Calorie Calculator (TDEE)
Find your daily calorie needs from your BMR and activity level, with targets for losing, maintaining, or gaining weight.
Calorie Calculator
Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week
Daily calorie target
2,760
BMR (at rest)
1,780 cal
TDEE (maintenance)
2,760 cal
Activity burn
979 cal
From movement & exercise
Goal adjustment
None
Suggested macros
A balanced 30 / 40 / 30 split by calories at 2,760 cal.
- Protein207 g36%
- Carbohydrate276 g48%
- Fat92 g16%
Calories for every goal
A pound of fat stores roughly 3,500 calories, so a 500-calorie daily gap moves about a pound a week.
| Goal | Daily calories | Vs maintenance |
|---|---|---|
| Lose 1 lb per week | 2,260 | -500 |
| Lose 0.5 lb per week | 2,510 | -250 |
| Maintain weight | 2,760 | - |
| Gain 0.5 lb per week | 3,010 | +250 |
| Gain 1 lb per week | 3,260 | +500 |
How the calorie calculation works
Your daily calorie need is built in two steps. First you work out what your body burns at complete rest, then you scale it up for everything you do.
The resting figure is your basal metabolic rate (BMR) — the energy needed to run your heart, lungs, brain, and cell repair if you never got out of bed. The equation used here is Mifflin-St Jeor, which research has repeatedly found more accurate than the older Harris-Benedict formula:
Men: BMR = (10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) − (5 × age) + 5 Women: BMR = (10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) − (5 × age) − 161
The second step multiplies BMR by an activity factor to give total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) — the calories you actually burn in a day:
- Sedentary (desk job, no exercise): × 1.2
- Lightly active (1-3 sessions a week): × 1.375
- Moderately active (3-5 sessions): × 1.55
- Very active (6-7 sessions): × 1.725
- Extremely active (physical job or twice-daily training): × 1.9
Work through an example. A 30-year-old man, 80 kg, 180 cm, training four times a week:
BMR = (10 × 80) + (6.25 × 180) − (5 × 30) + 5 = 800 + 1125 − 150 + 5 = 1,780 calories. TDEE = 1,780 × 1.55 = 2,759 calories a day to maintain his weight.
To lose weight he eats below that. A pound of body fat stores roughly 3,500 calories, so a 500-calorie daily deficit predicts about a pound a week — around 2,259 calories here.
Three caveats that matter more than the decimal places:
- These are estimates with real error bars. Mifflin-St Jeor lands within 10% of measured BMR for most people, which is ±275 calories on the example above. Use the number as a starting point, then adjust based on two or three weeks of actual weight data.
- People overestimate activity and underestimate intake. If the scale is not moving as predicted, the activity multiplier is the usual culprit. Deliberate exercise is smaller than it feels; daily movement is larger.
- Very low intakes are counterproductive. Sustained heavy deficits cost muscle alongside fat and are hard to maintain. This calculator will not recommend below 1,500 calories for men or 1,200 for women, and even those floors warrant medical supervision.
Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates for general information only and is not medical advice. It cannot account for your medical history, body composition, or individual needs. Talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before making changes to your diet or exercise.
Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
Total daily energy expenditure - the total calories your body burns in a day, including your resting metabolism, digestion, daily movement, and exercise. Eating at your TDEE maintains your weight; eating below it produces weight loss.
Which BMR formula is most accurate?
Mifflin-St Jeor, used here, is generally regarded as the most accurate for the general population and typically lands within 10% of measured resting metabolism. Katch-McArdle can be more accurate if you know your body fat percentage, because it works from lean mass instead of total weight.
How many calories should I cut to lose weight?
A deficit of 500 calories a day corresponds to roughly one pound a week, since a pound of fat stores about 3,500 calories. Deficits beyond 750 to 1,000 calories a day become difficult to sustain and increase muscle loss alongside fat loss.
Why am I not losing weight at my calculated deficit?
Most often the activity multiplier is too high or intake is being underestimated - both are extremely common. Weight also fluctuates by several pounds with water, sodium, and digestion, so judge progress over two to three weeks rather than day to day.
What macro split should I use?
The 30% protein, 40% carbohydrate, 30% fat split shown here is a reasonable general-purpose starting point. Protein around 0.7 to 1 gram per pound of body weight helps preserve muscle in a deficit. Total calories drive weight change; macros mostly affect body composition and how full you feel.
Does metabolism slow down when dieting?
Somewhat. As you lose weight there is less body to maintain, so TDEE falls, and prolonged deficits can produce a further modest reduction. Recalculating every 10 to 15 pounds keeps the target realistic rather than drifting out of date.