BMR (at rest)
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Health · Nutrition
Calorie
Calorie
calculator
Estimate the calories you burn in a day from your age, sex, size and activity level, using the Mifflin–St Jeor equation — the one dietitians tend to trust most.
Daily energy needs
metric
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cm
kg
Mild loss ½ kg/wk
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How daily calorie needs are estimated
Your daily energy need is built in two steps. First, your basal metabolic rate (BMR) — the calories your body burns at complete rest just to stay alive. Then that figure is scaled up by an activity factor to give your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE): what you actually burn over a normal day.
Mifflin–St Jeor — BMR
10·kg + 6.25·cm − 5·age + s
s = +5 for men, −161 for women
Multiply BMR by your activity factor for maintenance calories:
- 1.2 — sedentary, little or no exercise
- 1.375 — light activity, 1–3 days a week
- 1.55 — moderate, 3–5 days a week
- 1.725 — active, 6–7 days a week
- 1.9 — very active, hard training or a physical job
Worked example
Man, 30 yrs, 175 cm, 75 kg, moderate
BMR = 10·75 + 6.25·175 − 5·30 + 5 = 1,699
TDEE = 1,699 × 1.55 ≈ 2,633 kcal/day
TDEE = 1,699 × 1.55 ≈ 2,633 kcal/day
Losing or gaining weight
To lose weight, eat below maintenance; to gain, eat above it. A deficit of about 500 calories a day is a common, sustainable target for losing roughly half a kilo a week. The calculator shows that mild-loss figure next to your maintenance number.
Treat this as an estimate
Equations give a starting point, not a precise truth.
Real needs vary with body composition, genetics
and health. Adjust based on how your weight
actually responds, and get personal advice
from a doctor or dietitian where it matters.
Real needs vary with body composition, genetics
and health. Adjust based on how your weight
actually responds, and get personal advice
from a doctor or dietitian where it matters.
Curious where your weight sits relative to your height? The BMI calculator is the natural companion to this one.
Common questions
Calorie needs FAQ
Estimate your basal metabolic rate with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, then multiply by an activity factor from 1.2 to 1.9. The result is your maintenance calories — what keeps your weight steady.
A widely used BMR formula: 10 × weight in kg + 6.25 × height in cm − 5 × age, then + 5 for men or − 161 for women. It is considered one of the more accurate estimates for the general population.
BMR is the energy your body uses at complete rest. TDEE is BMR multiplied by an activity factor to account for daily movement and exercise — the figure you actually burn in a day.
Eat below your maintenance level. A deficit of around 500 calories a day is a common target for losing about half a kilogram a week. The calculator shows this figure next to maintenance.
It gives a solid estimate, not an exact number. Actual needs vary with muscle mass, genetics and health, so use it as a starting point and adjust based on real results.