🔥 Calorie (TDEE) Calculator

BMR, TDEE, and the difference

Basal metabolic rate is what your body burns at complete rest, keeping organs running and temperature stable. It typically accounts for 60 to 70 percent of total daily energy use.

Total daily energy expenditure is BMR multiplied by an activity factor, covering everything else — movement, exercise, and the energy used digesting food. This calculator uses the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, which research generally finds more accurate for the modern population than the older Harris–Benedict formula.

Turning a TDEE into a target

To lose weight, eat below your TDEE; to gain, eat above it. A deficit of roughly 500 calories per day corresponds to about half a kilogram per week, which is a widely used and generally sustainable rate.

Aggressive deficits tend to backfire. Very low intake increases muscle loss, reduces training quality, and is harder to sustain, which is why the weight often returns. A moderate deficit held for longer almost always outperforms a severe one abandoned after three weeks.

Note also that TDEE falls as you lose weight — a smaller body costs less to run — so the deficit that worked at the start gradually becomes maintenance. Recalculating every few kilograms keeps the target honest.

Why your actual results will differ

Any equation produces an estimate with a meaningful error margin, commonly cited as around ten percent in either direction. Two people matching on height, weight, age, and sex can differ substantially in metabolic rate.

Activity multipliers are the larger source of error. Most people overestimate their activity level, and non-exercise movement — fidgeting, walking, standing — varies enormously between individuals.

Use the number as a starting point, then adjust based on what actually happens. If weight is stable over two to three weeks at a given intake, that intake is your real maintenance, whatever the formula says.

Common questions

Does eating frequency change metabolism?

Total daily intake matters far more than how it is distributed. Meal timing can affect appetite and adherence, which matters in practice, but it does not meaningfully change energy expenditure.

Should I eat back calories burned in exercise?

If you selected an activity multiplier that already includes your training, adding exercise calories on top double-counts them. Fitness trackers also tend to overestimate expenditure.

Is this suitable during pregnancy or illness?

No. Energy needs change substantially in pregnancy, during recovery, and with various medical conditions. Speak to a clinician rather than relying on a general formula.