Calorie Calculator
Enter your age, height, weight, and activity level to get your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) — the calories you burn in a day — then a target calorie number for your goal. Most adults maintain their weight between 1,800 and 2,800 calories a day, depending on size and activity.
About you
Results
Daily calorie target
1,672
calories/day
about a 1 lb/week loss at a 500-calorie deficit
Formula applied
10×68.0kg + 6.25×165.1cm − 5×30 − 161 = 1,401 BMR × 1.55 = 2,172 cal
- BMR (resting)
- 1,401 cal
- Maintenance (TDEE)
- 2,172 cal
- Suggested protein
- 120 g/day
Weekly glute-focused strength and Pilates workouts, no spam.
Save this to my planHow this calculator works
It runs in two steps. First, the Mifflin-St Jeor equation estimates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — roughly the calories your body burns at complete rest — from your sex, age, height, and weight. Second, that number is multiplied by an activity factor to get TDEE, your true daily burn including movement and exercise.
From TDEE, your goal sets the final target: subtract about 500 calories to lose roughly a pound a week, hold at TDEE to maintain, or add about 300 for a lean muscle-building surplus.
Choosing your activity level
This is the step people get wrong most often — pick the row that matches your whole week, not just gym days.
| Level | Description | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | Desk job, little or no exercise | 1.2× |
| Light | Light exercise 1–3 days/week | 1.375× |
| Moderate | Moderate exercise 3–5 days/week | 1.55× |
| Active | Hard exercise 6–7 days/week | 1.725× |
| Very active | Training twice a day or a physical job plus training | 1.9× |
Why the number will need adjusting
Every calorie formula is an estimate — it gets you close, not exact. Treat your first number as a starting point: track your weight for two to three weeks at that intake, then adjust up or down by 100–200 calories if the scale isn't moving the way your goal expects.
Turn this into a protein, fat, and carb target
A daily calorie number is only half the plan. The macro calculator splits your target above into grams of protein, fat, and carbs — it'll carry your calorie number over automatically.
See your macro split →Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the number of calories your body burns in a day, including resting metabolism, digestion, and activity. Eating at your TDEE maintains your current weight; eating below it causes weight loss, and eating above it causes weight gain.
How is this calculator different from a generic calorie calculator?
It uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which nutrition research has repeatedly found more accurate than older formulas like Harris-Benedict for most adults. It also gives you a protein target, not just a calorie number.
How big a deficit should I eat for fat loss?
A 500-calorie daily deficit is a common starting point and tracks to roughly 1 pound of fat loss per week. Larger deficits lose weight faster but are harder to sustain and risk more muscle loss — most people do better starting moderate and adjusting after two weeks of real data.
Why does the calculator ask for activity level separately from exercise?
Activity level here means your whole day, not just workouts — a desk job with three gym sessions a week is still closer to 'light' than 'active.' Overestimating activity level is the most common reason a calorie target doesn't match real-world results.
How much protein do I actually need?
The suggested target here is 0.8 g per pound of bodyweight, a level commonly cited for people who train regularly and want to preserve or build muscle in a calorie deficit. It is higher than the general population RDA, which is written for sedentary adults.
Sources
- A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals — Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. — American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (accessed August 2026)
- Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (accessed August 2026)