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How to Calculate Your Daily Calories (TDEE)

Your daily calorie need is really two numbers: the energy your body burns at rest (BMR) and the extra from moving around (activity). Together they make your TDEE — the calories that keep your weight steady. Here's exactly how it's worked out.

🍎 Open the free Calorie CalculatorYour BMR, TDEE, and targets to lose or gain weight

Step 1 — BMR (energy at rest)

BMR is what you'd burn if you rested all day. The most widely used formula is Mifflin-St Jeor:

Men: BMR = 10×weight(kg) + 6.25×height(cm) − 5×age + 5 Women: BMR = 10×weight(kg) + 6.25×height(cm) − 5×age − 161

Worked example: a 30-year-old man, 80 kg, 180 cm. BMR = 800 + 1,125 − 150 + 5 = 1,780 calories per day at rest.

Step 2 — TDEE (add your activity)

Multiply BMR by an activity factor to get your Total Daily Energy Expenditure:

Activity level	Multiplier
Sedentary (little exercise)	× 1.2
Lightly active (1–3 days/week)	× 1.375
Moderately active (3–5 days/week)	× 1.55
Very active (6–7 days/week)	× 1.725
Extra active (hard training/physical job)	× 1.9

For our example at "moderately active": 1,780 × 1.55 ≈ 2,759 calories per day to maintain weight.

Step 3 — Set a goal

Roughly 7,700 calories equals 1 kg of body fat (about 3,500 per pound). So a daily change adds up over a week:

To lose weight: eat below your TDEE — a common, sustainable deficit is about 500 calories/day (≈ 0.45 kg / 1 lb per week). Our example would aim for ≈ 2,259.
To gain weight: eat above your TDEE — a modest surplus of about 300–500 calories/day supports steady gain.

💡 Tip: the Calorie Calculator gives your BMR, TDEE, lose/gain targets, and a macro breakdown (protein, carbs, fat) in one screen — so you don't have to run the formula by hand.

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What about macros?

Once you know your calorie target, you can split it into macronutrients. A common starting split is around 30% protein, 40% carbohydrate and 30% fat — remembering that protein and carbs have 4 calories per gram and fat has 9. The calculator turns your target into grams for each so you have a concrete daily plan.

Step by step

Open the Calorie Calculator and enter your age, sex, height and weight.
Choose your activity level.
Read your BMR and TDEE.
Pick a goal — maintain, lose or gain — to see your target calories and macros.

FAQ

Why Mifflin-St Jeor and not another formula?
It's the formula most studies find most accurate for the general population. Older equations like Harris-Benedict tend to overestimate slightly.

Is TDEE exact?
No — it's a well-grounded estimate. Real needs vary with genetics, muscle mass and daily movement. Use it as a starting point and adjust based on how your weight actually changes over a few weeks.

How fast should I lose weight?
About 0.5 kg (1 lb) per week is a common, sustainable target. Very aggressive deficits are hard to maintain and can cost muscle.

Are my numbers sent anywhere?
No. The calculation runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded.

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