What is Calorie Calculator?

The Calorie Calculator estimates your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) based on age, gender, weight, height, and activity level. This free tool helps you plan nutrition goals — all calculations happen privately on your device.

The calculator defaults to the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for BMR, with an optional Harris-Benedict toggle, then multiplies by an activity factor from 1.2 (sedentary) up to 1.9 (very active) to estimate TDEE. The results panel breaks down your burn into BMR, TDEE, and activity calories, then lists five daily targets from an aggressive 750-calorie deficit through maintenance to a 500-calorie surplus, so you can pick a pace you'll actually stick to. A zigzag section turns any of those into a weekly schedule that alternates higher and lower days without changing the total. Pick a goal to highlight the matching target, add a goal weight to see how many weeks it takes, and toggle metric or imperial units freely.

How to use

1. Enter your age, gender, weight, and height
2. Select your typical activity level from the options
3. View your estimated daily calorie needs for maintenance, loss, or gain

When to use

• Setting a starting daily target before a 12-week body-recomposition push.
• Adjusting expectations when a new desk job has cut your daily step count in half.
• Sanity-checking the calorie target your nutrition app set automatically.

Result

A 30-year-old moderately active male, 75 kg and 180 cm tall, needs approximately 2,500 calories daily.

FAQ

Should I pick Mifflin-St Jeor or Harris-Benedict?

Stick with Mifflin-St Jeor unless you have a reason not to. The 1990 formula tracks closer to indirect calorimetry for modern body compositions and is the one the American Dietetic Association recommends. The Harris-Benedict toggle is there for anyone whose trainer specified it or who wants to compare, but the 1919 equation tends to overstate BMR by about 5% in many adults.

How accurate is the TDEE estimate for me personally?

Within roughly ±10% for most adults at average body composition. Very lean athletes, people with a lot of muscle mass, and anyone over 60 may sit outside that band, so treat the number as a starting point and refine it from real-world weight changes over 2-3 weeks.

Should I pick Moderate or Active for an office job plus 3 gym sessions a week?

Moderate (1.55) usually fits — the multiplier covers desk work plus 3-5 structured workouts. Pick Active only if your job is on your feet or you genuinely walk 10k+ steps on top of the gym sessions.

Why does the weight-loss target subtract exactly 500 calories?

A 500-calorie daily deficit roughly equals one pound (0.45 kg) of fat per week, which is the slow-and-sustainable rate most dietitians recommend. Faster deficits work but tend to cost more lean mass and adherence.

Are my entries stored anywhere?

No. The age, weight, height, and activity values stay in the calculator while you use it and disappear as soon as you close the tab. Nothing is sent to a server, and there's no account or login.

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