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Your calorie needs

Find out your estimated daily energy needs.

yr
ft
in
lb
Calorie difference (deficit / surplus)±500 kcal
300≈ 1.0 lb per week1000
Total daily needs · TDEE
2,153
kcal · Moderately active lifestyle
BMR
1,389
kcal · basal
Weight loss
1,653
kcal · −500
Weight gain
2,653
kcal · +500
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What is calorie need?

Your calorie need is the amount of energy your body uses over a day to work properly — spent on everything from breathing and heartbeat to movement and thinking. In short, calories are your body's fuel.

Age, sex, height, weight, muscle mass and activity level set this value. Eat less than you need and you lose weight; eat more and you gain. It is an estimate that can vary by ±10% from person to person, so calibrate it over a few weeks against your real results.

Where your daily energy goes (example split)
Basal metabolism
burned even at rest
%65
Activity
movement and exercise
%25
Digestion (TEF)
processing food
%10

How is it calculated?

It is worked out in two stages: first the resting expenditure (BMR), then that value multiplied by your activity level to reach the daily total (TDEE).

01

Basal metabolism (BMR)

The energy spent on vital functions at complete rest. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is commonly used — more current and accurate than Harris-Benedict.

MALEBMR = 10·weight + 6.25·height − 5·age + 5
FEMALEBMR = 10·weight + 6.25·height − 5·age − 161
02

Total daily energy (TDEE)

The base value is multiplied by your activity level to reach total daily expenditure: TDEE = BMR × activity factor.

Sedentary · desk job, no exercise× 1.2
Low active · mostly sitting× 1.375
Moderately active · light daily movement× 1.55
Active · regular exercise× 1.725
Very active · athlete or heavy job× 1.9
03

Example

30 y, 175 cm, 75 kg male, moderately active
10·75 + 6.25·175 − 5·30 + 5BMR ≈ 1,699
1,699 × 1.55TDEE ≈ 2,633 kcal

Most people think they are more active than they are — if unsure, pick one level lower. The resulting TDEE is what you need to maintain weight; to lose weight a deficit of around 300–500 kcal a day is common.