Calorie Calculator: TDEE and Daily Calorie Needs
Our calorie calculator estimates how many calories you burn in a day and how many to eat to lose, keep or gain weight. It also works as a TDEE calculator, using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and your activity level. Enter your age, sex, height and weight to see your numbers at once.
What Your Daily Calorie Number Means
Your body burns energy all day, even while you sleep. The total for one day is called your total daily energy expenditure, or TDEE. It has three parts: the energy you use at rest, the energy you spend moving and the energy you use to digest food. Eat about your TDEE and your weight stays roughly the same.
Every result here is an estimate, not a lab measurement. Two people with the same age, height and weight can burn a few hundred calories apart. Treat the number as a starting point and adjust it after two or three weeks of real results.
How Many Calories Do You Need Per Day?
The US Dietary Guidelines put most adult women between about 1,600 and 2,400 kcal a day. Most adult men land between about 2,000 and 3,000 kcal. The low end fits smaller, older and less active people, while the high end fits young and very active ones.
Those ranges are wide on purpose, which is why a calorie calculator helps. It narrows the range down to your own age, size and routine. A TDEE calculator turns a broad guideline into one number you can plan meals around.
How the Calorie Calculator Works
The calorie calculator works in two steps. First it finds your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation from 1990. For men it is 10 times weight in kg plus 6.25 times height in cm minus 5 times age, plus 5. For women the last step is minus 161 instead of plus 5.
Next it multiplies BMR by an activity factor between 1.2 and 1.9. A man aged 30 who weighs 70 kg and stands 175 cm tall has a BMR of 1,649 kcal. With moderate exercise his TDEE comes to 2,556 kcal a day. The TDEE calculator shows both numbers side by side.
Research reviews found Mifflin-St Jeor the most reliable of the common equations for most healthy adults. It still misses by 10 percent or more for some people. If you only want the resting figure, our metabolic rate calculator shows BMR on its own.
Choosing Your Activity Level
- Sedentary (1.2): desk work and little or no exercise
- Light (1.375): exercise 1 to 3 days a week
- Moderate (1.55): exercise 3 to 5 days a week
- Very active (1.725): hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week
- Extra active (1.9): a physical job plus daily training
Most people pick a level one step too high. An office worker who lifts weights three times a week usually fits Light, not Moderate. If you are unsure, choose the lower level and watch your weight for a few weeks. The calorie calculator can only be as accurate as the level you give it.
Using the TDEE Calculator to Lose Weight
Weight loss needs a calorie deficit, which means eating less than your TDEE. A common rule of thumb says 1 pound of fat holds about 3,500 kcal and 1 kg holds about 7,700 kcal. So a daily deficit of 500 kcal points to roughly 1 pound a week. Real loss is often slower, because the body adapts as you get lighter.
The TDEE calculator shows three loss targets next to your maintenance figure. In metric mode they aim for 0.25, 0.5 and 1 kg a week. In US mode they aim for 0.5, 1 and 2 pounds a week. That turns the tool into a simple calorie deficit calculator with no extra math.
Some targets fall too low to be safe. Many health bodies cite about 1,200 kcal a day for women and 1,500 kcal for men as the usual minimum without medical supervision. The tool marks any loss target under that line with a star and a warning. A calorie deficit calculator should never push you below it without a doctor.
A Worked Example
Take a woman aged 30 who weighs 60 kg, stands 165 cm tall and exercises lightly. Her BMR is 1,320 kcal and her TDEE is 1,815 kcal. Aiming for 0.5 kg a week gives 1,265 kcal, which stays above the floor. The fast option drops to 715 kcal and gets flagged, so the milder plan is the safer choice.
A US Units Example
Now take a man aged 35 who weighs 180 pounds, stands 5 feet 10 inches and exercises moderately. The TDEE calculator gives a BMR of 1,758 kcal and a TDEE of 2,724 kcal. His calories to lose weight come to 2,224 kcal for 1 pound a week or 1,724 kcal for 2 pounds. Both stay above the 1,500 kcal floor for men.
These calories to lose weight work best with plenty of protein and regular strength training. Both help you keep muscle while the fat comes off. Recalculate after every 5 kg or 10 pounds, since a lighter body burns less. The TDEE calculator updates the moment you change your weight.
