This calculator estimates daily calorie needs for adults planning weight maintenance, loss, or gain.
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Enter age, sex, height, weight, and usual activity level, then select a weight goal. Treat activity honestly: a desk job plus two workouts is generally light activity, not athlete territory.
Using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, male BMR = 10 x weight in kg + 6.25 x height in cm - 5 x age + 5, while female BMR = 10 x weight in kg + 6.25 x height in cm - 5 x age - 161. TDEE = BMR x activity factor, and a goal adjustment is added to or subtracted from TDEE.
A 35-year-old man who weighs 80 kg and is 180 cm tall has a BMR of 1,755 calories. With a moderate activity factor of 1.55, estimated maintenance needs are about 2,720 calories per day.
It is a starting estimate, not a direct measurement of metabolism. Track weight and intake for two to four weeks, then adjust if the trend does not match the goal.
A modest deficit of roughly 250 to 500 calories per day is commonly used. Medical conditions, pregnancy, eating disorder history, and unusually low calorie targets warrant guidance from a qualified clinician.
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