Calorie (TDEE)

Daily calorie needs (Mifflin-St Jeor)

The TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) Calculator is a clean nutrition tool designed to estimate the number of calories you burn daily. By analyzing your gender, age, weight, height, and activity level, it calculates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and projects your daily energy maintenance needs, supporting your fitness and dietary goals.

Understanding your daily calorie needs is essential for weight management. Whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, or maintain your current weight, your daily calorie intake must align with your energy expenditure. This calculator estimates your calorie burn, giving you a clear starting point for planning your meals.

All calculations run locally in your web browser. Your private health details are never transmitted over the internet, protecting your privacy. It is a secure, fast, and completely free tool built to support your health and fitness journey.

What this TDEE calculator computes

This calculator estimates your daily energy needs across different activity levels. The primary result is your maintenance calorie target, representing the number of calories you need to consume daily to maintain your current weight based on your selected activity level.

The results display your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which represents the energy your body expends at rest to maintain vital functions. It also provides calorie targets for different goals: weight loss (a standard 500-calorie deficit) and weight gain (a 500-calorie surplus), helping you plan your nutrition.

The Mifflin-St Jeor equation

The calculator estimates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which is widely considered the most accurate standard formula for BMR:

Men: BMR = 10 × Weight (kg) + 6.25 × Height (cm) − 5 × Age (years) + 5
Women: BMR = 10 × Weight (kg) + 6.25 × Height (cm) − 5 × Age (years) − 161

Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is then calculated by multiplying your BMR by an activity multiplier representing your physical lifestyle (ranging from 1.2 for sedentary to 1.9 for extremely active), providing a custom estimate.

Worked example of calorie planning

Let us look at an example: a 32-year-old male who weighs 80 kg, stands 180 cm tall, and has a moderately active lifestyle (exercise 3-5 days per week). Here is how their calorie targets are estimated:

BMR Calculation: (10 × 80) + (6.25 × 180) − (5 × 32) + 5 = 800 + 1,125 − 160 + 5 = 1,770 kcal.
TDEE Multiplier: Moderately active multiplier is 1.55.
Total Daily Calories (TDEE): 1,770 × 1.55 ≈ 2,743 kcal.
Calorie Targets:
- Weight Maintenance: 2,743 kcal/day.
- Weight Loss (-500 kcal): 2,243 kcal/day.
- Weight Gain (+500 kcal): 3,243 kcal/day.

This earner needs about 2,743 calories to maintain their weight, while consuming 2,243 calories per day will support a sustainable weight loss of about one pound per week.

When to use this TDEE calculator

Use this calculator when starting a new diet or fitness plan to establish a baseline for your daily calorie intake. It is an excellent resource for anyone planning weight loss, muscle building, or athletic endurance training. By adjusting your activity level, you can see how changing your exercise frequency affects your daily calorie needs.

You can also use the calculator to adjust your targets over time. As your body weight changes, your metabolic rate and energy needs will shift, so recalculating your TDEE every 5 to 10 pounds is recommended to prevent progress plateaus.

Important metabolic factors to consider

This calculator provides a mathematical estimate based on population averages. In reality, actual metabolic rates vary due to body composition, genetics, hormone levels, and medical conditions. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation assumes average muscle mass; individuals with high muscle mass will burn more calories at rest, while those with higher body fat may burn fewer calories than estimated.

Additionally, human activity is difficult to categorize. A "moderately active" label represents a range of effort, and fitness trackers often overestimate calories burned during exercise. Always treat these targets as estimates, track your weight changes, and adjust your intake based on real-world progress.

Frequently asked questions

Which activity multiplier should I choose?

Be honest — most people overestimate. "Moderately active" means structured exercise 3–5 times per week, not just being on your feet. If unsure, pick lower and adjust after seeing real-world weight change.

How much of a deficit for weight loss?

A common starting point is 500 kcal/day below TDEE for roughly 1 pound per week of loss. Larger deficits can work short-term but are harder to sustain and may reduce muscle.

Why two formulas (Mifflin-St Jeor and Harris-Benedict)?

Both predict BMR. Mifflin-St Jeor was developed later (1990) on a larger sample and is generally considered more accurate for modern populations.

How many calories should I cut to lose weight safely?

A deficit of 500 calories per day is standard for safe, sustainable weight loss, supporting a loss of about one pound per week. Avoid cutting calories below your estimated BMR without medical supervision.

What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?

BMR is the energy your body burns to perform basic survival functions (breathing, circulation) at complete rest. TDEE includes both your BMR and the energy burned through daily movement, digestion, and exercise.