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Daily Calorie Calculator

Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) to find your exact calorie targets.

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What is a Daily Calorie Calculator?

If you want to lose fat, build muscle, or just maintain a healthy physique, everything starts with energy balance. Our Daily Calorie Calculator uses the scientifically backed Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)—the total number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period.

How to use your results:

  1. Maintenance: If you consume your exact TDEE in calories every day, your weight will remain exactly the same.
  2. Weight Loss (Calorie Deficit): To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than your body burns. Subtracting 500 calories a day from your maintenance level typically results in a healthy, sustainable weight loss of about 0.5 kg (1 lb) per week.
  3. Weight Gain (Caloric Surplus): To build muscle (bulk), you need extra energy. Adding 300-500 calories to your maintenance level provides the fuel needed for muscle synthesis.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the number of calories your body requires to keep you alive if you stayed in bed all day without moving (breathing, organ function, etc.). TDEE takes your BMR and multiplies it by an activity multiplier to account for walking, working, digesting food, and exercising.

Is a 1,200 calorie diet safe for weight loss?

For most adults, dropping to 1,200 calories is unnecessarily aggressive and can lead to muscle loss, nutrient deficiencies, and metabolic slowdown. Always use a calorie calculator to find a personalized deficit (usually just 500 calories below your TDEE) rather than blindly following a 1,200 calorie trend.

Should I eat back the calories I burn from exercise?

No. If you selected an accurate "Activity Level" in the calculator above, your exercise calories are already factored into your daily target. Eating them back (as tracked by a smart watch) usually leads to double-counting and stalls weight loss.