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Calorie Calculator — Find Your Daily Needs (TDEE)

Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) — the number of calories your body needs each day based on age, sex, height, weight, and activity level.

yrs
cm
kg
Daily Calories to Maintain Weight (TDEE)
—
Lose weight (−500 cal/day)—
Gain weight (+500 cal/day)—
BMR (at complete rest)—
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What is TDEE?

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns in a day, accounting for your basal metabolic rate (BMR) plus all physical activity. Eating at your TDEE maintains your current weight. Eating below it causes weight loss; above it causes weight gain.

How This Calculator Works

This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — the most accurate formula for estimating BMR for most people. Your BMR is then multiplied by an activity factor to give your TDEE.

BMR formulas:
Male: (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) + 5
Female: (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) − 161

Understanding Your Results

Frequently Asked Questions

How accurate is this calorie calculator?+
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is accurate within 10% for most people. The biggest source of error is the activity multiplier — most people overestimate how active they are. If you're not losing weight at the calculated deficit, try dropping 100–200 calories and reassessing after 2–3 weeks. Use the result as a starting point, not an absolute.
Why am I not losing weight eating at a deficit?+
Common reasons: overestimating activity level, underestimating calories eaten (studies show people underestimate by 20–40%), metabolic adaptation to calorie restriction, or water retention masking fat loss. Track food with a food scale for one week to get accurate numbers, and be patient — fat loss is rarely linear week to week.
Should I eat back exercise calories?+
It depends on how you calculated your TDEE. If you used a sedentary activity multiplier and added exercise separately, yes — eat back some exercise calories. If you used a multiplier that already accounts for your exercise (like "moderately active"), don't eat them back. The simplest approach is to pick an activity level that matches your typical week and stick to one TDEE number.
What is the minimum safe calorie intake?+
Most health organizations recommend a minimum of 1,200 calories/day for women and 1,500 for men. Eating below these levels risks nutrient deficiencies, muscle loss, metabolic slowdown, and other health issues. Very low calorie diets should only be done under medical supervision. A moderate deficit of 300–500 calories/day is sustainable and effective for most people.

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