Calorie Calculator: Daily Calories, BMR and TDEE
This calorie calculator estimates how many calories your body burns each day, so you know roughly how much to eat to keep your weight steady, lose weight slowly or gain muscle. It uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which dietitians consider the most accurate simple formula for most adults.
| Goal | Calories a day | Approx. change |
|---|
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Quick answer: A 35-year-old man who is 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) tall, weighs 70 kg (154 lb) and exercises lightly burns about 2,190 calories a day. Eating about 500 fewer calories than your maintenance figure loses roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) a week.
How to use the calorie calculator
- Choose your sex and enter your age, height and weight. Switch between metric and US units at any time.
- Pick the activity level that matches a typical week, counting both exercise and how active your job is.
- Read your maintenance calories (TDEE) and the targets for losing or gaining weight.
- Track your weight for two to three weeks and adjust by 100 to 200 calories if it changes faster or slower than expected.
BMR and TDEE explained
BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the energy your body uses at complete rest to breathe, pump blood and keep warm. TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) adds everything else: walking, working, exercise and digesting food. TDEE is BMR multiplied by an activity factor from 1.2 for a desk job to 1.9 for very physical work.
The Mifflin-St Jeor formula is: BMR = 10 × weight in kg + 6.25 × height in cm − 5 × age + 5 for men, or − 161 for women. It is usually within about 10 percent of measured values, but muscle mass, genetics, medication and health conditions all change the real figure.
Activity levels
| Level | Factor | Typical week |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Office work and little planned exercise |
| Light | 1.375 | Walking or workouts 1 to 3 days |
| Moderate | 1.55 | Exercise 3 to 5 days |
| Very active | 1.725 | Hard exercise 6 to 7 days |
| Extra active | 1.9 | Manual labour plus training, or athletes training twice a day |
Most people overestimate their activity. If unsure, choose the lower level.
Healthy, sustainable changes
- A gap of 250 to 500 calories a day is enough for steady weight loss while keeping energy up.
- Very low intakes (below about 1,200 calories for women or 1,500 for men) make it hard to get enough protein, vitamins and minerals, and should only be followed with a doctor.
- Protein, fibre, vegetables and regular meals help you feel full on fewer calories.
This calculator is for general information, not medical advice. It is not suitable during pregnancy, for children, or if you have an eating disorder or a medical condition; talk to a doctor or registered dietitian instead. Check your weight range with the BMI calculator and ideal weight calculator, or see how much to drink with the water intake calculator.
FAQ
How many calories should I eat a day?
Your maintenance figure above is the best starting point. Average adult needs range from about 1,800 to 2,400 for women and 2,200 to 3,000 for men.
Do I eat back exercise calories?
The activity level already includes your usual exercise, so there is no need to add it again.