Calculate your daily calorie target using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then log meals against it with macros. Whether your goal is losing, maintaining, or gaining weight, it turns your TDEE into a concrete daily number you can actually plan meals around.

Daily Calorie Needs

Based on the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.

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How This Calculator Works

Weight change is driven by the balance between calories consumed and calories expended. This calculator estimates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — the energy your body uses at complete rest — using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then applies an activity factor to estimate Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). Eating below your TDEE creates a deficit that, over time, reduces body weight; eating above it creates a surplus that increases it. A pound of body mass corresponds to roughly 3,500 calories, so a daily deficit of 500 calories tends to produce about a pound of loss per week, though individual results vary with metabolism, water retention, and composition changes. Use this tool to set a calorie target and log meals against it.

The Mathematical Formula & Logic

Mifflin-St Jeor BMR (men) = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5. (Women) = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161. TDEE = BMR × activity factor (sedentary 1.2, light 1.375, moderate 1.55, active 1.725, very active 1.9). Calorie target = TDEE − daily deficit (or + surplus for a bulk).

Worked Step-by-Step Example

A 30-year-old man, 180 lb (81.6 kg), 5'10" (178 cm), moderately active: BMR = 10×81.6 + 6.25×178 − 5×30 + 5 = 1,781 kcal. TDEE = 1,781 × 1.55 ≈ 2,760 kcal. For a 1 lb/week loss he targets a 500-calorie daily deficit: 2,760 − 500 = 2,260 kcal/day.

Frequently Asked Questions

BMR is the calories your body burns at complete rest just to stay alive. TDEE multiplies BMR by an activity factor to estimate what you actually burn in a day, which is the number you plan meals and deficits against.

A deficit of 300–500 calories per day supports steady, sustainable loss for most people. Larger deficits can work short-term but increase muscle loss, hunger, and rebound eating, so smaller and consistent usually wins.

As you lose weight your TDEE drops, so the same deficit stops producing results. Re-run your numbers at your new weight, track more tightly, or add activity to restore a deficit.

Most guidelines recommend 1–2 pounds per week. Faster loss risks muscle, gallstones, and nutrient shortfalls, and lost weight often returns if the habits behind the deficit are not sustainable.

Disclaimer: CompelKit tools and calculators are provided for educational and estimation purposes only and do not constitute certified legal, financial, or tax advice.

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