Your total daily energy expenditure — BMR times activity level, with calorie targets for losing, maintaining or gaining weight.
If you know your body-fat %, BMR is calculated with Katch-McArdle instead, which suits muscular builds better.
Total daily energy expenditure
Estimates only, not medical advice. Real calorie needs vary with muscle mass, health conditions, medication and day-to-day activity — talk to a clinician or dietitian before starting a weight-loss or weight-gain plan.
How to use this tool
Choose your sex and enter your age — both feed the BMR formula.
Use cm or ft/in for height and kg or lb for weight; the values convert automatically.
Pick the description that matches a typical week, from sedentary to extremely active.
Your TDEE, BMR, goal calories and a suggested macro split appear instantly, with a plain-language plan.
Formula & worked example
A 30-year-old man weighing 80 kg at 180 cm: BMR = 10 × 80 + 6.25 × 180 − 5 × 30 + 5 = 1,780 kcal/day. At a moderate activity factor of 1.55, TDEE = 1,780 × 1.55 = 2,759 kcal/day. For weight loss, subtract about 500 kcal: roughly 2,259 kcal/day.
Limitations — read this before you rely on it
These are estimates, not medical advice and not a diagnosis. They do not account for muscle mass (unless body-fat % is entered), health conditions, medication, pregnancy or breastfeeding. Intakes below 1,200 kcal a day should not be followed without clinical guidance. If you have a medical condition or an eating disorder, talk to a healthcare professional before changing your diet.
Frequently asked questions
TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is the calories you burn in a whole day: your basal metabolic rate (BMR, the energy used at rest) multiplied by an activity factor for how much you move and exercise.
BMR is estimated with the Mifflin-St Jeor formula from your sex, weight, height and age. If you enter a body-fat %, the Katch-McArdle formula is used instead, which is better for very muscular builds.
Pick the description that matches a typical week, not your busiest day. Most desk workers who exercise a few times a week are “moderately active” (1.55). If you are unsure, choose the lower level — overestimating activity is the most common reason TDEE comes out too high.
A deficit of about 500 kcal a day typically gives a steady loss of around 0.5 kg per week, and a surplus of about 500 kcal a day a similar gain. Faster changes are harder to sustain and, for loss, should be discussed with a clinician.
No. TDEE is a population-average estimate. Muscle mass, health conditions, medication, pregnancy and day-to-day variation all move the true figure, sometimes by several hundred calories. Use it as a starting point, track your weight for a few weeks, and adjust.