Health
Your estimated daily calorie needs (BMR and TDEE), based on your stats and activity level.
Maintenance calories (TDEE)
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Mild loss
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Maintain
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Mild gain
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Estimated using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — a general guideline, not medical advice. Individual needs vary; talk to a doctor or dietitian for a plan tailored to you.
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation calculates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) from your weight, height, age, and sex, then multiplies it by an activity factor to estimate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) — the calories you burn in an average day including movement and exercise, not just resting.
A 30-year-old woman, 65 kg, 165 cm, lightly active, has a BMR of roughly 1,383 calories/day using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. Multiplying by the lightly-active factor (1.375) gives a TDEE of about 1,902 calories/day — her estimated maintenance level. The calculator also shows a mild-deficit figure (around 1,400) and mild-surplus figure (around 2,400) for reference, without prescribing which one is "right" for her goals.
BMR is what your body burns doing absolutely nothing — lying in bed all day. TDEE adds in your actual movement and exercise on top of that baseline. Confusing the two is a common mistake: eating "at your BMR" while still being active every day creates a much larger calorie deficit than intended, which is why the activity multiplier step matters as much as the BMR formula itself.
Basal Metabolic Rate — the calories your body burns at complete rest just to keep basic functions running (breathing, circulation, cell repair). It's the baseline before any activity is added.
Total Daily Energy Expenditure — your BMR multiplied by an activity factor, giving your actual estimated maintenance calories for the day including exercise and daily movement.
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation used here is considered one of the more accurate BMR formulas for the general population, but individual metabolism varies — treat the result as a starting estimate to adjust based on real-world results over a few weeks, not an exact number.
A commonly cited approach is a moderate deficit of around 500 calories/day below maintenance, which corresponds to roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) of weight loss per week — shown as the "mild loss" figure above. Significant or rapid calorie restriction isn't reflected here and should be discussed with a doctor or dietitian.