Calorie Calculator
Estimate your daily calorie needs to maintain, lose, or gain weight, using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.
The equation uses a fixed offset by sex — see sources below.
| BMR (resting calories) | 0 kcal/day |
| Maintenance (TDEE) | 0 kcal/day |
| Mild weight loss (~0.25 kg/week) | 0 kcal/day |
| Weight loss (~0.5 kg/week) | 0 kcal/day |
| Weight gain (~0.5 kg/week) | 0 kcal/day |
A deficit/surplus of roughly 7,700 kcal corresponds to about 1 kg of body weight, so ±550 kcal/day ≈ ±0.5 kg/week. This is a population-average estimate — individual results vary.
- What is BMR vs TDEE?
- BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories your body needs at complete rest. TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) multiplies BMR by an activity factor to estimate the calories you burn in a normal day.
- Why does the calculator ask for sex?
- The Mifflin-St Jeor equation includes a fixed offset (+5 for men, -161 for women) derived from the original regression study on resting energy expenditure.
FAQ
Sources
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241-247. PMID 2305711
- National Academies / NIH — Dietary Reference Intakes, energy expenditure methodology