Calculate your daily calorie needs for weight loss, maintenance, or gain.
We use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the most accurate formula for calculating BMR. Here's how it works:
The Mifflin-St Jeor formulas:
Key insight: Your TDEE is the total calories you burn daily. To lose weight, eat 300-500 calories below TDEE. To gain, eat 300-500 above.
Result = Validated health or fitness equation applied to the measurements and options entered. Review the methodology and limitations before interpreting the estimate.The calculator applies the selected body, age, activity and goal assumptions to a standard planning equation. Actual needs vary with health status, climate, training, medication, food measurement and changes in body weight or activity.
The Calorie Calculator is able to give you an idea of how much energy your body might consume per day in relation to age, gender, height, weight, and activity level. The output can include your basal metabolic rate (BMR) as well as the total energy a person consumes per day (TDEE) depending on the Calculator option. The calculation gives you an idea of your energy needs at differentactivity scenarios or on a daily basis; note that every person is different and this is just a guideline value.
Just pop your own details and info about your activity level into the fields as precisely as possible, and use our tool to work out what your energy needs look like.
Use consistent units and do not enter a value that deviates greatly from what you are currently measuring. If you are logging measurements over time, a comparison can be more useful when the same unit of measurement is used.
Basal The Calorie Calculator will first estimate the energy needed for rest then will add your estimation of physical activity. Some people have been using Mifflin-St Jeor to estimate metabolic rate with a multiplication factor in order to estimate total calories needed a day for energy.
BMR The estimated calories your body burns while resting to maintain its regular, healthy functions. TDEE Is an estimate of how many calories your body burns over a 24 hour period, excluding your activity:
Using the activity-adjusted figure is a good way to estimate calorie needs in an individual with the same height/weight/as a co-worker, but a very different lifestyle.
The Mifflin-St Jeor equations are commonly expressed as follows:
For men: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) + 5
For women: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) − 161
The estimated daily calorie requirement can then be calculated using an activity factor:
TDEE = BMR × Activity Factor
| Variable | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Weight | Body weight measured in kilograms for the equation. |
| Height | Height measured in centimeters for the equation. |
| Age | Age in years. |
| BMR | Estimated basal metabolic rate. |
| Activity Factor | A multiplier used to account approximately for physical activity. |
| TDEE | Estimated total daily energy expenditure. |
The activity multiplier is an estimate, though. Energy output in reality can be very different depending on intensity, daily activity levels, body composition, job type, metabolic rate, and other personal factors.
For the example here, we’ll say we have a 30 year old man that stands 180 cm tall and weighs 80 kg and when we selected his activity level we found out the calculator assumed it would put in 1.375 for the activity factor.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Age | 30 years |
| Sex | Male |
| Weight | 80 kg |
| Height | 180 cm |
| Activity factor | 1.375 |
Step 1: Calculate BMR.
BMR = (10 × 80) + (6.25 × 180) − (5 × 30) + 5
BMR = 800 + 1,125 − 150 + 5 = 1,780 calories per day
Step 2: Estimate TDEE.
TDEE = 1,780 × 1.375 = 2,447.5 calories per day
Result: The estimated daily energy requirement is approximately 2,448 calories per day under these assumptions.
This is an estimated calculation-it is not based on measuring the subject's actual metabolic rate. A change in the activity, body weight, height, age, or any other input will change the answer generated.
Estimates of BMR are the calorie energy expenditure of resting in the BMR rest of the days should not be counted the calorie a person would eat on average every day
TDEE is a more generally useful measurement, as it does take exercise into account. A person with a high amount of activity levels (e.g. Works in a physically demanding job or spends a lot of time exercising) will have a different daily energy need than an otherwise identical person that leads a predominantly sedentary lifestyle.
Calorie estimations can also be the most beneficial when they’re used as a basis. Your “real” calorie demands may vary, depending on a host of physiological variables including but not limited to weight status, training intensity and volume, age, and your body composition.
Multipliers for activity levels are used to translate an estimated BMR to an approximate daily calorie need. Which activity level multiplier to use will depend on how the activity levels are defined by the calculator.
| Activity Pattern | General Description |
|---|---|
| Sedentary | Little structured exercise and generally low daily physical activity. |
| Lightly Active | Some regular activity or exercise with a relatively low overall activity level. |
| Moderately Active | Regular physical activity or exercise performed at a moderate level. |
| Very Active | Frequent exercise or a substantially active daily routine. |
| Extremely Active | Very high physical activity, such as demanding training combined with a highly active lifestyle. |
Categories Are Estimates - These will also need to be Estimates- there really isn't a "exact" measuring of activity. It will throw the results off more if you choose activity level too far from you normal routine.
