Calorie Calculator (TDEE)

This calculator estimates how many calories your body burns at rest (BMR) and in total each day (TDEE), based on the widely-used Mifflin-St Jeor equation.

Share
Advertisement

What is the Calorie Calculator (TDEE)?

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the energy your body burns just to stay alive at complete rest — breathing, circulation, cell repair. TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) adds your daily activity on top of that, giving a realistic estimate of total calories burned in a day. TDEE is the number most people actually need for weight goals: eat below it to lose weight, around it to maintain, above it to gain.

How to Calculate

Enter your age, sex, height and weight, which the calculator plugs into the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate your BMR. Then pick the activity level that best matches your typical week — from sedentary (little to no exercise) to very active (hard daily exercise or a physical job) — which multiplies your BMR by a factor to arrive at your TDEE.

Formula

BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor):

Men: 10×weight(kg) + 6.25×height(cm) − 5×age + 5

Women: 10×weight(kg) + 6.25×height(cm) − 5×age − 161

TDEE = BMR × activity factor, where the factor ranges from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (very active).

Worked Example

A 30-year-old male, 80kg, 180cm, moderately active:

BMR = 10×80 + 6.25×180 − 5×30 + 5 = 1780 kcal

TDEE = 1780 × 1.55 ≈ 2759 kcal/day

Definitions

Sex
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation uses a different constant for men (+5) and women (−161).
BMR
Basal Metabolic Rate — calories your body burns at complete rest to maintain basic functions.
Activity Level
A multiplier (1.2 sedentary to 1.9 very active) applied to BMR to reflect daily movement and exercise.
TDEE
Total Daily Energy Expenditure — your maintenance calories. Eat below it to lose weight, above it to gain.

How to Use

  1. Select your sex.
  2. Enter your weight and height.
  3. Enter your age.
  4. Choose the activity level that best matches your typical week.
  5. Read your BMR (resting calorie burn) and TDEE (total daily calorie needs).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is BMR?
Basal Metabolic Rate is the number of calories your body needs at complete rest just to maintain basic functions like breathing and circulation.
How do I use TDEE to lose or gain weight?
Eating below your TDEE creates a calorie deficit for weight loss; eating above it creates a surplus for weight gain. A common approach is a 10-20% deficit or surplus from TDEE, sustained over time.
Why does activity level matter so much?
Activity level scales your BMR by a multiplier reflecting how much additional energy your daily movement and exercise burns u2014 the difference between sedentary and very active can be several hundred calories a day.
Is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation the most accurate?
It's widely considered more accurate than the older Harris-Benedict equation for most people, though individual metabolism can still vary u2014 use this as a starting estimate, not an exact figure.
Advertisement
Was this calculator helpful?
Embed this calculator

Copy this code to add the calculator to your own website: