Calorie Calculator
Daily calorie needs (TDEE) for maintenance, weight loss or gain, with macro split.
What it does
Estimates the calories you burn per day (TDEE) from your BMR and activity level, then adjusts for a goal of losing, keeping or gaining weight.
Where it's used
Planning a diet or training programme.
How to use it
- Enter sex, age, weight and height.
- Choose your activity level honestly.
- Choose a goal.
- Use the result as a starting target and adjust from real progress.
The formula explained
- TDEE
- BMR × activity factor
- 7700 kcal
- roughly 1 kg of body fat
- −500 kcal/day
- about 0.5 kg per week
Worked example
Inputs:
- Sex: Male
- Age: 25 years
- Units: Metric (kg, cm)
- Weight: 80 kg
- Height: 180 cm
- Activity level: Light (1–3 days/week)
- Goal: Mild loss (≈0.25 kg/week)
The calculator gives:
- Daily target: 2,232 kcal/day
- Maintenance (TDEE): 2,482 kcal/day
- BMR: 1,805 kcal/day
Tips and common mistakes
- Most people overestimate their activity level.
- Very low intakes should be medically supervised.
- Adjust after 2–3 weeks based on your actual weight trend.
Questions people ask
What activity factors are used?
BMR is multiplied by about 1.2 (mostly sitting), 1.375 (light exercise 1–3 days a week), 1.55 (moderate, 3–5 days), 1.725 (hard, 6–7 days) or 1.9 (very hard daily exercise or physical work).
How big a calorie deficit do I need?
As a rough guide, about 250 kcal a day less than maintenance for 0.25 kg a week, and about 500 kcal for 0.5 kg a week. Faster loss is hard to keep up and should be discussed with a doctor.
Is there a minimum I should eat?
Common guidance is not to go below about 1 200 kcal a day for women or 1 500 for men without medical supervision, so you still get enough nutrients.
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Enter your values to get the result with the formula, substituted values and an explanation of each step.