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Calorie calculator

Get your BMR, TDEE and the intake with a deficit as you type, in kcal and kJ. It’s worked out on your device.

Units
cm
kg
Sex
years
More options
kcal a day
Result

Your result will appear here.

What it does

The calorie calculator applies the Mifflin–St Jeor equation to your height, weight, age and sex, and shows:

The answer updates as you type.

How to use it

  1. Under Units, choose Metric (cm and kg) or Imperial (feet, inches and pounds).
  2. Enter your height and weight, choose Female or Male, and enter your age.
  3. Pick the activity level closest to a typical week.
  4. Under More options, change the deficit if you like: 500 kcal a day to start, from 0 to 2,000 in steps of 50.
  5. Select Copy result to put the answer on your clipboard.

The calculator remembers your units, activity level and deficit on this device. Your height, weight, sex and age aren’t kept: after a reload the form shows its example values again.

How it’s calculated

BMR = 10 × weight in kg + 6.25 × height in cm − 5 × age in years, then + 5 for male or − 161 for female. This is the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, published in 1990, for adults.

TDEE = BMR × the activity factor: 1.2, 1.375, 1.55, 1.725 or 1.9.

Intake = TDEE − deficit.

For a 30-year-old female, 170 cm and 65 kg, with Light activity and a 500 kcal deficit: BMR = 10 × 65 + 6.25 × 170 − 5 × 30 − 161 = 1,401.5; TDEE = 1,401.5 × 1.375 = 1,927; Intake = 1,927 − 500 = 1,427 kcal a day.

In imperial, the height is 12 × feet + inches, times 2.54 cm, and the weight is pounds times 0.45359237 kg, the exact definitions of the units. Kilojoules are kcal × 4.184. Each figure is rounded to whole kcal or kJ only for display.

Good to know

Privacy

Everything is worked out in your browser, on your device. Nothing you type is uploaded. Only your units, activity level and deficit are kept, in this browser’s storage, so the page can show them again.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?

BMR, the basal metabolic rate, is the energy the body uses at complete rest in a day. TDEE, the total daily energy expenditure, adds everyday movement and exercise: it is the BMR times an activity factor. At a BMR of 1,401.5 kcal and Light activity (× 1.375), the TDEE is 1,927 kcal a day.

What do the activity factors mean?

They scale the BMR for how much you move: Sedentary × 1.2 for little or no exercise, Light × 1.375 for exercise 1 to 3 days a week, Moderate × 1.55 for 3 to 5 days, Very active × 1.725 for 6 to 7 days, and Extra active × 1.9 for hard daily exercise or a physical job. They are broad averages, so pick the one closest to a typical week.

What is a kilojoule?

A kilojoule (kJ) is the metric unit of energy used on food labels in many countries. One kilocalorie, the “calorie” on most labels, is 4.184 kJ, so 1,927 kcal is 8,063 kJ.

Why is it only an estimate?

The Mifflin–St Jeor equation predicts the BMR from height, weight, age and sex, averaged over many people. Your own body can use more or less, and the activity factors are averages too. A measured value, from indirect calorimetry for example, can differ from the equation’s.

What does the deficit row show?

It subtracts the number of kcal a day you enter under More options from the TDEE, and shows what is left, in kcal and kJ. It is plain arithmetic: the page doesn’t predict any change in body weight.