Calorie Calculator (TDEE)

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure, the total calories your body burns in a day, counting everything from breathing to walking to thinking. It is the master number all calorie-based goals build on: eat below it to lose weight, above it to gain.

BMR stands for Basal Metabolic Rate, what you would burn lying motionless in bed all day. For most people BMR is 60 to 75% of TDEE; the rest comes from movement and the small amount of energy spent digesting food.

How It’s Calculated

Step 1. BMR using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (the most validated formula for adults):

Men: BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) + 5 Women: BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) − 161

Step 2. Multiply BMR by your activity factor (also called PAL, Physical Activity Level):

Most people overestimate their activity level. If your job is mostly sitting and you go to the gym twice a week, you’re “Lightly Active,” not “Moderate.”

Step 3. Adjust for your goal:

• Weight loss: TDEE − 300 to 500 kcal/day → about 0.3 to 0.5 kg (0.7 to 1.1 lb) per week
• Aggressive cut: TDEE − 500 to 750 kcal/day → about 0.5 to 0.75 kg (1.1 to 1.65 lb) per week, and much harder to sustain
• Maintenance: TDEE exactly
• Lean bulk: TDEE + 200 to 300 kcal/day, which keeps fat gain down while building muscle
• Mass bulk: TDEE + 300 to 500 kcal/day, faster but with more fat along for the ride

Calorie Values You Need to Know

• Protein: 4 kcal per gram
• Carbohydrates: 4 kcal per gram
• Fat: 9 kcal per gram
• Alcohol: 7 kcal per gram (no nutritional value)

One pound of body fat ≈ 3,500 kcal. This is the classic estimate. The real number ranges 3,200 to 3,700 kcal depending on tissue composition, but 3,500 is close enough for planning.

Worked Example

Female, 68 kg (150 lb), 165 cm (5'5"), 32 years old, moderately active. Goal: lose weight.

• BMR = (10 × 68) + (6.25 × 165) − (5 × 32) − 161 = 1,390 kcal
• TDEE = 1,390 × 1.55 = 2,155 kcal/day
• Weight loss target (TDEE − 400): 1,755 kcal/day
• Expected loss rate: 400 × 7 ÷ 3,500 = about 0.8 lb (0.36 kg) per week

Honest Caveats

This calculator gives you a planning estimate, not a precise truth. Real calorie burn runs 10 to 15% either side of what any formula predicts, thanks to genetics, body composition, sleep, stress, and how much you fidget. That last one has a name, NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), and between two people of the same size it can differ by several hundred calories a day. Treat the number as a starting point. If after two or three weeks you are losing or gaining faster or slower than expected, adjust by 100 to 200 calories and give it another fortnight.

Going below 1,200 kcal/day (women) or 1,500 (men) for sustained periods risks muscle loss, hormonal disruption, and metabolic adaptation. Slow and steady wins.