Calorie (TDEE) Calculator
Estimate your daily calorie needs from age, height, weight, and activity level — with maintenance, weight-loss, and weight-gain targets.
Your details (metric)
Enter your age, height, and weight to estimate your daily calories.
The Calorie (TDEE) Calculator estimates how many calories you burn in a typical day based on your age, height, weight, sex, and activity level. It is useful when you are planning meals or a fitness goal, because it shows a maintenance number plus suggested targets for losing or gaining weight.
How to use the Calorie (TDEE) Calculator
- Select your sex and enter your age.
- Enter your height and weight.
- Pick the activity level that best matches your week, from sedentary to very active.
- Review your maintenance calories along with the loss and gain targets.
Frequently asked questions
- How is TDEE calculated?
- It first finds your basal metabolic rate with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiplies BMR by an activity factor (about 1.2 for sedentary up to roughly 1.9 for very active). For a 30 year old man who is 180 cm and 80 kg, BMR is around 1780 calories, so a lightly active TDEE (x 1.375) is about 2450 calories per day.
- What is the difference between maintenance, loss, and gain targets?
- Maintenance is the number of calories that keeps your weight steady. The loss target subtracts a deficit (often around 500 calories) and the gain target adds a surplus, which roughly corresponds to losing or gaining about half a kilogram per week.
- Which activity level should I pick?
- Choose based on your whole week, not just gym days. Sedentary suits a desk job with little exercise, while moderate fits three to five workout sessions, and very active fits hard training or a physically demanding job.
- Are these calorie numbers exact?
- No. They are estimates for general information only and not medical or nutritional advice, so please check with a doctor or registered dietitian before making big diet changes.