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HEALTH & FITNESS / ENERGY NEEDS

Calorie calculator (TDEE)

Estimate how many calories you burn a day and what intake would maintain, lose or gain weight, using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.

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YOUR RESULT

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WORKED EXAMPLE

Calorie calculator (TDEE): a worked example

With sex Male, age (years) 30, height (cm) 175, weight (kg) 75, activity level Light exercise 1 to 3 days a week, the calories a day to maintain your weight is 2,336 kcal.

Inputs
SexMale
Age (years)30
Height (cm)175
Weight (kg)75
Activity levelLight exercise 1 to 3 days a week
Results
Calories a day to maintain your weight2,336 kcal
BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor)1,699 kcal
A 500 kcal daily deficit1,836 kcal
A 300 kcal daily surplus2,636 kcal
THE METHOD

How it works

The basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the energy your body uses at rest. Multiplying it by an activity factor gives total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), the intake that would roughly keep your weight steady. Real needs vary from person to person, so treat the figure as a starting point and adjust it from experience.

FormulaBMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5 for men, or − 161 for women. Daily calories = BMR × activity factor.
Important: For adults. Not a medical assessment.
ASSUMPTIONS

Assumptions and limits

  • Uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for resting energy and standard activity multipliers.
  • For adults aged 18 or over. Not suitable during pregnancy or breastfeeding, for athletes in heavy training or for medical diets.
  • The deficit and surplus figures are common rules of thumb, not personal advice.
  • Results are estimates based on the inputs and assumptions on this page, not professional advice.
  • Try this: in the example above, a 10% rise in “Height (cm)” changes the result by +6.4% and a 10% rise in “Weight (kg)” changes the result by +4.4%. Use “Save scenario A”, change one input and compare the two results side by side.
SOURCES

Official sources

QUESTIONS

Frequently asked questions

How is the result of the “Calorie calculator (TDEE)” calculated?

BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5 for men, or − 161 for women. Daily calories = BMR × activity factor. The basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the energy your body uses at rest. Multiplying it by an activity factor gives total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), the intake that would roughly keep your weight steady. Real needs vary from person to person, so treat the figure as a starting point and adjust it from experience.

What does the worked example show?

With sex Male, age (years) 30, height (cm) 175, weight (kg) 75, activity level Light exercise 1 to 3 days a week, the calories a day to maintain your weight is 2,336 kcal. BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor): 1,699 kcal; A 500 kcal daily deficit: 1,836 kcal; A 300 kcal daily surplus: 2,636 kcal.

What assumptions and limits apply?

For adults. Not a medical assessment. This is an estimate based on the inputs and assumptions shown on this page, not professional advice. Check anything with financial, health or safety consequences independently.

Is my data private?

Yes. Calculations run in your browser and your numbers are not sent to a server. A share link contains the inputs you choose to share, so check it before sending it to anyone.

Which formula does this use?

The Mifflin-St Jeor equation (1990), which is widely used to estimate resting energy needs for adults. It is multiplied by an activity factor to estimate total daily calories.

How many calories should I cut to lose weight?

A daily deficit of around 500 kcal is a commonly used rule of thumb, but needs differ. A doctor or dietitian can give advice that fits you.

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