TDEE Calculator
With weight 74.84274105 kg, height 180.34 cm, age 30 years, tdee comes to 2,682 kcal/day — maintenance calories. It is reached in 5 steps, the last of which is 1730.5524 * 1.55, and each one is printed on the page with its numbers filled in. The formula is the one published by Mifflin MD et al., A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure (Am J Clin Nutr, 1990), not an approximation fitted to it.
How many calories you burn in a day, from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and an activity multiplier, with cut and bulk targets beside it.
Formula and sources checked · How we check
Weight 165 lbs, Height 5' 11", Age 30 years, Sex at birth Male
2,682 kcal/day
Maintenance calories for the example below. Editing a field recomputes the calculator below; this figure holds the answer the page was loaded with.
It is written into the HTML rather than drawn by a script, so a search engine reading this page without running JavaScript still finds an answer.
- Resting metabolic rate (Mifflin-St Jeor)
10 * 74.842741 + 6.25 * 180.34 - 5 * 30 + 5 * 1 - 161 * 01,730.552 kcal/day- Maintenance calories
1730.5524 * 1.552,682.356 kcal/day- Cut — about 0.5 kg/week
2682.3562 - 5002,182.356 kcal/day- Lean bulk
2682.3562 + 3002,982.356 kcal/day- Protein target (1.6 g/kg)
74.842741 * 1.6119.748 g/day
Ask about this in the chatCompare: sedentary against very active
Worked example
A 30-year-old male at 5'11" and 165 lbs burns about 1,731 kcal at rest and 2,682 kcal at moderate activity. A 500 kcal deficit puts intake at 2,182 kcal, which loses roughly 0.5 kg per week.
How to work it out yourself
- 1.Work out resting metabolic rate from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation using weight in kilograms, height in centimeters and age.
- 2.Pick the activity multiplier that matches your real week, not your intended one.
- 3.Multiply the two for maintenance calories.
- 4.Subtract about 500 a day to lose roughly half a kilo a week, or add 300 for a lean gain.
- 5.Track weight for a fortnight and adjust from what actually happens, not from the formula.
Maintenance calories by activity level
| Activity level | Maintenance calories | Resting metabolic rate (Mifflin-St Jeor) |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary — desk job, no training | 2,077 kcal/day | 1,730.55 kcal/day |
| Light — 1–3 sessions/week | 2,380 kcal/day | 1,730.55 kcal/day |
| Moderate — 3–5 sessions/week | 2,682 kcal/day | 1,730.55 kcal/day |
| Very active — 6–7 sessions/week | 2,985 kcal/day | 1,730.55 kcal/day |
| Athlete — twice daily or physical job | 3,288 kcal/day | 1,730.55 kcal/day |
For a 30-year-old male at 175 cm and 75 kg. The activity multiplier alone spans a 700 kcal range.
The formula
- Resting metabolic rate (Mifflin-St Jeor)
10 * 74.842741 + 6.25 * 180.34 - 5 * 30 + 5 * 1 - 161 * 0 - Maintenance calories
1730.5524 * 1.55 - Cut — about 0.5 kg/week
2682.3562 - 500 - Lean bulk
2682.3562 + 300 - Protein target (1.6 g/kg)
74.842741 * 1.6
Source: Mifflin MD et al., A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure (Am J Clin Nutr, 1990), NIH — dietary reference intakes for energy
Questions people actually ask
- Why Mifflin-St Jeor rather than Harris-Benedict?
- Harris-Benedict dates to 1919 and overestimates resting expenditure by roughly 5% in modern populations. Mifflin-St Jeor was validated in 1990 against indirect calorimetry and is what the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends for non-obese adults.
- How accurate is the activity multiplier?
- It is the weakest part of the estimate — self-reported activity typically errs by 10–20%. Treat the result as a starting point, then track weight for two weeks and adjust by the observed trend rather than the formula.
- Why is the deficit capped at 500 kcal?
- About 0.5 kg per week is the largest deficit most people hold without losing lean mass or adherence. Larger deficits accelerate early loss but raise the share of that loss coming from muscle.
Related
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- Macro CalculatorGrams of protein, carbohydrate and fat from a calorie target and a diet split. With protein per kilogram, the number a split is judged on.
- Water Intake CalculatorDaily fluid target from body weight and exercise, against the NASEM total-water reference intakes.
- Heart Rate Zone CalculatorMaximum heart rate and training zones from age and resting pulse, using Tanaka and the Karvonen reserve method.
- Calories Burned CalculatorEnergy burned by an activity from its MET value, body weight and duration. Net of what you would have burned sitting still, which trackers leave in.
- Due Date CalculatorEstimated due date from a last menstrual period or a known conception date, with the current gestational age.
Part of a job
- Losing weight — 6 pages, in the order the questions arrive
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