Calculators
Calorie Needs (TDEE)
Estimate your total daily energy expenditure, the calories you burn in a day including activity, from your BMR and activity level.
About the Calorie Needs (TDEE)
The Calorie Needs calculator estimates your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), the calories you use in a full day, including rest, everyday movement and exercise. Enter your details, pick how active you are in a typical week, and see your maintenance calories, gentle goal ranges and where the calories go.
What you can do with the Calorie Needs (TDEE)
- Maintenance calories: Calories you burn in a full day.
- Activity picker: Choose how active your typical week is.
- Gentle goals: Ranges for slow weight loss or gain.
- Where calories go: Rest, daily movement and exercise, broken down.
How TDEE is estimated
First your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is worked out with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation. It's then multiplied by an activity factor: about 1.2 if you rarely exercise, up to 1.9 for a physical job combined with hard training.
Choosing your activity level honestly
People commonly overestimate how active they are. If you have a desk job and exercise a few times a week, "Light" or "Moderate" is usually more accurate than "Very active". When in doubt, pick the lower level.
Using the number
TDEE is roughly the intake at which your weight would stay stable. It's a population-based estimate, so watching how your weight actually changes over a few weeks is a better guide. Small changes of a few hundred calories are easier to keep up. For medical or specific dietary needs, speak to a doctor or registered dietitian.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between TDEE and BMR?
BMR is what you burn at complete rest. TDEE includes all your daily activity on top of that.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
It's an estimate, typically within about 10% of actual needs for most people, but individuals vary.
Does exercise on some days change my TDEE?
Yes. The activity level is an average across the week, so choose the one that matches a typical week.
What formula does this calculator use?
It uses the Mifflin–St Jeor equation for BMR: 10 × weight in kg + 6.25 × height in cm − 5 × age, then +5 for men or −161 for women. That BMR is multiplied by your activity factor. A 30-year-old man of 70 kg and 175 cm has a BMR of about 1,649 kcal.
Which activity level should I choose?
Pick the one that matches your usual week, not your best week. Most people with desk jobs who exercise a little should choose a lower level, because overestimating activity is a common mistake. If your weight changes when you eat your estimated maintenance calories, move one level up or down.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
A common rough guide is that a deficit of about 7,700 kcal equals 1 kg of body fat. The tool's gentle goal of 300 kcal below maintenance adds up to about 2,100 kcal a week, or roughly 0.27 kg. For a specific plan, speak to a doctor or registered dietitian.
Why won't the weight-loss bar go below a certain number?
The gradual weight loss bar never goes below your BMR, the energy your body uses at complete rest. Eating less than that for long periods is generally not recommended without medical supervision, so the tool caps the target there.
How many calories does a woman need per day?
It depends on age, height, weight and activity. A 30-year-old woman of 60 kg and 160 cm has a BMR of about 1,289 kcal, which comes to about 1,547 kcal a day if sedentary. More activity raises this, so enter your own details for a personal estimate.
Does my calorie need go down as I get older?
Yes, a little. In the Mifflin–St Jeor equation each extra year of age lowers BMR by 5 kcal, so ten years takes off 50 kcal before the activity factor. Losing muscle and moving less can lower it further, which is why staying active matters with age.
Should I recalculate after losing or gaining weight?
Yes. Your BMR and TDEE change with your weight, so a figure worked out at 80 kg will be too high once you reach 72 kg. Recalculating every few kilograms keeps your targets realistic and explains why weight loss often slows over time.
Can I use this during pregnancy or for a medical condition?
This calculator gives a general estimate for healthy adults. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, thyroid problems and many other conditions change calorie needs, so please ask your doctor or a registered dietitian for advice that fits your situation.
Read the guide
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