Daily Calorie Needs Calculator

How many calories do you need per day?

Daily calorie needs reflect energy used at rest and during everyday activity. TDEE stands for total daily energy expenditure. Estimated maintenance calories are a starting point: two people with the same height and weight may have different jobs, walking habits, training loads and body composition.

How this calorie calculator works

The tool estimates resting energy with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, then applies your activity factor. The female equation is 10 × weight + 6.25 × height − 5 × age − 161. The male equation uses +5 instead of −161. Weight is in kilograms and height in centimetres; imperial inputs are converted before calculation.

TDEE = resting energy × activity factor. For a woman aged 30, weighing 65 kg at 165 cm, resting energy is 1,370 kcal. With a factor of 1.55, estimated daily expenditure is 2,124 kcal.

If you want to understand resting expenditure and compare equations, use the BMR calculator. This page focuses on total daily calories and goal scenarios. It does not calculate metabolic age.

Choosing an activity factor

The available factors are 1.20 for a mostly sedentary routine, 1.375 for light activity, 1.55 for moderate activity, 1.725 for a very active routine and 1.90 for intensive physical work combined with training. They are practical approximations. Three workouts a week do not automatically justify a high factor if most other hours are spent sitting.

If your routine falls between categories, compare neighbouring settings. Review a few weeks of weight trends alongside hunger, recovery and activity rather than adjusting calories after a single weigh-in. The calculation cannot see movements or demands you have not accounted for.

Maintenance, weight loss and weight gain

The maintenance option uses TDEE. A weight-loss scenario subtracts your chosen 10%, 15% or 20%; the weight-gain scenario adds 10%. The displayed scenario already includes this adjustment. Subtracting another 500 calories would create a second deficit.

The tool does not generate an automatic loss target when BMI is low or when the scenario falls below 1,200 kcal for the female equation or 1,500 kcal for the male equation. These are screening rules for automated output, not biological thresholds that make a diet safe for everyone. General targets are also withheld for pregnancy, breastfeeding and prescribed nutrition plans.

Why there is no guaranteed weekly weight-loss figure

A fixed calorie deficit does not translate into the same weekly loss for every person. Energy expenditure, water balance and adherence change over time. This calculator therefore does not give a date by which you will reach a particular weight. The NIDDK Body Weight Planner research explains a dynamic approach to weight change. Our calorie deficit guide covers the underlying idea.

How protein, fat and carbohydrate add up

The macro table illustrates roughly 20% of scenario energy from protein, 30% from fat and 50% from carbohydrate. Protein and carbohydrate are counted at 4 kcal per gram, fat at 9. After rounding protein and fat grams, carbohydrate is calculated from the energy remaining, so the figures stay consistent with the calorie total.

This is not an individual protein requirement or a sports or medical nutrition prescription. Training, food preferences and tolerance can call for a different distribution. If you are breastfeeding, use the breastfeeding calorie calculator instead of applying a general weight-loss deficit.