2,200
calories/day to maintain weight
Find your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) — the number of calories your body needs each day based on your age, weight, height, sex, and activity level.
Find your daily calorie needs based on your body stats and activity level (TDEE).
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — the formula considered most accurate for estimating BMR in adults. For men: BMR = (10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) − (5 × age) + 5. For women: BMR = (10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) − (5 × age) − 161.
The result is an estimate based on population averages. Individual metabolisms vary. Use your TDEE as a starting point and adjust based on real-world results over 2–3 weeks.
The number of calories your body needs each day is called your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, or TDEE. It has two main parts. The first is your Basal Metabolic Rate — the energy your body uses at complete rest to keep your heart beating, your lungs working, and your cells functioning. For most people this is the largest share of daily energy use. The second part is everything you do on top of that: walking, working, exercising, even digesting food.
This calculator estimates your BMR from your age, sex, height, and weight, then multiplies it by an activity factor to reflect how active you are. The result is an estimate of the calories needed to maintain your current weight. To lose weight you would aim for a moderate deficit below this number; to gain weight you would eat above it. Because everyone's metabolism differs, treat the figure as a well-informed starting point and adjust based on real-world results over a few weeks.
The activity multiplier often makes a bigger difference than people expect. Someone with a desk job and little exercise may need several hundred fewer calories a day than someone doing physical work or training regularly, even at the same height and weight. Being honest about your true activity level gives a more useful estimate than choosing an optimistic one. Non-exercise movement — walking, standing, and household tasks — also adds up and is easy to underestimate.
As an example, a moderately active 30-year-old might have a BMR of around 1,600 calories. Multiplied by an activity factor of about 1.55, that gives a TDEE near 2,480 calories to maintain weight. To lose weight steadily they might aim for roughly 2,000 — a deficit of around 480 calories a day. Keeping a food diary for the first week or two makes these numbers far more reliable than guessing portion sizes.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is the energy your body uses at rest. TDEE is your BMR plus the energy used for all daily activity and exercise. TDEE is the number that reflects your actual daily needs.
How many calories should I cut to lose weight?
A moderate deficit of roughly 300 to 500 calories a day is a common, sustainable starting point. Very aggressive deficits are harder to maintain. For personalised advice, speak to a doctor or dietitian.
Why is this only an estimate?
The formulas are based on population averages. Your real needs depend on genetics, muscle mass, and other factors, so use the number as a baseline and refine it from your own results.