Calorie Deficit Calculator
Estimate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and calculate your personalized calorie deficit for safe, sustainable fat loss.
Estimates for general guidance only — not medical advice. Check with a healthcare professional for personal decisions.
Also covers: tdee and calorie deficit calculator for weight loss · daily calorie maintenance estimator · safe deficit for weight loss
Formula & How It Works
BMR = 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age + (5 if male, −161 if female) · TDEE = BMR × activity factor
- The basal metabolic rate uses the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, the most accurate of the widely published predictive formulas.
- Activity multipliers run from 1.2 for a sedentary day to 1.9 for hard daily training, and TDEE is BMR multiplied by the level you pick.
- Your goal adjustment is added to TDEE and rounded to the nearest 10 kcal; macros are then split 30% protein, 40% carbohydrate, 30% fat.
Step-by-Step Example
A 30-year-old woman, 70 kg and 173 cm, moderately active (exercise 3–5 days a week), aiming to maintain her weight.
- 1.BMR
- 10 × 70 + 6.25 × 173 − 5 × 30 − 161 = 1,470 kcal
- 2.Activity factor
- moderately active = 1.55
- 3.TDEE
- 1,470 × 1.55 = 2,279 kcal
- 4.Maintenance target
- rounded to the nearest 10 = 2,280 kcal
2,280 kcal a day to maintain. Choosing “Lose 1 lb” subtracts 500 kcal for a 1,780 kcal target, where the macros work out to roughly 134 g protein, 178 g carbohydrate, and 59 g fat.
Frequently asked questions
What is a safe daily calorie deficit for weight loss?
A deficit of about 500 kcal a day is the usual target and works out to roughly 1 lb (0.45 kg) a week, while 1,000 kcal a day equates to about 2 lb. Deficits beyond roughly 25% of maintenance are hard to sustain and risk losing muscle. This calculator warns when a target drops below 1,200 kcal a day, because that generally needs medical supervision.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the energy your body burns at complete rest just to stay alive — about 1,470 kcal a day for a 30-year-old woman at 70 kg and 173 cm. TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) multiplies BMR by an activity factor to include movement and exercise, giving 2,279 kcal a day at a moderately active level.
How do activity levels influence daily calorie requirements?
The activity multiplier ranges from 1.2 for a sedentary day to about 1.9 for hard daily training, so the same person's maintenance calories can differ by several hundred kcal depending on how they live. Choose the level that matches a typical week rather than your best week, and revisit it whenever your routine changes.
About the Calorie Deficit Calculator
Estimate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and calculate your personalized calorie deficit for safe, sustainable fat loss.
It runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is sent to a server — and the result updates as you edit the inputs. Estimates are for educational and informational purposes only; see ourdisclaimer.
Common searches
- tdee
- calories
- diet
- macros
- weight loss
- weight gain
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