MultiConvers

Calorie Calculator

Estimate maintenance calories as Mifflin-St Jeor BMR times a lifestyle factor from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (very active). That product is TDEE — a planning figure to stay at the entered weight, not a weight-loss menu.

Updated

How to use

  1. Enter sex, age, height and weight the same way as the BMR page (metric or US units).
  2. Pick the activity bin that matches most of your week, not your hardest day: sedentary 1.2, light 1.375, moderate 1.55, active 1.725, very active 1.9.
  3. Read BMR and the TDEE product. 1780 × 1.2 sedentary is 2136 kcal/day.
  4. For one workout’s cost, use Calories Burned instead of raising the all-day factor. Do not treat this number as a prescribed diet.

How it works

The page first runs Mifflin-St Jeor, then multiplies. The five factors are the usual textbook bins: 1.2 if you sit most of the day, 1.375 for light exercise one to three days a week, 1.55 for moderate three to five, 1.725 for hard training most days, 1.9 for a physical job or two sessions a day. They are labels for “typical weeks,” not a measurement of non-exercise activity thermogenesis.

People routinely pick a factor one notch too high. A desk job plus two gym visits is closer to light or moderate than to “very active.” Overstating the multiplier inflates TDEE and makes a later deficit look larger than it is. The calculator will not correct that; it only multiplies the BMR it just computed.

The result is an estimate of energy to hold the weight you typed, all else equal. It is not a cut, a bulk, or a medical target. Illness, medication, pregnancy, very low body fat and very high muscle all sit outside the equation. So does the difference between a 1,800 kcal rest-day and a 2,400 kcal long-run day — this page gives one daily number, not a weekly plan.

Calories Burned answers a different question: MET × kilograms × hours for one listed activity. Adding that session on top of a “very active” TDEE double-counts the workout. Use TDEE for a ballpark intake, or MET for a single bout, not both stacked as if they were independent.

This is not medical advice. A clinician or dietitian sets energy targets when they are needed. The BMR page shows the rest component alone if you want to see the unmultiplied Mifflin-St Jeor figure.

Formula

BMR = Mifflin-St Jeor
TDEE = BMR × activity factor
Factors: 1.2, 1.375, 1.55, 1.725, 1.9

Worked examples

  • Sedentary TDEE

    male equation, 80 kg, 180 cm, 30 years, sedentary 1.2 → BMR 1780, TDEE 2136 kcal/day

Useful notes

  • Maintenance estimate only — not a weight-loss or gain prescription.
  • For calories of one workout, use Calories Burned (MET × kg × hours).
  • Not medical advice.

FAQ

Is this how many calories I should eat?

It is an estimate of maintenance burn. A clinician or dietitian sets a target, not this page.

Which activity factor should I pick?

The description that matches most of your week. People often overestimate activity.

How is this different from calories burned?

This is a whole-day estimate. Calories burned is one activity’s MET cost.

Should I eat this many calories to lose weight?

The page estimates maintenance. A deficit is a separate decision and is not computed here.

What do the five factors mean?

Sedentary 1.2, light 1.375 (1–3 days/week), moderate 1.55 (3–5), active 1.725 (6–7), very active 1.9 (physical job or twice daily). Pick the week you actually live.

Related tools

See all Fitness tools.

Sources