Calorie Calculator (BMR and TDEE)

How many calories should you eat a day? See what it takes to maintain, lose or gain weight.

Results

To maintain your weight (kcal/day)
2,633
Basal metabolic rate – BMR (kcal/day)
1,699
Mild weight loss (≈0.5 lb a week)
2,383
Weight loss (≈1 lb a week)
2,133
Weight gain (≈1 lb a week)
3,133

The estimate uses the Mifflin–St Jeor equation and is an average. Without supervision from a doctor or dietitian, daily intake should not drop below 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 kcal for men.

Even at complete rest your body burns energy to breathe, pump blood and keep warm. That is your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Add everything you do in a day and you get your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).

Eat as much as you burn and your weight stays level; eat less and you lose, eat more and you gain. The calculator estimates BMR with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation and multiplies it by your activity level.

How to calculate Daily calories

  1. Enter your sex, age, height and weight.
  2. Pick the activity level closest to your week.
  3. Read the daily calories for maintaining, losing or gaining weight.

Daily calories formula

  • Men: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5
  • Women: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age − 161
  • TDEE = BMR × activity factor (1.2 to 1.9)
  • A 500 kcal daily deficit loses roughly 1 lb (0.45 kg) a week

Daily calories example

A 30-year-old man, 175 cm and 75 kg, has a BMR of 1,699 kcal. Exercising 3–5 days a week (factor 1.55) he needs about 2,633 kcal a day; to lose about a pound a week he would eat around 2,133 kcal.

Daily calories: common questions

How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

About 500 kcal below your maintenance figure loses roughly a pound a week. Very low intakes risk muscle loss; without medical supervision do not go below 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 kcal (men).

What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?

BMR is the energy you burn at complete rest. TDEE is BMR plus your daily activity — the number an eating plan is built on.

Why does the estimate not fit me exactly?

The equation is an average. Muscle mass, hormones, sleep and genetics can shift real expenditure by up to 10%. Use the result as a starting point and adjust after two or three weeks on the scale.