Calorie Calculator — Find Your Daily Calorie Needs (TDEE)
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the number of calories your body burns in a day, accounting for both your resting metabolism and your physical activity. Knowing your TDEE is the foundation of any nutrition goal — whether you want to lose fat, build muscle, or simply maintain your current weight.
This calculator uses the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, which research consistently rates as the most accurate formula for estimating Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) in general populations. Your BMR is the calories you burn at complete rest — the minimum energy your body needs for breathing, circulation, and organ function. Your TDEE multiplies that figure by an activity factor that accounts for exercise and daily movement.
To lose weight, a common starting point is eating 500 calories below your TDEE, which creates approximately a 0.5 kg (1 lb) weekly deficit. To gain weight or muscle, eating 500 calories above TDEE provides the energy surplus needed for growth. To maintain your current weight, eating at TDEE keeps intake and expenditure balanced.
These are estimates. Individual metabolism varies based on genetics, hormones, age-related muscle loss, and factors the formula cannot capture. Use the result as a starting point and adjust based on real-world results over two to four weeks.
Both metric (kg, cm) and imperial (lbs, inches) units are supported. No account or signup is required.
How to use the Calorie Calculator
- Select metric or imperial units.
- Select your biological sex.
- Enter your age, weight, and height.
- Select your activity level from the five options.
- Read your daily calorie targets for losing, maintaining, or gaining weight.