Health & Fitness

Calorie Calculator

Estimate how many calories your body burns each day based on your measurements and activity level. The results include a maintenance figure (TDEE) plus suggested targets for gradual weight loss or gain.

calorie-calculator
Maintenance calories (TDEE)
—
Basal metabolic rate (BMR)—
Weight loss (–500 cal/day ≈ 0.5 kg/week)—
Mild loss (–250 cal/day)—
Maintenance—
Muscle gain (+300–500 cal/day)—

How the calculation works

The calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate your Basal Metabolic Rate — the calories burned at rest. It then multiplies that figure by an activity factor (called the Harris-Benedict multiplier) to account for your daily movement, giving your Total Daily Energy Expenditure.

Men: BMR = (10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) − (5 × age) + 5 Women: BMR = (10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) − (5 × age) − 161 TDEE = BMR × activity factor

Putting the numbers into practice

The TDEE figure is your estimated maintenance level — eating at this number should hold your weight steady over time. To lose weight gradually, aim for a modest deficit of 250–500 calories per day. To build muscle, a small surplus of 200–400 calories above maintenance, combined with resistance training, is typically recommended by sports nutrition guidelines.

Because the formula produces an estimate, the most reliable approach is to eat at a target intake for 2–3 weeks and monitor the result. If your weight is not changing as expected, adjust by 100–200 calories and reassess.

Common questions

  • Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body needs at complete rest to maintain basic functions — breathing, circulation, cell repair. Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is BMR multiplied by an activity factor to account for movement throughout the day. TDEE is the figure you should use for nutrition planning.
  • A deficit of 500 calories per day relative to your TDEE typically produces around 0.5 kg (1 lb) of fat loss per week, since one pound of fat contains approximately 3,500 calories. Larger deficits can accelerate loss but increase the risk of muscle loss and nutritional deficiencies. Most health guidelines advise against eating fewer than 1,200 calories for women or 1,500 for men without medical supervision.
  • It uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, published in 1990, which is considered the most accurate general-population formula for estimating BMR. A 2005 study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found it to be more accurate than the older Harris-Benedict equation in most cases.
  • Calorie calculators estimate TDEE within roughly ±10–15% for most people. Individual metabolic rate varies based on genetics, hormones, gut microbiome, and body composition. Use the result as a starting point, track your actual intake and weight for 2–4 weeks, then adjust based on real-world outcomes.
  • Not necessarily. Calorie counting is one evidence-based approach, but strategies like eating whole unprocessed foods, prioritising protein and fibre, and managing portion sizes can achieve similar outcomes without logging every meal. Understanding your approximate TDEE is still useful context regardless of the method you use.