Daily Calories
TDEE & Calorie Target Estimator
Metric uses kg and cm; Imperial uses lb and inches.
Leave blank to use Mifflin-St Jeor. If you know your body fat % (e.g. from one of the body-fat calculators), entering it gives a more accurate estimate for lean or muscular builds.
How This Calculator Works
This calculator estimates how many calories you burn in a day — your TDEETotal Daily Energy Expenditure: the total calories you burn in a day, including rest, digestion, and all movement. — and turns that into a daily target for your goal. It works in three steps: find your resting burn, scale it up for activity, then adjust for whether you want to lose, maintain, or gain.
Step 1: Resting Burn (BMR)
Your BMRBasal Metabolic Rate: the calories your body uses at complete rest just to keep you alive — breathing, circulation, cell repair. is the calories you'd burn lying still all day — breathing, heart activity, brain function, and cell repair. By default this uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, widely regarded as the most accurate general-population predictor:
If you enter your body fat %, the calculator switches to Katch-McArdle instead, which is based on lean mass and tends to be more accurate for lean or muscular builds:
Step 2: Activity Multiplier (TDEE)
Almost nobody lies still all day, so your BMR is multiplied by an activity factor to get your maintenance calories:
| Level | Factor |
|---|---|
| Sedentary — little or no exercise | 1.2 |
| Light — 1–3 days/week | 1.375 |
| Moderate — 3–5 days/week | 1.55 |
| Active — 6–7 days/week | 1.725 |
| Extra active — hard training + physical job | 1.9 |
Be honest here: activity level is the single biggest source of error in any calorie estimate. Most people overrate it. If in doubt, pick the lower option and adjust from real-world results.
Step 3: Your Goal
Maintenance holds your weight steady. To lose fat you eat below it; to gain you eat above it. The rule of thumb is that a 500 kcal/day change is roughly a pound of bodyweight per week — but treat that as a guideline, not a promise: the body adapts as you go, so real change usually runs slower than the arithmetic suggests. That's why the calculator offers gentler and steeper rates rather than a single number.
One safety rule is built in: fat-loss targets never drop below your resting needs (BMR, and a conventional daily minimum). If a deficit would push you under that floor, the calculator raises the target back up and tells you. Eating below your resting burn isn't a faster route to results — it's a route to losing muscle and stalling.
About the BMI Number
The calculator also shows your BMI — a simple height-to-weight ratio with the standard WHO bands (under 18.5 underweight, 18.5–24.9 normal, 25–29.9 overweight, 30+ obese). It's a quick population-level screen, but it doesn't know the difference between muscle and fat, so a very muscular person can read "overweight" while carrying little fat. Read it as rough context, not a verdict — the body-fat calculators tell you more about composition.
A Note on the Data
These equations rest on solid, published science. Mifflin-St Jeor was developed in 1990 and is the equation professional dietetics bodies recommend as the most accurate for general use; Katch-McArdle is a well-established lean-mass alternative. Even so, every BMR equation carries roughly a ±10% spread across individuals, and the activity multipliers are broad brackets rather than precise numbers. So the honest way to use this is as a well-grounded starting point: pick a target, hold it consistently for a few weeks, and let your actual results fine-tune it.
Data Sources and Verification
- BMR — Mifflin, M.D. et al. (1990) for the default equation; Katch & McArdle for the lean-mass option.
- Activity multipliers — standard TDEE activity factors (1.2–1.9).
- BMI bands — World Health Organization (WHO) classifications.
Limitations and Important Caveats
This calculator provides an estimate, not a measurement. Real needs depend on factors it can't capture:
- Activity is the wildcard — the multiplier is the biggest source of error; when unsure, choose the lower level.
- Metabolism adapts — deficits and surpluses produce slower real-world change than the 500-kcal rule predicts; adjust from results.
- Individual variation — two people with identical stats can differ by hundreds of calories a day, partly from differences in metabolism and hormonal balance.
- Not a licence to under-eat — the fat-loss floor exists for a reason; eating below your resting needs harms more than it helps.
- One tool among many — calorie targets are a starting point, not a health verdict, and shouldn't drive extreme restriction.
Disclaimer:
This calculator estimates daily calorie needs from body statistics, activity level, and goal using generalized formulas (Mifflin-St Jeor or Katch-McArdle) and standard activity multipliers. Actual energy expenditure varies with genetics, metabolism, hormonal balance, body composition, health status, and lifestyle, and these figures are estimates only. This tool is for general informational purposes and is not medical, fitness, or nutritional advice, and should not be used to justify extreme calorie restriction. Consult a qualified healthcare provider or registered dietitian before beginning a new nutrition or training program, especially if you have a pre-existing condition.