Daily Calorie Calculator
This calculator estimates how many calories you need each day to maintain your current weight. On Calculators Wiki, it is meant as a practical starting point for meal planning, not a perfect answer.
The estimate depends on your basal metabolic rate, then adjusts for activity. Real needs can be higher or lower because of muscle mass, pregnancy, illness, medications, and how active you really are day to day.
If you want to compare this with a weight-focused tool, try the BMI calculator. For general nutrition guidance, the NHLBI has plain-language information on healthy weight and calorie balance.
How it's calculated
Step 1: Estimate BMR
A common method is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation:
- Men: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) - 5 × age + 5
- Women: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) - 5 × age - 161
Step 2: Multiply by activity level
TDEE = BMR × activity factor
Typical factors: - Sedentary: 1.2 - Lightly active: 1.375 - Moderately active: 1.55 - Very active: 1.725 - Extra active: 1.9
Example
Say a 35-year-old woman weighs 70 kg, is 165 cm tall, and is moderately active.
- BMR = 10×70 + 6.25×165 - 5×35 - 161
- BMR = 700 + 1031.25 - 175 - 161 = 1395.25
- TDEE = 1395.25 × 1.55 = 2162.64 calories/day
That means about 2,163 calories per day to maintain weight.
Notes
- This is an estimate, not a lab measurement.
- Small changes in activity can shift the result by a few hundred calories.
- For a weight-loss or weight-gain target, you would usually adjust the maintenance number up or down.
- The formula is widely used, but it does not account for every individual difference.