TDEE Calculator: Daily Calorie Needs
Enter your sex, age, height, weight, and activity level to get your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) — the number of calories your body burns each day. The calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor formula and lets you set a goal to see a personalised calorie target for fat loss, maintenance, or muscle gain.
Daily target calories
2,709
kcal / day
Calories by activity level
| Sedentary | 2,097 kcal |
| Light | 2,403 kcal |
| Moderate | 2,709 kcal |
| Active | 3,014 kcal |
| Very Active | 3,320 kcal |
Activity comparison
Estimates for healthy adults — not medical advice.
How it works
Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the energy your body needs at complete rest — breathing, circulation, cell repair. The Mifflin-St Jeor formula calculates it from your sex, age, height, and weight: BMR = 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age, then +5 for males or −161 for females. This formula consistently outperforms the older Harris-Benedict equation in studies comparing predicted vs. measured metabolic rate, because it was derived from a larger and more diverse population using indirect calorimetry. BMR is then multiplied by your activity factor to give TDEE.
Activity multipliers convert resting energy into total daily expenditure: sedentary (1.2), lightly active (1.375), moderately active (1.55), very active (1.725), and extremely active (1.9). These are population-level estimates. Individual variation is real — genetics, non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), sleep quality, and muscle mass all shift your actual TDEE. Expect ±10–15% accuracy for most people. The table always shows all five levels so you can see the calorie gap between a desk job and a physically demanding one.
Once TDEE is calculated, the goal adjustment is straightforward: maintain weight leaves it unchanged; a fat-loss phase subtracts 500 kcal/day (roughly 0.5 kg of fat per week); a muscle-gain phase adds 300 kcal/day (a modest surplus that limits fat gain). If the cutting target falls below 1,200 kcal — a threshold below which nutritional adequacy is difficult to maintain — the calculator floors the result and flags it. That floor is a safety signal, not a prescription: anyone reaching it should consult a registered dietitian rather than eating that little independently.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is this TDEE estimate?+
The Mifflin-St Jeor formula is a population-level model. For most healthy adults it predicts resting metabolic rate within 10% of measured values — but individual variance is real. Factors like muscle mass, hormonal status, sleep, and medication can push your actual TDEE meaningfully above or below the estimate. The most reliable approach is to use this number as a starting point, track your weight for 2–3 weeks at the suggested intake, and adjust by 100–200 kcal if the scale is not moving as expected. This calculator is not medical advice and does not account for conditions that affect metabolism (thyroid disorders, diabetes, eating-disorder history, pregnancy, etc.). If you have a medical condition or a clinical goal, work with a registered dietitian or physician.
Should I eat below my BMR?+
Eating below your BMR for an extended period is generally not recommended. BMR represents the minimum calories your body needs just to sustain organ function — heart, brain, kidneys — at rest. Chronically eating below it risks muscle loss, nutrient deficiencies, hormonal disruption, and metabolic adaptation that makes subsequent fat loss harder. Short-term very-low-calorie protocols (VLCDs) do exist in clinical settings, but they are medically supervised for a reason. For most people, the 500 kcal/day cutting deficit applied to TDEE — not BMR — is the sustainable and evidence-backed approach.
How often should I recalculate my TDEE?+
Recalculate whenever your weight changes by 3–5 kg, you significantly increase or decrease your activity level, or your results plateau for more than 3–4 weeks despite consistent intake. TDEE is not static: as you lose fat and muscle during a cut, or gain muscle during a bulk, the formula inputs change and the calorie target should follow. A common practice is to recalculate at the start of each new training phase or every 6–8 weeks.