Calorie Calculator
Estimate the daily calories you need to maintain your weight.
How many calories do you need?
Your body burns calories just to stay alive, breathing, pumping blood, and keeping warm. That baseline is called your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). On top of that, daily movement and exercise add more. The total is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), and it is roughly how many calories you need to keep your weight steady.
This tool uses the widely trusted Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate your BMR from your age, sex, height, and weight, then multiplies by an activity factor for your TDEE. To lose weight, eat a little below this number; to gain, eat a little above.
Note: These are estimates. Real needs vary with body composition, health, and genetics. Talk to a professional before making big diet changes.
Common questions
- How do I lose weight with this?
- A common starting point is eating about 500 calories below your maintenance number per day.
- Why does activity matter so much?
- An active person can burn hundreds more calories daily than a sedentary one of the same size.