Daily Calorie Calculator
Calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) with the Mifflin-St Jeor formula.
Calorie Calculator
Mifflin-St Jeor formula
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Daily Calorie Need: Are You Eating Too Much or Too Little?
There are countless diets online for losing or gaining weight, but most ignore your personal calorie needs. This calculator produces a TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) tailored to your age, height, weight and activity level. Any nutrition plan built without this number is based on guesswork.
What Is TDEE and Why Does It Matter?
TDEE is the total number of calories your body burns in a day. Eating below this value causes weight loss; eating above causes weight gain. To know your TDEE, you first need your basal metabolic rate — the calories you burn at complete rest just to stay alive.
For example, a 30-year-old male at 75 kg and 175 cm burns roughly 1,699 kcal per day at complete rest. With moderate activity that rises to 2,633 kcal. The ~934 kcal difference shows how decisive activity level is.
How to Use the Calorie Calculator
Required Inputs
- Sex — Choose your biological sex (the formula uses different constants).
- Age (years) — BMR decreases as you get older.
- Height (cm) — Accurate height directly affects the result.
- Weight (kg) — Use your morning fasted measurement.
- Activity level — An honest choice determines result accuracy.
Formula: Mifflin-St Jeor
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor formula (1990), considered the most reliable BMR estimator in scientific literature. For males: BMR = 10 × weight + 6.25 × height − 5 × age + 5; for females the constant is −161 instead of +5. BMR is then multiplied by an activity factor to get TDEE.
Example Scenarios (TDEE)
| Profile | Activity | TDEE (kcal) |
|---|---|---|
| Male · 30y · 75kg · 175cm | Sedentary (×1.20) | 2,039 |
| Male · 30y · 75kg · 175cm | Moderate (×1.55) | 2,633 |
| Female · 25y · 60kg · 165cm | Light (×1.375) | 1,850 |
| Female · 25y · 60kg · 165cm | Active (×1.725) | 2,320 |
This tool is for informational purposes only. Consult a doctor or dietitian for health decisions.
How to Interpret the Results
The tool provides four values: BMR (resting metabolism), TDEE (total daily need), weight-loss target (TDEE − 500 kcal) and weight-gain target (TDEE + 500 kcal). A 500 kcal daily deficit is associated with roughly 0.5 kg of loss per week — considered a sustainable pace.
Note: The weight-loss target never falls below 1,200 kcal — the threshold below which prolonged restriction can cause metabolic slowdown. Results are approximations; body metabolism is a dynamic system.
Tips for Accurate Results
- Overestimating your activity level is the most common mistake — be honest in your assessment.
- If your exercise days are irregular, “lightly active” usually gives a more realistic result.
- Weigh yourself in the morning on an empty stomach, using the same scale.
- Recalculate whenever your weight changes by more than 5 kg — TDEE is dynamic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Once you know your personal TDEE, share it with a nutrition professional — the number alone is not enough; it needs to become a proper nutrition plan.