Calorie Calculator (TDEE & BMR)
Find your Basal Metabolic Rate, Total Daily Energy Expenditure, and a personalized daily calorie target for weight loss, maintenance, or muscle gain — with a built-in macro calculator for protein, carb, and fat grams.
Last updated July 27, 2026
How to use the calorie calculator
- 1
Select your sex, unit system, age, height, and weight.
- 2
Choose the activity level that best matches your typical week.
- 3
Pick a goal — maintain, lose, or gain weight — and optionally enable a macro breakdown.
- 4
Your BMR, TDEE, and daily calorie target update instantly.
BMR and TDEE formulas explained
Your total daily calorie burn is built in layers. First comes your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) — the energy your body needs at complete rest. Multiplying BMR by an activity factor gives your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), the calories you burn in an average day including movement and exercise. From there, a calorie deficit or surplus is applied to reach your goal.
Mifflin-St Jeor (default): Men: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5. Women: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161.
Harris-Benedict (alternative): Men: BMR = 88.362 + 13.397 × weight(kg) + 4.799 × height(cm) − 5.677 × age. Women: BMR = 447.593 + 9.247 × weight(kg) + 3.098 × height(cm) − 4.330 × age.
| Activity level | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Sedentary (little or no exercise) | 1.2 |
| Lightly active (1-3 days/week) | 1.375 |
| Moderately active (3-5 days/week) | 1.55 |
| Very active (6-7 days/week) | 1.725 |
| Extra active (hard exercise + physical job) | 1.9 |
Curious how your weight and height alone stack up first? Check your BMI and healthy weight range before setting a calorie goal. If you want a more precise starting point than BMI, our Body Fat Calculator estimates your actual body fat percentage and lean mass using the Navy method. Sleep also affects energy balance and appetite regulation — our Sleep / Bedtime Calculator can help you find a consistent sleep schedule alongside your calorie target.
Choosing the right calorie goal
A pound of body fat stores roughly 3,500 calories, so a consistent daily deficit or surplus translates directly into a weekly rate of weight change. A 500-calorie daily deficit produces about 0.5 kg (1 lb) of loss per week; a 1,000-calorie deficit roughly doubles that, but very aggressive deficits are harder to sustain and can cost muscle mass along with fat.
For most people, a mild-to-moderate deficit (250-500 calories below TDEE) or a mild surplus (250-500 calories above TDEE) for muscle gain strikes the best balance between visible progress and long-term adherence. Pairing your calorie target with a protein-forward macro split (enabled in the calculator above) helps preserve lean mass during a deficit and support muscle growth during a surplus.
Your TDEE estimate is a starting point, not a fixed number — actual metabolism shifts with weight change, sleep, stress, and activity. Track your weight trend over 2-3 weeks and adjust your calorie target up or down by 100-200 calories if progress stalls.
Don't forget hydration alongside calories. Our Water Intake Calculator → estimates your daily fluid target from weight, exercise, and climate.
Training for a race? Our Running Pace Calculator → finds your pace, time, or distance, plus predicted race times.
Eating within a fasting window? Our Intermittent Fasting Calculator → finds your eating and fasting window times, so you know when to fit this calorie target in.