Four quick steps to an estimate of the calories your body needs each day.
By Hammad ShahidLast updated
It depends on your size, age, sex and how much you move, so the useful figure is yours rather than an average. This calculator estimates resting metabolism with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, multiplies it by an activity factor, then adjusts by 250 kcal for your goal. A moderately active 32-year-old man of 175 cm and 70 kg maintains at about 2,540 kcal a day, and would sit at roughly 2,290 to lose weight.
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is an estimate of the calories your body burns at rest to keep essential functions running, such as breathing, circulation, and cell repair. FitQuota uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, a widely cited formula that considers your sex, age, weight, and height. It is the floor of your daily energy use, before any movement is added.
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) builds on BMR by accounting for daily activity and exercise. It is calculated by multiplying your BMR by an activity factor that reflects how active you are. TDEE is often used as an estimate of maintenance calories, the amount that may keep your weight stable.
A kilogram of body fat stores roughly 7,700 kcal, so losing one a week means running about 1,100 kcal below your maintenance level every day. That is a large deficit, and usually larger than it sounds: it is well over a third of the daily intake of someone whose maintenance level is near 2,100 kcal.
| Loss per week | In pounds | Daily deficit |
|---|---|---|
| 0.25 kg | 0.55 lb | 275 kcal |
| 0.5 kg | 1.1 lb | 550 kcal |
| 0.75 kg | 1.65 lb | 825 kcal |
| 1 kg | 2.2 lb | 1,100 kcal |
Two warnings come with that table. The 7,700 kcal figure treats every lost kilogram as pure fat, which overstates how fast real weight comes off, and your maintenance level falls as you get lighter, so a deficit that worked in month one is smaller in month three. What a sustainable rate looks like is set out in how big a calorie deficit you actually need.
The calculator runs three steps in order, using the values you entered above.
1. Estimate BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor)
BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) + 5 for men, or − 161 for women
2. Apply your activity multiplier
TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier
3. Adjust for your goal
Target = TDEE, or TDEE ± 250 kcal for weight loss or gain
| Activity level | Typical week | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | Little or no exercise, desk job | ×1.2 |
| Lightly active | Light exercise 1–3 days per week | ×1.375 |
| Moderately active | Moderate exercise 3–5 days per week | ×1.55 |
| Very active | Hard exercise 6–7 days per week | ×1.725 |
| Extra active | Very hard exercise or a physically demanding job | ×1.9 |
A 250 kcal daily adjustment is deliberately conservative: it is a moderate starting point rather than an aggressive deficit or surplus. Real-world needs depend on many factors, including muscle mass, genetics, sleep, stress, and overall health, so treat the result as a hypothesis to test over a few weeks rather than a fixed number.
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation behind the BMR step.
Calorie targets are estimates rather than prescriptions. Needs vary considerably between individuals, so treat this figure as a starting point to test over a few weeks.
The equation was derived from 498 adults aged 19 to 78. It was not developed for children or teenagers, who are still growing, so under-19s should not set a calorie target from it without speaking to a doctor or a registered dietitian.
If you have a medical condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a history of eating disorders, or are making a significant change to how you eat or train, consider speaking with a qualified healthcare professional.
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