Your body burns about 2,724 kcal/day at this activity level. Eating 2,724 kcal should hold your current weight steady.
Maintenance calories, cut target, and protein for eight common profiles
BMR is Mifflin-St Jeor; TDEE assumes the moderate activity setting, meaning 3 to 5 workouts a week and a 1.55 multiplier. The cut column is TDEE minus 500 kcal, and protein is the calculator's 2.0 g per kilogram of body weight.
Profile
BMR (kcal/day)
TDEE, moderate (kcal/day)
Cut target (kcal/day)
Protein (g/day)
Woman, 25 yrs, 55 kg, 160 cm
1,264
1,959
1,459
110
Woman, 30 yrs, 65 kg, 165 cm
1,370
2,124
1,624
130
Woman, 40 yrs, 75 kg, 168 cm
1,439
2,230
1,730
150
Woman, 50 yrs, 70 kg, 163 cm
1,308
2,027
1,527
140
Man, 25 yrs, 70 kg, 175 cm
1,674
2,594
2,094
140
Man, 30 yrs, 80 kg, 178 cm
1,768
2,740
2,240
160
Man, 40 yrs, 90 kg, 180 cm
1,830
2,837
2,337
180
Man, 50 yrs, 85 kg, 175 cm
1,699
2,633
2,133
170
Change the activity setting and TDEE moves with the multiplier. For the 80 kg man at a 1,768 kcal BMR: sedentary (1.2) gives 2,121 kcal, light (1.375) 2,430, moderate (1.55) 2,740, active (1.725) 3,049, and very active (1.9) 3,358. Bulk adds 300 kcal rather than subtracting 500. Fat is set at 25 percent of the calorie target and carbohydrate takes whatever calories remain after protein and fat. Individual metabolism varies by 5 to 10 percent or more, so treat any of these as a two-week starting hypothesis and adjust from your actual weight trend rather than assuming the estimate is exact.
What is TDEE?
TDEE — Total Daily Energy Expenditure — is the total calories your body burns each day, including resting metabolism (BMR), the energy cost of digestion, and movement from training and daily activity. We estimate BMR using the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, then scale by an activity multiplier.
How macros are split
Protein: ~2.0 g per kg of bodyweight (preserves muscle on a cut).
Fat: 25% of total calories (hormones, joint health, satiety).
Carbohydrates: the remaining calories (performance fuel).
Goal adjusts calories: −500 to cut, 0 to maintain, +300 to bulk.
Worked example
Take a 30-year-old man, 180 cm, 80 kg. Mifflin–St Jeor gives a BMR of (10 × 80) + (6.25 × 180) − (5 × 30) + 5 = 1,780 kcal. Training 3–4 days a week (moderate, ×1.55) puts TDEE at about 2,760 kcal. To lose fat, a 500-kcal deficit means eating roughly 2,260 kcal, with ~160 g protein (2 g/kg), ~63 g fat (25% of calories), and the rest — about 250 g — from carbohydrate.
Common mistakes
Overstating activity level — most people sit in light-to-moderate, not “very active.”
Treating the estimate as exact instead of adjusting from real 2–3 week trends.
Cutting calories too aggressively, which costs muscle and stalls progress.
Setting protein too low while dieting — it's what protects lean mass.
Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE and how is it calculated?+
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total calories you burn in a day. This calculator estimates your resting metabolism (BMR) with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation from your age, sex, height, and weight, then multiplies it by an activity factor from sedentary (about 1.2) up to very active (about 1.9).
What's the difference between BMR and TDEE?+
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is what your body burns at complete rest just to stay alive. TDEE is BMR plus everything else — digestion, daily movement, and exercise. TDEE is always higher than BMR and is the number to use when setting calorie targets.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?+
Fat loss requires eating below your TDEE. A deficit of about 500 calories a day is a common, sustainable target that yields roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) of fat loss per week. Set the goal to 'lose' above and the calculator subtracts the deficit for you.
How much protein do I need each day?+
For preserving muscle — especially in a calorie deficit — roughly 1.6 to 2.2 g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day is well supported. This tool defaults to about 2.0 g/kg, then fills the rest of your calories with fat and carbohydrate.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?+
It's a solid starting estimate, but individual metabolism varies by 5–10% or more. Treat the number as a hypothesis: track your weight and intake for 2–3 weeks and adjust up or down based on the real trend rather than assuming the estimate is exact.