Maintenance Calories
Maintenance calories are simply your TDEE, the intake that keeps your weight steady. Our tool doubles as a maintenance calories calculator, and the large number at the top of the TDEE calculator results is that figure. People use it after a diet to stop losing without gaining the weight back.
You can check the estimate against real life. Eat close to the number for two to three weeks and weigh yourself at the same time each morning. If the weekly average holds steady, the TDEE calculator was right for you. If it drifts, move your intake up or down by about 100 to 200 kcal and test again.
Calories to Gain Weight
Gaining weight needs a small surplus above maintenance. The results show calories to gain weight at 0.25 or 0.5 kg a week, or 0.5 or 1 pound in US mode. A slow gain lets more of the new weight come from muscle rather than fat.
Pair the surplus with strength training and enough protein. Our macro calculator splits your calorie target into protein, carbs and fat. Hard gainers with fast metabolisms often need the higher surplus to see the scale move at all.
TDEE by Activity Level
The table shows how much activity changes the answer for the same man aged 30, 70 kg and 175 cm. His BMR stays at 1,649 kcal in every row. The gap between the lowest and highest level is more than 1,100 kcal a day.
| Activity level | Factor | TDEE |
| Sedentary | 1.2 | 1,979 kcal |
| Light | 1.375 | 2,267 kcal |
| Moderate | 1.55 | 2,556 kcal |
| Very active | 1.725 | 2,844 kcal |
| Extra active | 1.9 | 3,133 kcal |
Why Your TDEE Changes Over Time
Your TDEE is not fixed for life. The formula takes off 5 kcal of BMR for every year of age, so ten birthdays cost the man in our example about 78 kcal a day at moderate activity. Losing weight lowers it as well, and dropping from 70 to 65 kg trims about the same 78 kcal.
That is why a plan that worked at the start can stall later. Run the calorie calculator again whenever your weight, job or training changes. Used this way, it acts as a maintenance calories calculator that moves with you instead of a number you set once.
Exercise and Your Calorie Target
The activity factor already covers your usual workouts. Adding calories from a fitness watch on top counts the same exercise twice. That double count is one of the most common reasons a diet stalls.
For an unusual extra session, our calorie burner calculator estimates the cost from MET values. Add part of that figure back only on the days it happens. On normal days, stick with the target from the calorie calculator and the TDEE calculator.
What the Formula Cannot See
The equation knows your size but not your body makeup. A muscular person burns more at rest than the formula expects, while someone with little muscle may burn less. Thyroid problems, some medicines and hormone changes can shift the number too.
Daily movement outside the gym matters more than most people think. Walking, standing and fidgeting can swing TDEE by several hundred calories between two people with the same workout plan. A calorie calculator cannot count those steps, so your own results remain the final test.
The tool is not built for pregnancy, breastfeeding, children or athletes in heavy training. Those groups have different needs and should get advice from a doctor or dietitian. For everyone else the calorie calculator gives a sound first estimate.
Tips for Using Your Numbers
- Track what you eat for at least two weeks before you judge the result.
- Compare weekly averages, not single weigh ins, since water shifts daily weight.
- Keep protein high and lift weights during any calorie deficit.
- Recalculate after every 5 kg or 10 pounds of change.
- Sleep seven to nine hours, because poor sleep raises hunger.
A calorie intake calculator gives you the target, and these habits make it work. Small daily gaps between the plan and your plate add up over a month. Consistency beats a perfect number from any TDEE calculator.
Why Use Our Calorie Calculator
Our calorie calculator gives maintenance, loss and gain targets on one screen in metric or US units. It works as a calorie intake calculator, a weight loss calculator and a TDEE calculator at once. Everything runs in your browser, so your details stay on your device. Find your daily calories now.
Frequently asked questions
Is this calorie calculator free?
Yes, it is free with no sign up and no limit.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is what you burn at complete rest, while TDEE adds activity and digestion.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
It is usually within about 10 percent for healthy adults, so test it against your weight.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
Most people start about 500 kcal below their TDEE.
Can I use it as a weight loss calculator?
Yes, it shows daily targets for three rates of loss.
Which formula does the calorie calculator use?
It uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation with a standard activity factor.
Does the TDEE calculator work in pounds?
Yes, switch the units to US to enter pounds, feet and inches.
What is a metabolic rate calculator?
It estimates BMR, the calories you burn at complete rest.
Is it safe for teenagers or pregnant women?
No, those groups should ask a doctor for their calorie needs.
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