Nutrition & supplements
How many calories do you burn per day (TDEE)?
BMR and daily calories with the Mifflin-St Jeor formula, plus targets for cutting or bulking.
Quick answer
TDEE = BMR × activity factor. BMR uses Mifflin-St Jeor: for a 30-year-old man at 75 kg and 175 cm, BMR = 10×75 + 6.25×175 − 5×30 + 5 = 1,699 kcal. With moderate activity (factor 1.55): 1,699 × 1.55 ≈ 2,633 kcal/day maintenance.
Maintenance calories (TDEE)
2,633 kcal
- Basal metabolic rate (BMR)
- 1,699 kcal
- To lose weight (~15% deficit)
- 2,238 kcal
- To gain muscle (~10% surplus)
- 2,896 kcal
Mifflin-St Jeor formula, the most accurate for the general population. It is an estimate: track your real weight for 2-3 weeks and adjust. Not a substitute for medical or dietitian advice.
How it works
From maintenance, the two directions are a percentage away — on the 2,633 kcal of the example above:
| Goal | Adjustment | Daily calories |
|---|---|---|
| Cut | −10 to −20% | ~2,240 at −15% |
| Maintain | — | 2,633 |
| Gain | +10% | ~2,896 |
These are starting estimates, not prescriptions: track weight for two or three weeks and move by 100–200 kcal if the trend is not going where you want. The number that needs correcting is almost never the formula — it is the activity level you selected.
After TDEE, split calories into macros (protein first at ~1.6–2.2 g/kg, then carbs and fat). A food scale nutrition and meal prep containers make logging honest; oils and sauces are where most "I eat at maintenance but gain" stories hide. A fitness smartwatch helps with steps/NEAT, not as a perfect calorie oracle.
Activity multipliers assume average jobs — desk + 3 gym days is usually "light" or "moderate", not "very active". Recalculate after large weight changes (±5 kg) or when training volume jumps for a race block. Estimates only — not medical advice.
The largest variable in this estimate is not in any of the inputs. Non-exercise movement — walking, standing, fidgeting, taking stairs — differs by several hundred kilocalories a day between two people who would tick the same activity box, and it is not something willpower controls. Worse for dieters, it falls quietly when you cut: the body moves less without asking, so a calculated 500 kcal deficit delivers less than 500. This is the real reason plateaus arrive without any change in eating, and the practical answer is a step count you actually watch, rather than a bigger deficit. Once the daily figure is set, the next step is splitting it: the macro calculator turns those calories into grams of protein, carbohydrate and fat.
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Frequently asked questions
Mifflin-St Jeor vs Harris-Benedict — which to use?+
Mifflin-St Jeor (used here) is more accurate for modern populations. Harris-Benedict tends to overestimate by 5–10%. Katch-McArdle is best if you know your body-fat percentage, because it uses lean mass instead of total weight.
What activity level should I select?+
Count structured exercise only, not your job, unless it is physically demanding. Desk job + 3 gym sessions/week = "light" or "moderate", not "intense". Overestimating activity is the most common reason calorie targets fail — when in doubt, pick the lower tier and adjust from the scale.
How big should my calorie deficit be?+
A 300–500 kcal/day deficit loses roughly 0.3–0.5 kg per week — sustainable for most people. Larger deficits speed the scale but increase muscle loss and hunger. Never go below BMR without medical supervision; keep protein high while cutting.
Why is my weight not changing at the calculated TDEE?+
Metabolic adaptation, logging errors (oils, sauces, drinks), water retention and NEAT changes all shift real needs. If weight is flat after 3 weeks at a supposed deficit, drop 150–200 kcal or add 2–3k daily steps before assuming the formula is wrong. Weigh at the same time of day, weekly average beats single mornings.
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