Calories are the fuel your body runs on. Eat too few and your body breaks down muscle for energy. Eat too many and the excess gets stored as fat. Finding your personal calorie sweet spot is one of the most useful things you can do for your health — and it's simpler than most people think.
Find your exact daily calorie needs based on your age, weight, height, and activity level.
Calculate Calories →TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories your body burns in a day, including exercise, movement, digestion, and basic body functions. It's the number you need to know to manage your weight effectively.
Your TDEE is calculated in two steps. First, we calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) — the calories your body burns just to stay alive at rest. Then we multiply by an activity factor.
BMR uses the Harris-Benedict equation based on age, weight, height, and gender
| Activity Level | Description | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | Desk job, little exercise | × 1.2 |
| Lightly Active | Light exercise 1-3 days/week | × 1.375 |
| Moderately Active | Moderate exercise 3-5 days/week | × 1.55 |
| Very Active | Hard exercise 6-7 days/week | × 1.725 |
| Athlete | Twice daily training | × 1.9 |
Avoid extreme deficits — eating less than 1200 calories (women) or 1500 calories (men) daily is unsustainable and leads to muscle loss, fatigue, and nutrient deficiencies.
The Harris-Benedict equation is accurate within about 10% for most people. It's a starting estimate — track your actual weight for 2 weeks and adjust calories based on real results.
If you used the activity multiplier correctly, your exercise is already factored in. Don't eat them back. If you chose "sedentary" but then exercise, you can eat back about 50-60% of those calories.
Common reasons: underestimating portion sizes, overestimating activity level, water retention masking fat loss, or the deficit being too small. Give it 3-4 weeks before adjusting.
Free, instant, accurate. No sign-up required.
Open Calorie Calculator →