Calorie Calculator (TDEE & BMR)
Estimate your daily calorie needs (TDEE) and resting metabolic rate (BMR) from your age, sex, height, weight and activity level.
- Resting metabolic rate (BMR)
- 1,370 kcal/day
- Mild weight loss (-10%)
- 1,696 kcal/day
- Mild weight gain (+10%)
- 2,073 kcal/day
This calculator provides estimates only. It is general information, not medical advice or a diagnosis, and doesn't account for your full personal health circumstances. Speak with a doctor or qualified health professional before making health decisions.
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How this calculator works
This calculator estimates two numbers: your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — roughly the calories your body burns at complete rest just keeping you alive — and your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), which adds your activity level on top. TDEE is the number most people actually want: it's your estimated "maintenance calories," the amount you'd need to eat to keep your weight roughly stable.
BMR is estimated with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, generally considered the most accurate of the widely-used formulas for the general population: for men, 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5; for women, the same but − 161 instead of + 5.
TDEE multiplies BMR by an activity factor, from 1.2 (sedentary) up to 1.9 (extremely active, hard exercise plus a physical job) — pick the level that best matches your typical week, not just gym days.
A sustainable weight change is usually a 10-20% calorie deficit (for loss) or surplus (for gain) relative to TDEE, rather than a drastic swing — the calculator shows a mild ±10% adjustment as a starting reference point, not a prescription.
Frequently asked questions
- What's the difference between BMR and TDEE?
- BMR is the calories your body burns at complete rest. TDEE adds your daily activity on top of BMR, giving a more realistic estimate of total calories burned in a day — and the number to use as a maintenance-calorie baseline.
- How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
- A common, sustainable approach is eating roughly 10-20% below your TDEE. Cutting too aggressively can be hard to sustain and may cost muscle mass — for anything beyond a mild adjustment, a doctor or dietitian can tailor a plan to you.
- Why does the formula use a different constant for men and women?
- The Mifflin-St Jeor equation's sex-specific constant (+5 for men, -161 for women) approximates average differences in body composition between sexes at the same height, weight and age — it's a population-level adjustment, not a precise measurement of any individual.