A calorie deficit is eating fewer calories than the energy that you use as a result over a duration of time – and the inverse is a calorie surplus. These both apply the context of changes in the quantity of body fat.
Nonetheless, a calculator won’t know precisely how an individual’s weight can respond when the body is fueled from his/her calorie consumption rate. The real weight might not alter when the body does, power consumption as well as total amount might not change and t
Individuals seeking a weight management solution, seeking peak athletic performance, for prenatal nutritional needs, to support a specific health condition or following a particular nutritional protocol would do well to seek advice from the suitably trained allied health professional/registered dietitian.
A Calorie Calculator (or Harris-Benedict Equation Calculator) determines daily energy needs based on your age, sex, height, weight and activity level. It can sometimes generate the BMR as well as the TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).
Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is basically an estimate of how much your body needs at rest in order for essential systems, functions and physiological activities. Your BMR is not the amount of calories you use per day; it does not include activity.
Estimated total daily energy expenditure This refers to the amount of energy your body burns on any given day. Usually includes the resting energy expenditure plus an approximation of your physical activity level.
Using an online calorie calculator Your ideal number of calories is influenced by your age, gender, weight, and the amount of exercise you’ll be undertaking. Of course, calorie needs are individual.
Mifflin-St Jeor’sEquation This formula is the most widely used predictive equation to calculate REE, but is not and estimation ( not direct measurement.) It may also be varied to Individual results.
Yes, you are right because physical activity adds up to total energy expenditure and change in exercise or daily movement might alter estimated calorie need.
Use current measurements and a realistic activity level. Follow the estimate consistently, monitor results over time and adjust only after comparing actual progress, hunger, performance and professional guidance.
These terms describe related but different measurements. BMR estimates the energy your body uses at rest, while TDEE estimates total daily energy expenditure after accounting for physical activity. A daily calorie estimate based on TDEE is therefore different from a BMR estimate.
| Term | What It Represents |
|---|---|
| BMR | Estimated energy required to support basic bodily functions at rest. |
| TDEE | Estimated total energy expenditure during a typical day, including activity. |
| Daily Calorie Requirement | An estimated calorie intake associated with maintaining energy balance under specified assumptions. |
| Calorie Deficit | A situation in which calorie intake is below estimated energy expenditure. |
| Calorie Surplus | A situation in which calorie intake is above estimated energy expenditure. |
The accuracy of the calories estimated relies in large part on the accuracy of the data. Plug in your current weight and height, your activity level as representative of your usual day-to-day life, and run the estimate again as new circumstances arise.
Your activity should be broader than organized exercise. Walk, stand, move heavily at your job, do housework, or other types of everyday activities all contribute to your overall energy expenditure. Selecting the activity level of the sedentary profile if you only work out 2 times or less per week, will generally not be accurate.
A calorie calculation may change if your body weight, activity and other inputs change. Recalculation can therefore be helpful after a significant change in activity, or in body's measurements.
Recalculating does not make the estimate exact. It simply updates the mathematical estimate using the new information.
Energy calculated - not energy burned The calorie output predicted by formulas is a best guess, not a measurement of the calorie your individual is actually burning. The actual calories the one could be currently burning would potentially vary according to the way body composition, metabolism, body form, physical tasks, level of personal task every day along with many individual health differences.
In addition, the calculator does not consider every possible dietary factor. The outcome should be used to obtain an estimate, not to form a nutritional and medical prescription.
When it comes to children, pregnancy, eating disorders, medical conditions, competitive athletic training, or any other situation for individualized diet planning, calorie needs may need to be evaluated by a trained healthcare practitioner.
One interesting way to take advantage of online calorie calculators is to play with them by modifying your level of daily activity assumptions. For instance, when you change a sedentary activity level for another more physically demanding one - even keeping body fat, sex, age, weight, height the same - your estimated result (TDEE) changes significantly.
Why the Right activity level! This comparison is just to give an idea of why the proper activity level is chosen. It is not an accurate way to find out calories for specific exercise and / or your day.