Calorie Calculator (TDEE)
Calculate BMR and TDEE in metric or imperial.
Find daily calories for weight loss, maintenance, or muscle gain — with macro breakdown estimate.
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total calories your body burns in a day, including everything from breathing to walking to thinking. It’s the master number all calorie-based goals build on: eat below it to lose weight, above it to gain.
BMR stands for Basal Metabolic Rate — what you’d burn lying motionless in bed all day. BMR is roughly 60-75% of TDEE for most people; the rest comes from movement and the small amount of energy spent digesting food.
How It’s Calculated
Step 1 — BMR using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (the most validated formula for adults):
Men: BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) + 5 Women: BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) − 161
Step 2 — Multiply BMR by your activity factor (also called PAL, Physical Activity Level):
| Activity Level | Multiplier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.20 | Desk job, little or no exercise |
| Lightly Active | 1.375 | Light exercise 1 to 3 days/week |
| Moderately Active | 1.55 | Moderate exercise 3 to 5 days/week |
| Very Active | 1.725 | Hard exercise 6 to 7 days/week |
| Extra Active | 1.90 | Hard daily training plus a physical job |
Most people overestimate their activity level. If your job is mostly sitting and you go to the gym twice a week, you’re “Lightly Active,” not “Moderate.”
Step 3 — Adjust for your goal:
- Weight loss: TDEE − 300 to 500 kcal/day → about 0.3 to 0.5 kg (0.7 to 1.1 lb) per week
- Aggressive cut: TDEE − 500 to 750 kcal/day → about 0.5 to 0.75 kg (1.1 to 1.65 lb) per week — harder to sustain
- Maintenance: TDEE exactly
- Lean bulk: TDEE + 200 to 300 kcal/day — minimizes fat gain while building muscle
- Mass bulk: TDEE + 300 to 500 kcal/day — faster gain, more fat included
Calorie Values You Need to Know
- Protein: 4 kcal per gram
- Carbohydrates: 4 kcal per gram
- Fat: 9 kcal per gram
- Alcohol: 7 kcal per gram (no nutritional value)
One pound of body fat ≈ 3,500 kcal. This is the classic estimate. The real number ranges 3,200 to 3,700 kcal depending on tissue composition, but 3,500 is close enough for planning.
Worked Example
Female, 68 kg (150 lb), 165 cm (5'5"), 32 years old, moderately active. Goal: lose weight.
- BMR = (10 × 68) + (6.25 × 165) − (5 × 32) − 161 = 1,390 kcal
- TDEE = 1,390 × 1.55 = 2,155 kcal/day
- Weight loss target (TDEE − 400): 1,755 kcal/day
- Expected loss rate: 400 × 7 ÷ 3,500 = about 0.8 lb (0.36 kg) per week
Honest Caveats
This calculator gives you a planning estimate, not a precise truth. Real calorie burn varies by 10-15% from formula predictions due to genetics, body composition, sleep, stress, and how much you fidget (NEAT — Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). Treat the number as a starting point. If you’re losing or gaining faster or slower than expected after 2 to 3 weeks, adjust by 100 to 200 calories.
Going below 1,200 kcal/day (women) or 1,500 (men) for sustained periods risks muscle loss, hormonal disruption, and metabolic adaptation. Slow and steady wins.