TDEE, maintenance calories per day
2,693
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BMR and TDEE Calculator
Mifflin-St Jeor BMR, TDEE, 20% loss and 15% surplus calorie targets.
BMR and TDEE Calculator
Calculator
Calculated Results
BMR (resting calories)
1,737
Weight loss target (-20%)
2,154
Muscle gain target (+15%)
3,097
BMI (informational)
24.4
BMR is rest. TDEE is the day you actually live
Basal metabolic rate is the energy your organs use if you stay in bed. Total daily energy expenditure multiplies that by how much you move. People stall fat loss because they eat "1,200 calories" with no link to either number, or they eat at gym-bro surplus on a sedentary job. BMR on this page is Mifflin-St Jeor, which dietetics texts prefer over original Harris-Benedict (1919) for adult resting calories. The 1.2 to 1.9 activity steps are PAL multipliers applied to that BMR. They are the same PAL table used with Katch-McArdle and revised Harris-Benedict TDEE estimates. They are not 1919 Harris-Benedict activity coefficients.
Defaults: male, 30 years, 170 lbs, 70 inches, moderately active (multiplier 1.55). Weight in kilograms is 77.11. Height in centimeters is 177.8. BMR = 10 x 77.11 + 6.25 x 177.8 - 5 x 30 + 5 = 1,737 kcal. TDEE = 1,737 x 1.55 = 2,693 kcal. Loss at 80% is 2,154. Surplus at 115% is 3,097. BMI on those stats is 24.4, the middle of the standard healthy band, so no safety note fires.
Male BMR = 10*kg + 6.25*cm - 5*age + 5 (Mifflin-St Jeor)Female BMR = 10*kg + 6.25*cm - 5*age - 161TDEE = BMR x PAL (1.2, 1.375, 1.55, 1.725, 1.9)Loss = TDEE x 0.80 · Gain = TDEE x 1.15
PAL labels: Sedentary 1.2 (desk, little training). Lightly Active 1.375 (1 to 3 sessions). Moderately Active 1.55 (3 to 5, the default). Very Active 1.725 (6 to 7 hard days). Extra Active 1.9 (physical job plus training). Pick the week you actually live, not the week you planned in January. Copy exports BMR, TDEE, both targets, BMI, and the PAL factor as plain text.
When the safety note is there on purpose
BMI under 18.5 with a 20% cut is a red flag, not a flex. BMI 35 and up still gets a TDEE number, but a large home deficit belongs with a clinician. If the loss target drops under 1,200 kcal, the banner says so even if BMI looks "fine." That floor is a common adult minimum in outpatient nutrition, not a law of physics. Female constants produce a lower BMR: same defaults with Female selected drop BMR by 166 kcal versus Male, so the 1,200 warning appears sooner on smaller frames.
Age is clamped 15 to 100. Weight minimum is 30 in the active unit. Imperial height minimum is 48 inches. Metric height minimum is 100 cm (the spec's 100 makes sense in centimeters, not inches). Invalid ranges disable copy and show n/a. Switching imperial to metric converts 170 lbs and 70 inches in place so you do not retype.
This is not a DEXA scan and not a thyroid panel. NEAT (fidgeting, walking to the store) is inside the activity multiplier, poorly. If the scale does not move after two weeks at the loss number, you are either not weighing food or the multiplier is too high. Cut activity one rung or subtract 100 to 150 kcal, do not jump to 1,000.
What to do with the calorie number next
Paste maintenance, loss, or surplus into the Macro Nutrient Calculator to get protein, carb, and fat grams. Hydration is a separate lever: use the Daily Water Intake Calculator so a cut does not turn into a headache from coffee and no water. Neither page replaces a registered dietitian if you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or have a history of disordered eating.
Recalculate when body weight changes by about 5% or when your job or training block changes. A 170 lb moderately active male who starts a warehouse shift is Extra Active, not Moderately Active with a hope. The badge on the TDEE card is there so the screenshot you send a coach includes the multiplier, not only the calorie total.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What formula does this BMR calculator use?
BMR is Mifflin-St Jeor. Male: (10 x kg) + (6.25 x cm) - (5 x age) + 5. Female: the same with -161 instead of +5. TDEE is that BMR times a physical activity level (PAL) factor: 1.2 sedentary through 1.9 extra active. Those PAL steps are the scale used with Mifflin-St Jeor, Katch-McArdle, and revised Harris-Benedict TDEE, not the original 1919 Harris-Benedict activity coefficients. Defaults: male, 30 years, 170 lbs, 70 inches, moderately active: BMR 1,737 kcal, TDEE 2,693 kcal.
How are the weight loss and muscle gain targets set?
Loss is TDEE x 0.80 (a 20% deficit). Gain is TDEE x 1.15 (a 15% surplus). On the defaults that is 2,154 kcal to lose and 3,097 kcal to gain. These are starting points, not prescriptions. If the loss number falls under 1,200 kcal, the page shows a restriction warning.
When does the BMI safety note appear?
BMI is informational, not a diagnosis. A note appears under 18.5 (underweight band) or at 35 and above, and whenever the -20% target is under 1,200 kcal/day. Extreme cuts next to a low BMI are a clinical conversation, not a slider setting.
Should I use imperial or metric?
Either. The math always runs in kilograms and centimeters. Switching units converts the numbers you already typed. Imperial minimum height is 48 inches. Metric minimum height is 100 cm, which matches the spec for centimeter input.