Calorie Calculator – Daily Calories, TDEE, Macros and Goal-Based Planning
This comprehensive Calorie Calculator helps you estimate the number of calories you need each day to maintain your weight, lose fat, or gain muscle. It includes TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), macros, and goal-based planning—allowing you to go from a simple calorie estimate to a personalized fitness or fat-loss strategy.
Whether you are aiming for sustainable weight loss, structured muscle gain, or consistent maintenance calories, this tool provides evidence-based calculations built on internationally recognized formulas, including the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, activity multipliers, macro calorie ratios, and energy-based weight change forecasts.
What This Calorie Calculator Can Do
- Estimate your BMR using the Mifflin–St Jeor formula.
- Calculate TDEE based on your activity level.
- Recommend daily calories for weight loss, maintenance, and weight gain.
- Convert your calories into balanced, high-protein, low-carb, or custom macros.
- Plan your calorie target to reach a goal weight by a chosen deadline.
- Support both metric and imperial units.
What Is BMR?
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) represents the energy your body requires at rest—essential calories needed for breathing, circulation, organ function, and cell repair. BMR is the foundation for all calorie calculations because it shows the minimum energy required for survival.
This calculator uses the Mifflin–St Jeor formula, which is considered the most accurate BMR formula for adults:
BMR increases with muscle mass and height and decreases with age since metabolic processes naturally slow down.
Understanding TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)
TDEE represents the number of calories you burn per day, including exercise, walking, work, household activity, and lifestyle. It is calculated by multiplying your BMR by an activity factor:
- Sedentary: BMR × 1.2
- Lightly active: BMR × 1.375
- Moderately active: BMR × 1.55
- Very active: BMR × 1.725
- Super active: BMR × 1.9
Your TDEE is your true calorie maintenance level—the point at which your weight neither increases nor decreases. Eating below TDEE creates a calorie deficit for weight loss, while eating above it creates a surplus for weight gain.
Daily Calorie Targets for Weight Loss, Maintenance, and Weight Gain
After calculating TDEE, the tool automatically provides calorie targets for different goals:
1. Maintenance Calories
This is simply your TDEE. Eating at this level keeps your weight stable long term.
2. Moderate Weight Loss
A typical moderate weight-loss plan reduces daily calories by approximately 500 kcal, resulting in around 0.45 kg (1 lb) per week of fat loss.
3. Aggressive Weight Loss
A steeper deficit of around 750 kcal accelerates fat loss but should be used cautiously. It is not recommended for long durations unless monitored by a professional.
4. Weight Gain (Muscle Gain)
Healthy weight gain typically involves a caloric surplus of around 300–350 kcal per day, combined with resistance training and sufficient protein intake.
How Many Calories Do You Need Per Day?
Calorie needs vary widely based on age, sex, genetics, body fat percentage, muscle mass, and daily movement. Still, a few common patterns exist:
- Men generally require more calories than women due to higher muscle mass.
- Taller people burn more calories because of higher skeletal and organ mass.
- People with active jobs or workouts burn significantly more calories daily.
- As age increases, calorie needs tend to drop due to loss of lean mass and reduced metabolic rate.
Macros: Converting Calories Into Carbs, Protein, and Fat
Macronutrients (macros) are the building blocks of your diet. Once you know your daily calorie target, this calculator converts those calories into grams using common macro splits such as:
- Balanced: 50% carbs, 20% protein, 30% fat
- High-protein: 35% carbs, 30% protein, 35% fat
- Low-carb: 20% carbs, 35% protein, 45% fat
- Custom: You choose your own macro percentages
The conversion rules used are:
- 1 g of protein = 4 kcal
- 1 g of carbohydrate = 4 kcal
- 1 g of fat = 9 kcal
High-protein diets often support better appetite control and improved muscle retention, especially during calorie deficits.
How the Weight Goal Planner Works
The goal planner mode calculates the daily calorie target needed to go from your current weight to your desired goal weight in a chosen number of weeks. It uses a widely accepted estimate:
The calculator computes the total calorie deficit or surplus required, spreads it over your chosen number of weeks, and calculates an estimated safe rate of weekly change.
Recommended Weight-Change Rates
- 0.25 kg/week: Very sustainable and ideal for long-term consistency.
- 0.35–0.75 kg/week: Realistic and effective for most people.
- 0.75–1.0 kg/week: Fast, but may impact energy levels or recovery.
- Above 1.0 kg/week: Considered aggressive and may not be safe without professional guidance.
Results are estimates. Actual fat loss or gain varies depending on hormones, sleep, stress, training intensity, diet quality, and metabolic adaptation.
Healthy Tips for Weight Loss and Weight Gain
Regardless of your goal—fat loss, muscle gain, or maintenance—a few universal strategies can help:
For Fat Loss
- Prioritize protein to maintain muscle mass.
- Fill your plate with fiber-rich vegetables and whole foods.
- Avoid extreme calorie deficits to protect metabolism and hormones.
- Track calories or portions to stay consistent.
- Train with weights 2–4 times per week.
For Muscle Gain
- Increase calorie intake gradually (200–300 kcal/day).
- Emphasize progressive strength training.
- Increase daily protein intake.
- Focus on sleep quality and recovery.
For Weight Maintenance
- Stay close to your TDEE most days.
- Remain consistent with movement and exercise.
- Avoid large swings in calorie intake week-to-week.
Calorie Calculator Examples
Example 1: Moderate Weight Loss
Mary is 30 years old, weighs 70 kg, is 165 cm tall, and exercises 3–4 days per week. Her estimated TDEE is approximately 2100 kcal/day. A moderate deficit of 500 kcal sets her daily target at around 1600 kcal—enough for gradual, sustainable fat loss.
Example 2: Muscle Gain
James weighs 80 kg, is 180 cm tall, and trains with weights 5 days per week. His estimated TDEE is around 2750 kcal/day. For gradual muscle gain, he raises his intake to 3050 kcal/day and focuses on progressive overload in training.
Example 3: Goal-Based Planning
Sarah is 85 kg and wants to reach 70 kg in 24 weeks. The total deficit needed is approximately 115,500 kcal. This equals a daily deficit of around 690 kcal/day—fast but attainable with strength training and high-protein nutrition.
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Calorie Calculator FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Find quick answers to the most common questions calories, TDEE, weight loss, macros, and energy needs.
The calculator uses the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, which is one of the most accurate formulas for estimating adult BMR. TDEE estimates are based on your activity level and provide aiable starting point for calorie planning.
A moderate deficit of around 500 kcal/day helps most adults lose 0.45 kg (1 lb) per week. Larger deficits may produce faster results but should be used cautiously.
A surplus of around 200–300 kcal/day is ideal for lean muscle gain with minimal fat gain. Combine this calorie target with strength training and adequate protein intake.
Many people succeed with a high-protein macro split—typically 30% protein, 35% fat, and 35% carbs. This supports appetite control and muscle preservation during a deficit.
Not necessarily, but understanding roughly how many calories you need can dramatically increase consistency and success. Tracking portion sizes or using calorie-dense food swaps can also work effectively.
BMR reflects calories burned at rest, while TDEE includes movement, exercise, and lifestyle factors. TDEE is always higher because it represents total daily energy expenditure.
Yes. Choose “very active” or “super active” depending on your training frequency. The calculator adjusts your TDEE accordingly.
Yes. Intermittent fasting does not change your calorie needs; it only changes the timing of your eating window. You can use the same TDEE and macro targets regardless of your fasting schedule.