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For adults 15–80. TDEE is the usual daily target to keep weight. Not a meal plan and not medical advice.
Calories
What BMR and TDEE mean
This calorie calculator estimates how many kilocalories an adult uses in a day. First it works out BMR — the energy you would use completely at rest — with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation from age, height, weight and sex. Then BMR is multiplied by an activity factor. That product is TDEE, a starting point for maintaining weight.
Activity factors: 1.2 if you sit most of the day; 1.375 light movement; 1.55 training a few times a week; 1.725 hard physical work or frequent sport; 1.9 a very heavy load.
The chips show maintenance, −500 kcal (a rough deficit, about 0.5 kg a week in theory) and +300 kcal (a small surplus). They are not a diet and not a prescription. Not for children, pregnancy, illness or eating disorders.
Mifflin-St Jeor and TDEE
Male: BMR = 10×kg + 6.25×cm − 5×age + 5. Female: the same formula with −161 instead of +5.
TDEE = BMR × activity. Example: man, 30 years, 170 cm, 70 kg, moderate 1.55 → BMR 1,618 kcal, TDEE 2,507 kcal per day.
s = +5 male, −161 female. TDEE = BMR × activity.
How to estimate TDEE
- Sex, age, height, weight: Metric by default except on English. Switch units if you use feet and pounds.
- Pick activity: Sedentary if you sit almost all day. Moderate if you train a few times a week. Be honest — overstating activity inflates TDEE.
- Read BMR and TDEE: TDEE is the maintenance figure. Use −500 only as a mild starting deficit, not as a rule.
Frequently asked questions
Should I eat my BMR or my TDEE?
TDEE is the usual daily target to keep weight. Eating only BMR assumes you never move.
Why Mifflin-St Jeor?
It is the common adult screening formula on the web. Harris-Benedict is older; Katch-McArdle needs body-fat percent. None of them replace a clinician.
Is −500 kcal a safe cut?
It is only a round number (about 0.5 kg a week in theory). Jobs, hormones and health differ. Ask a professional before a large deficit.
Can I use this in pregnancy?
No. Energy needs change. This page is adult screening only — not for pregnancy, under-15s or eating disorders.