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📘 About the Calorie Need
Your daily calorie need — also called TDEE, total daily energy expenditure — is the energy you burn in a day: your basal metabolic rate (BMR) plus everything you do. Eating this many calories keeps your weight steady.
Enter your sex, age, height, weight and activity level. The calculator works out your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, multiplies it by your activity factor, and shows calorie targets to maintain, lose 0.25–0.5 kg a week or gain weight, with a balanced carb–protein–fat split.
A deficit of about 500 kcal a day leads to roughly 0.5 kg of weight loss a week.
🧮 Formula
✏️ Worked examples
Man, 30, 175 cm, 75 kg, moderately active
You get| Calories to maintain your weight | 2,633 kcal/day |
| To lose about 0.5 kg a week | 2,133 kcal/day |
| To lose about 0.25 kg a week | 2,383 kcal/day |
| To gain weight slowly | 2,933 kcal/day |
| BMR (calories at complete rest) | 1,699 kcal/day |
| Balanced macros at maintenance | 329 g carbs · 132 g protein · 88 g fat |
Maintain on 2,633 kcal/day; lose weight on 2,133 kcal/day.
Try this example →Woman, 28, 160 cm, 60 kg, lightly active
You get| Calories to maintain your weight | 1,786 kcal/day |
| To lose about 0.5 kg a week | 1,286 kcal/day |
| To lose about 0.25 kg a week | 1,536 kcal/day |
| To gain weight slowly | 2,086 kcal/day |
| BMR (calories at complete rest) | 1,299 kcal/day |
| Balanced macros at maintenance | 223 g carbs · 89 g protein · 60 g fat |
Maintain on 1,786 kcal/day; lose weight on 1,286 kcal/day.
Try this example →Man, 45, 170 cm, 85 kg, sedentary
You get| Calories to maintain your weight | 2,031 kcal/day |
| To lose about 0.5 kg a week | 1,531 kcal/day |
| To lose about 0.25 kg a week | 1,781 kcal/day |
| To gain weight slowly | 2,331 kcal/day |
| BMR (calories at complete rest) | 1,693 kcal/day |
| Balanced macros at maintenance | 254 g carbs · 102 g protein · 68 g fat |
Maintain on 2,031 kcal/day.
Try this example →🧭 How to use this calculator
What you enter
- Gender
- Age (yrs)
- Height (cm)
- Weight (kg)
- Activity Level
What you get
- Daily Calorie Need (TDEE)
- Base Metabolic Rate (BMR)
- Calories to Lose 0.5 kg a Week
- Calories to Gain Weight
💡 Average daily calorie needs
- Sedentary women: about 1,600–2,000 kcal
- Active women: about 2,000–2,400 kcal
- Sedentary men: about 2,000–2,400 kcal
- Active men: about 2,400–3,000 kcal
❓ Frequently asked questions
How many calories should I eat a day?
Multiply your BMR by your activity factor. Most women need 1,600–2,400 kcal and most men 2,000–3,000 kcal; the calculator gives your own number.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
About 500 kcal less than your maintenance calories to lose roughly 0.5 kg a week, but not below 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 kcal (men) without medical advice.
What is TDEE?
Total daily energy expenditure: the calories you burn in a day including activity. It equals BMR × activity factor.
Which activity level should I choose?
Sedentary for desk jobs with little exercise, light for exercise 1–3 days a week, moderate for 3–5 days, active for 6–7 days, very active for athletes or hard physical work.
Is this calorie calculator accurate?
Mifflin-St Jeor is within about 10% for most adults. Track your weight for 2–3 weeks and adjust.
