🔥 Calorie Calculator
Enter your details to get your BMR, daily calorie needs (TDEE) and targets for losing, maintaining or gaining weight.
How to use the Calorie Calculator
Enter your profile and activity level to get your BMR, your TDEE and a calorie target for losing, maintaining or gaining weight.
How it works
Energy needs come in two layers. BMR is what your body burns at rest. TDEE adds activity on top, using a multiplier: 1.2 for sedentary, 1.375 for light activity, 1.55 for moderate, 1.725 for very active. A deficit of roughly 500 kcal per day corresponds to about 0.45 kg of fat loss per week, though actual results vary with how your body adapts.
When to use it
Use it to build a cutting or bulking plan, to check whether a diet makes sense, and to identify whether a plateau is caused by eating too little rather than training too little.
Worked example
30-year-old male, 175 cm, 75 kg, moderately active:
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| BMR | 1,737 kcal |
| TDEE (×1.55) | 2,692 kcal |
| Cutting target (−500) | about 2,190 kcal |
| Maintenance | about 2,690 kcal |
| Bulking target (+300) | about 3,000 kcal |
Assumptions and limitations
Activity multipliers are crude estimates; tracking your actual weight trend over two to three weeks and adjusting is far more accurate than any calculator. Rest metabolic rate can fall several percent under prolonged dieting, which is one reason weight loss slows. Not valid for pregnancy, youth, or thyroid conditions. This is not medical or nutritional advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
A deficit of about 500 calories per day typically produces roughly 1 lb (0.45 kg) of weight loss per week, because a pound of body fat stores about 3,500 calories. This calculator shows your maintenance calories (TDEE) and subtracts 250, 500 or 1,000 calories for mild, steady or aggressive loss. Do not go below your BMR for extended periods without medical advice.
What is BMR?
Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the energy your body burns at complete rest just to stay alive — breathing, circulation, cell repair and brain function. It typically accounts for 60–70% of the calories you burn each day and depends mostly on your weight, height, age and sex.
What is TDEE?
Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is your BMR multiplied by an activity factor (1.2 for sedentary up to 1.9 for very active). It is the number of calories you burn in a typical day, and it is the best single number to base your intake on: eat around TDEE to maintain weight, below it to lose, above it to gain.
Which formula does this calculator use?
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation, introduced in 1990 and widely regarded as the most accurate general-population BMR formula. Studies find it usually lands within about 10% of measured values. For most adults it is more accurate than the older Harris-Benedict formula.
How accurate is a calorie calculator?
It is an estimate, not a measurement. Real expenditure varies with genetics, muscle mass, hormones and NEAT (non-exercise movement), and can differ from the estimate by 10% or more. Track your weight for 2–3 weeks and adjust your intake by 100–200 calories if you are not moving toward your goal.
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