How to calculate your daily calories

Your daily calorie burn — the TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) — is how much energy your body spends across the day: breathing, digesting, walking and training. Knowing it is the basis for losing or gaining weight with control.

Step 1: basal metabolic rate (BMR)

The energy you spend at complete rest. The most-used formula is Mifflin-St Jeor:

BMR = 10×weight(kg) + 6.25×height(cm) − 5×age + s

Where s = +5 for men and s = −161 for women.

Step 2: the activity factor

Multiply BMR by the factor matching your routine:

• 1.2 — sedentary
• 1.375 — light (1–3 days/week)
• 1.55 — moderate (3–5 days/week)
• 1.725 — heavy (6–7 days/week)
• 1.9 — very heavy (physical job + training)

The result is your TDEE — your maintenance calories.

Step-by-step example

Man, 80 kg, 178 cm, 30 years, moderate:

• BMR: 10×80 + 6.25×178 − 5×30 + 5 = 1,767 kcal
• TDEE: 1,767 × 1.55 ≈ 2,739 kcal/day

How to use it

Eat below TDEE to lose (deficit), above to gain (surplus). A ~500 kcal/day deficit gives ~0.5 kg loss per week.

FAQ

Is it exact? No, it's an estimate. Adjust after 2–3 weeks based on how the scale responds.

Is my metabolism "slow"? Rarely as much as it seems. Most variation between people comes from activity level, not BMR.