Calorie Calculator: Your Calorie Deficit, TDEE and Macros (1-Minute Test)
Answer 7 quick questions to get your BMR, maintenance calories (TDEE), a safe calorie deficit or surplus for your goal, and your daily protein, carbs and fat.
Step 1
Men usually burn more at rest because they carry more muscle.
Step 2
Your resting burn drops a little with each decade, mostly because muscle declines.
Please enter an age between 18 and 100. Teens are still growing and shouldn't diet without a doctor's guidance.
Step 3
These are the biggest factors in how many calories you burn.
Please check your numbers. Height should be 4′7″–7′3″ (140–220 cm) and weight 80–500 lb (36–227 kg).
Step 4
Count both your job and your workouts. Most people overestimate, so if you're unsure, pick the lower one.
Step 5
We'll start from the calories you burn and adjust for your goal.
Step 6
Slower is easier to stick to and protects more muscle.
Last step
These change what's safe, so your answer matters.
Calculating your resting metabolism…
This calorie calculator works out three numbers: how many calories you burn at rest (BMR), how many you burn on a normal day (your maintenance calories, or TDEE), and how many to eat for your goal, whether that’s a calorie deficit to lose fat or a small surplus to build muscle. It also splits your target into protein, carbs and fat. It takes about a minute, with no sign-up.
How this calorie deficit calculator works
- Your resting burn (BMR). We use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which a systematic review found to be the most accurate of the common formulas. It predicted resting metabolism within 10% for most healthy adults, both normal weight and obese.
- Your daily burn (TDEE). BMR is multiplied by an activity factor, from 1.2 for mostly sitting to 1.9 for athletes and heavy labor.
- Your goal. To lose fat, we subtract 250–750 calories a day, depending on the pace you pick. To build muscle, we add 10–15%.
- Safety limits. The deficit is capped at 25% of your daily burn and at about 1% of your body weight lost per week. We never go below 1,200 calories a day for women or 1,500 for men. If your BMI is under 18.5, we won’t calculate a deficit at all. During pregnancy we show maintenance only, and during breastfeeding the deficit is capped at about 300 calories a day.
- Macros. Protein is set first (1.2–2.0 g per kg, depending on your goal and activity). Fat is about 30% of calories, and carbs fill the rest.
Example results
For a 35-year-old, here’s what the calculator gives:
| Person | Mostly sitting | Exercise 3–5 days | Lose ~1 lb/week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woman, 5′4″, 140 lb | 1,580 | 2,040 | 1,540 |
| Woman, 5′6″, 170 lb | 1,780 | 2,300 | 1,800 |
| Man, 5′10″, 170 lb | 2,050 | 2,650 | 2,150 |
| Man, 6′0″, 210 lb | 2,310 | 2,980 | 2,480 |
Maintenance calories per day. The last column assumes exercise 3–5 days a week.
Notice how much activity matters: the same person can need 500–700 more calories a day just by exercising regularly. A lot of that difference also comes from everyday movement like walking, standing and fidgeting. We explain why that matters more than most people think in NEAT: the hidden calories you burn without exercise.
How big should your calorie deficit be?
The classic rule says a 500-calorie daily deficit loses 1 lb a week, because a pound of fat holds about 3,500 calories. It’s a decent starting point, but it overpromises over time. As you lose weight, you burn fewer calories, so losses slow down. Research modeling this effect (Hall and colleagues, The Lancet, 2011) found the old rule can overestimate long-term weight loss by a lot. That’s why the calculator says to re-check your numbers every 10 lb or so. For a full breakdown of where your daily calories go, see how many calories you burn a day.
Slower usually works better. In a study of elite athletes, losing about 0.7% of body weight a week preserved more muscle and strength than losing 1.4% a week. For most people, 0.5–1% of body weight a week (about 1–2 lb for a 200 lb person) is a good balance of progress and sustainability.
How many calories to build muscle?
You need a surplus, but only a small one. Reviews of bodybuilding nutrition recommend gaining about 0.25–0.5% of body weight a week, which usually means eating 10–20% above maintenance. Bigger surpluses mostly add fat, not muscle. Pair it with progressive strength training and plenty of protein. If you’re new to lifting, or have fat to lose, you may be able to build muscle and lose fat at the same time.
