How to use the calorie calculator
Enter your age, sex, height, weight, and activity level in metric or imperial units. The calculator estimates your Basal Metabolic Rate and your Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the calories you need to maintain your current weight — plus target intakes for losing or gaining weight at a steady, sustainable pace.
Maintenance, deficit, and surplus
Your TDEE is the balance point: eat that many calories and your weight stays roughly stable. Eating consistently below it creates a deficit and you lose weight; eating above it creates a surplus and you gain. The commonly used figure of a 500-calorie daily deficit corresponds to about half a kilogram of loss per week, which most people can maintain without feeling deprived.
Why it is an estimate, not a rule
No formula can capture your metabolism exactly. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation used here is well regarded for accuracy, but factors like muscle mass, sleep, stress, and how much you fidget all shift the real number. Treat the result as a well-informed starting point: eat at the suggested level for two or three weeks, weigh yourself regularly, and adjust. This tool is for general information and is not medical or dietary advice.