Work out BMR, daily maintenance calories and calories for a weight goal. Runs on your device.
Maintenance calories, also called TDEE, are your basal metabolic rate (BMR) multiplied by an activity factor. The page uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for BMR: 10 × weight in kg + 6.25 × height in cm − 5 × age, then + 5 for the male formula or − 161 for the female one. For a 30-year-old man of 175 cm and 70 kg that is 700 + 1,093.75 − 150 + 5 = 1,648.75, shown as 1,649 kcal. At the moderate factor of 1.55 the TDEE is 1,648.75 × 1.55 = 2,555.56, shown as 2,556 kcal. A woman of 30, 165 cm and 60 kg gets 600 + 1,031.25 − 150 − 161 = 1,320.25 kcal, and 1,815 kcal at the light factor of 1.375. The box under the answer repeats every step with your own numbers.
Beside Mifflin-St Jeor the page shows the revised Harris-Benedict equation, which for the same man gives 88.362 + 13.397 × 70 + 4.799 × 175 − 5.677 × 30 = 1,695.67, shown as 1,696 kcal. If you also enter body fat, the page adds the Katch-McArdle equation, 370 + 21.6 × lean mass in kg. At 20% body fat the same 70 kg man has 56 kg of lean mass, so 370 + 21.6 × 56 = 1,579.6, shown as 1,580 kcal. The activity factors are 1.2 for sedentary, 1.375 for light, 1.55 for moderate, 1.725 for very active and 1.9 for extra active. They are multipliers on BMR, not measurements, and picking one level too high is the usual reason an estimate overshoots.
The table turns a weekly change into a daily calorie figure. It assumes about 7,700 kcal per kg of body weight, or 3,500 kcal per pound, so 1 kg a week is 7,700 ÷ 7 = 1,100 kcal a day. For the 2,556 kcal man, losing 0.5 kg a week means 2,556 − 550 = 2,006 kcal a day, and losing 1 kg a week means 1,456 kcal. That last row is marked Below BMR because it is under the 1,649 kcal the formula estimates he uses at rest. Metric mode lists 0.25, 0.5 and 1 kg a week to lose and 0.25 and 0.5 to gain. Imperial mode lists 0.5, 1 and 2 lb to lose and 0.5 and 1 to gain. The 7,700 figure is an approximation, and real weight change is not that tidy.
These equations predict an average adult from age, height, weight and sex. They do not know your muscle, medical conditions, medicines, pregnancy or how your body adapts to eating less. Ages 18 to 80 are accepted. The formulas were developed on adults, and the Mifflin-St Jeor study population was aged 19 to 78, so they do not cover anyone under 18: for a child or teenager, ask a doctor or dietitian. Two people with the same inputs can differ by a few hundred kcal a day. Treat the result as a starting point to compare with how your weight actually moves over a few weeks. It is an estimate, not medical advice, and the page does not say what you should eat.
Work out BMR first, then multiply by an activity factor from 1.2 to 1.9. For a 30-year-old man of 175 cm and 70 kg, Mifflin-St Jeor gives a BMR of 1,648.75 kcal, and at 1.55 the TDEE is 2,555.56, shown as 2,556 kcal a day. The page shows each step with your numbers.
BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5 for men or − 161 for women. A 30-year-old woman of 165 cm and 60 kg gets 600 + 1,031.25 − 150 − 161 = 1,320.25 kcal a day at rest. It is the main formula on this page.
They are two different fitted equations. For a 30-year-old man of 175 cm and 70 kg, Mifflin-St Jeor gives 1,649 kcal and revised Harris-Benedict gives 1,696 kcal, a gap of 47 kcal. The page shows both so you can see the spread.
On the usual approximation of 7,700 kcal per kg, 0.5 kg a week is 550 kcal a day below maintenance. With a TDEE of 2,556 that is 2,006 kcal a day. In pounds the figure is 3,500 kcal per lb, so 1 lb a week is 500 kcal a day. Real weight change varies.
The row's daily calories are lower than the BMR the formula estimates for you. At 2,556 kcal maintenance and a BMR of 1,649, losing 1 kg a week gives 1,456 kcal, so it is marked. The label is a flag about the number, not a statement about what is safe for you.
No. The numbers stay in this tab and are not stored on your device or sent anywhere. Reloading the page puts the example back. The page only counts that a result was shown, without any of your numbers.