Daily Energy Planning

Free BMR CalculatorCalories, TDEE & daily targets

100% Free. Calculate how many calories your body burns at rest and convert that into daily energy targets. Adjust for activity level and goals to plan sustainable weight loss, maintenance, or muscle gain.

✓ Mifflin-St Jeor equation
✓ Activity multipliers
✓ Goal-based calorie targets

After this result, continue with BMI, Body Fat, Ideal Weight, or another tool above.

Measurement units

BMR & Calorie Calculator

Calculate your daily calorie needs

kg

≈ 169.8 lbs

cm

≈ 5' 10"

Calorie and macro estimates support informed planning but do not replace medical nutrition therapy. Consult a professional for personalized advice.

Why use this calculator

Practical guidance designed to work alongside your BMI results

Clinically Trusted Formulas

The calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, validated by dietitians for both men and women. Enter age, height, weight, gender, and activity level to get precise BMR and TDEE estimates instantly.

Personalized Calorie Targets

Select weight loss, maintenance, or gain goals to see recommended daily calories and expected weekly progress. The tool applies scientifically supported calorie surpluses or deficits for realistic results.

Macro Guidance Included

Translate calorie targets into daily protein, carb, and fat grams. Use the suggested macro split as a baseline and adjust to fit individual preferences or dietitian recommendations.

How to get accurate results

Follow these steps so your numbers are useful, not just interesting

How to Use the BMR Calculator

Basal metabolic rate is the number of calories your body needs at complete rest. Combine it with your activity level to plan sustainable nutrition strategies.

  • Choose metric or imperial units so your inputs match familiar measurements.
  • Enter accurate age, weight, and height values—re-measure if it has been more than 4 weeks.
  • Select your daily activity level. Include both structured workouts and occupational movement.
  • Pick a goal: maintenance, gradual fat loss, or strategic muscle gain.

Understanding Your Results

Your dashboard includes BMR, total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), calorie targets, and weekly change estimates. Use the output to design meal plans, recovery strategies, or training phases.

  • BMR reflects resting calorie needs before accounting for activity.
  • TDEE multiplies BMR by the activity factor to estimate total energy needs.
  • Goal calories apply a 500 calorie deficit or surplus for safe weekly changes.
  • Macro suggestions break calories into 30% protein, 40% carbs, and 30% fats for balanced nutrition.
Energy & metabolism guide

BMR and TDEE explained for real-world calorie planning

Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is an estimate of calories your body burns at complete rest. Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) adds activity on top. Together they give a practical starting point for weight loss, maintenance, or muscle gain—without guessing from generic charts.

Sample calorie outcomes

Rounded illustrations using Mifflin–St Jeor with moderate activity

Example A · Maintain

  • Man, 30y
  • 178 cm · 77 kg
  • Moderate activity

~2,600 cal

TDEE maintain

Example B · Fat loss

  • Woman, 28y
  • 165 cm · 68 kg
  • Light activity

~1,700 cal

Goal (−500)

Example C · Gain

  • Man, 24y
  • 183 cm · 82 kg
  • Active

~3,400 cal

Goal (+500)

Examples are rounded for readability. Use the calculator above for your exact inputs.

What BMR is—and what it is not

BMR covers the energy needed for organs, breathing, and basic cellular work if you stayed in bed all day. It is not your full daily burn.

TDEE multiplies BMR by an activity factor so you can plan food around training, commuting, and work. Most people should plan from TDEE, then adjust for their goal.

  • BMR ≈ resting calories
  • TDEE ≈ BMR × activity multiplier
  • Goal calories ≈ TDEE ± surplus or deficit

Why we use Mifflin–St Jeor

The Mifflin–St Jeor equation is widely preferred for healthy adults because it tends to match measured resting energy expenditure better than older Harris–Benedict versions for many populations.

It still remains an estimate. Medications, thyroid status, adaptive metabolism after long dieting, and very high muscle mass can shift real needs.

If you have a metabolic or endocrine condition, ask a clinician or registered dietitian before using online calorie targets as medical advice.

Choosing the right activity level

People often overestimate activity. Pick the level that matches your typical week—not your best training week.

  • Sedentary: desk work, little formal exercise
  • Light: 1–3 easy sessions per week
  • Moderate: 3–5 sessions or an active job
  • Active / very active: daily training or heavy physical work

Safe deficits and surpluses

A common starting point is about 500 calories below TDEE for fat loss or 250–500 above for lean gains. Larger swings can work short-term but raise the odds of muscle loss, rebound hunger, and burnout.

  • Reassess every 2–4 weeks using average weight trends
  • If fat loss stalls for 2+ weeks, trim 5–10% of calories or add steps
  • Keep protein high and lift to protect lean mass in a deficit

What to do with your numbers

Turn goal calories into meals you can repeat. Use our macro calculator for protein/carb/fat grams, and revisit BMR when weight changes by more than a few kilograms.

About this calculator

This free BMR calculator estimates resting and daily calories with Mifflin–St Jeor, then adjusts for activity and goal. It is an educational planning tool—not personalized medical nutrition therapy.

Official references for this calculator

Primary public and peer-reviewed sources that inform the formulas, category bands, or screening cutoffs used here.

  1. 1American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (PubMed)
    A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals (Mifflin–St Jeor)

    Equation commonly used for adult BMR / resting energy expenditure estimates.

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2305711/

  2. 2World Health Organization (WHO)
    Obesity and overweight (fact sheet)

    Adult overweight ≥25 BMI and obesity ≥30 BMI; explains BMI as a population screening marker.

    https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight

Educational use only. Category labels on this site summarize public guidance and may not capture every local clinical pathway. Always follow advice from your clinician or national health service.

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Navy method body fat percentage with healthy ranges.

Ideal Weight Calculator

Robinson, Miller, Devine, and Hamwi formulas.

Waist-to-Hip Calculator

WHO risk categories for fat distribution.

Macro Calculator

Protein, carb, and fat targets by goal.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Straight answers about accuracy, timing, and how to use your results

Most registered dietitians prefer the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for adults because it matches indirect calorimetry studies more closely than Harris-Benedict. It remains accurate when you update measurements regularly.