Why calorie calculators are only a starting point
Even the best equation is an estimate. Your real burn can differ by 10% or more because of muscle mass, genetics, sleep and how active you really are. People also tend to overestimate exercise and underestimate how much they eat. So:
- Follow your target for 2–3 weeks and weigh yourself a few mornings a week.
- Look at the weekly average, not single days, because water weight swings day to day.
- If the trend isn’t moving as expected, adjust by 100–200 calories and check again.
And yes, metabolism does slow somewhat with age, but less than most people think. See does metabolism really slow down after 40?
Who should not use this calculator
- Anyone under 18, or anyone who is pregnant and wants to lose weight.
- Anyone with a current or past eating disorder. The calculator won’t give a number. Please work with a professional.
- People with diabetes (especially on insulin or sulfonylureas), thyroid disease or heart disease, or taking weight-loss medication, who should change their diet with their doctor’s help.
This calculator is for education only and isn’t medical advice. Read our medical disclaimer. More free tools: protein calculator, water intake calculator and all health calculators.
Turn your numbers into meals: our free meal plan generator uses the same formulas to build a 7-day plan around your calories and protein, with vegetarian and vegan versions and a weekly shopping list.
Sources
- Mifflin MD, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241-247. PubMed 2305711
- Frankenfield D, Roth-Yousey L, Compher C. Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate in healthy nonobese and obese adults: a systematic review. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005;105(5):775-789. PubMed 15883556
- Hall KD, et al. Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. Lancet. 2011;378(9793):826-837. PubMed 21872751
- Garthe I, et al. Effect of two different weight-loss rates on body composition and strength and power-related performance in elite athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2011;21(2):97-104. PubMed 21558571
- Helms ER, Aragon AA, Fitschen PJ. Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014;11:20. PubMed 24864135
- Iraki J, et al. Nutrition recommendations for bodybuilders in the off-season: a narrative review. Sports (Basel). 2019;7(7):154. PubMed 31247944
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: the evidence report. Obes Res. 1998;6(Suppl 2):51S-209S. PubMed 9813653
- Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. National Academies Press; 2005. nap.edu
This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. See our Medical Disclaimer before changing your exercise, diet, or supplement routine.
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Frequently asked questions
How many calories should I eat a day?
Most adults need roughly 1,600u20132,400 calories a day (women) or 2,000u20133,000 (men) to maintain their weight, depending on size, age and activity. Your own number comes from your resting metabolism (BMR) times your activity level, which the calculator above works out.
How do I calculate my calorie deficit?
Start with your maintenance calories (TDEE), then subtract 250u2013750 calories a day. A 500-calorie deficit is a common starting point for losing about 1 lb a week. Keep the deficit under about 25% of your maintenance, and donu2019t go below about 1,200 (women) or 1,500 (men) calories a day without medical supervision.
What is TDEE?
TDEE stands for total daily energy expenditure: all the calories you burn in a day, including your resting metabolism, digestion, exercise and everyday movement. Eating at your TDEE keeps your weight stable, which is why it is also called maintenance calories.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR (basal metabolic rate) is what your body burns at complete rest to keep you alive. TDEE adds everything you do on top of that, from walking and working to training. For most people, TDEE is 1.2 to 1.9 times their BMR.
Is 1,200 calories a day enough?
For most adults, 1,200 calories is the lowest intake that is generally considered safe without medical supervision, and only for smaller, less active women. Most men and active women need considerably more, even when losing weight.
Why am I not losing weight in a calorie deficit?
Usually the deficit is smaller than you think: calculators can be 10% off, and people tend to underestimate food and overestimate exercise. Water weight can also hide fat loss for a week or two. Track your weekly average weight for 2u20133 weeks, then cut 100u2013200 calories if it is not moving.
How many calories should I eat to build muscle?
Eat about 10u201320% above your maintenance calories, aiming to gain around 0.25u20130.5% of your body weight per week, and combine it with progressive strength training and enough protein. Larger surpluses mainly add fat.