, digestion, even fidgeting. Calorie targets should always be based on TDEE, not BMR.
How often should I recalculate my calories?
Recalculate whenever your body weight changes by more than 3–5 kg, or every 4–6 weeks during an active cut or bulk. As you lose weight your TDEE drops, so a fixed intake produces a gradually smaller deficit.