Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) based on your age, height, weight and activity level, along with calorie targets for weight loss or gain and a suggested macro split.
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This calculator first estimates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiplies it by an activity multiplier (ranging from 1.2 for sedentary to 1.9 for very active) to estimate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, the total calories you burn in a day including exercise and daily activity.
Calorie targets for weight loss or gain are then calculated by subtracting or adding a calorie deficit or surplus from your TDEE, using the common approximation that a 500 kcal/day deficit or surplus corresponds to roughly 0.5 kg of body weight change per week.
The suggested macro breakdown splits your maintenance TDEE into roughly 30% protein, 40% carbohydrates and 30% fat, a commonly used balanced starting point. Protein and carbohydrates provide about 4 kcal per gram, while fat provides about 9 kcal per gram, which is how the gram amounts are derived from the calorie split.
For example, a 30-year-old man, 175 cm, 70 kg, moderately active, has a BMR of 1,649 kcal/day and a TDEE of 2,556 kcal/day. To lose about 0.5 kg per week, his target would be roughly 2,056 kcal/day (a 500 kcal deficit), while to gain weight at the same rate his target would be about 3,056 kcal/day. At maintenance, his suggested macro split is roughly 192g protein, 256g carbs and 85g fat.
Overestimating activity level, choosing 'active' or 'very active' without a genuinely demanding daily routine inflates TDEE and can stall weight loss progress despite following the plan.
Not adjusting the target over time, TDEE shifts as body weight changes, a figure calculated at the start of a diet becomes progressively less accurate as weight is lost or gained.
Treating the 30/40/30 macro split as mandatory, it's a reasonable general default, but training style, personal preference and specific goals often justify a different ratio.
BMR is the calories your body burns at complete rest just to maintain basic functions. TDEE builds on BMR by adding in calories burned through daily activity and exercise, giving a more complete picture of your total daily calorie needs.
It's a reasonable general starting point, but individual needs vary based on goals, training style and personal preference. Athletes, for example, often benefit from a higher carbohydrate intake, while some people prefer higher fat, lower carb splits.
Eating at your TDEE is intended to maintain your current weight. Use the weight loss or weight gain targets instead if your goal is to change your body weight, and adjust based on your actual results over a few weeks.
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