Calorie Calculator
Daily calorie needs (TDEE)
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Need a fast answer on daily calorie needs (TDEE)? Calorie Calculator answers with the steps beside it. You supply Weight (kg), Height (cm) and Age to Calorie; the answer follows at once. Calorie displays each intermediate figure as well. Calorie shines when speed matters. You can disconnect once Calorie has loaded; the arithmetic runs locally. Calorie is part of the Health collection on CalcProMaster, alongside daily calorie intake calculator to lose weight, maintenance calorie calculator with activity level and more. Calorie goes from question to answer fast. Start with Calorie; the first number takes seconds.
What the defaults give
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation puts resting needs at 1,618 kcal for a 70 kg, 170 cm, 30-year-old man.
At an activity factor of 1.55 the daily total is 2,507 kcal, with 2,006 for loss and 3,009 for gain.
The formulas
Mifflin-St Jeor, men: 10w + 6.25h − 5a + 5
Mifflin-St Jeor, women: 10w + 6.25h − 5a − 161
Harris-Benedict, men: 88.362 + 13.397w + 4.799h − 5.677a
Katch-McArdle: 370 + 21.6 × lean body mass in kg
TDEE = BMR × activity factor
Weight is kilograms, height centimetres, age years. Lean mass is weight × (1 − body fat %), which is why the Katch option uses the body-fat field and the other two ignore it.
Worked examples
Male 70 kg / 170 cm / 30, Mifflin → 1,618 BMR → 2,507 kcal at 1.55
Same, Harris-Benedict → 1,672 BMR → 2,591 kcal
Same, Katch at 15% fat → 1,655 BMR → 2,566 kcal
Female 60 kg / 165 cm / 30, Mifflin → 1,320 BMR → 2,046 kcal
Male defaults at 1.20 → 1,942 kcal
Male defaults at 1.90 → 3,074 kcal
Which formula to trust
Mifflin-St Jeor is the default for good reason: in validation studies it lands within 10% of measured resting expenditure for most adults and beats Harris-Benedict, which was derived in 1919 from a leaner population and tends to run 5% high today. Use Harris only to compare against an older plan.
Katch-McArdle is the better choice when you know your body fat. It works from lean mass alone, so it does not punish muscular people the way weight-based equations do. A 90 kg athlete at 10% body fat has the same lean mass as a 100 kg adult at 19%; Mifflin will give them different answers, Katch will not.
The activity factor is where the error lives
The multiplier assumes a whole week, not one day. 1.2 is desk work with little exercise, 1.375 is light training three days a week, 1.55 is moderate training four to five days, 1.725 is hard daily training, and 1.9 is physical work plus training. Most people overestimate by one step, which is 200 to 300 kcal a day and the difference between losing and maintaining.
Treat the total as a starting point and calibrate: eat at the calculated maintenance for two weeks, weigh yourself daily, and adjust by the direction the weekly average moves. The 20% loss and gain figures are conventional deficits and surpluses, not prescriptions, and nobody should run a large deficit without medical advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories does a 70 kg man need?
About 1,618 at rest and 2,507 a day at moderate activity, using Mifflin-St Jeor with an activity factor of 1.55.
Which BMR formula is most accurate?
Mifflin-St Jeor for most people. Katch-McArdle is better if you know your body fat, and Harris-Benedict tends to read about 5% high.
What do the activity factors mean?
1.2 sedentary, 1.375 light training three days a week, 1.55 moderate four to five days, 1.725 hard daily training, 1.9 physical work plus training.
How much should I cut to lose weight?
The calculator shows 20% below maintenance, 2,006 kcal at the defaults. That is a conventional starting deficit; adjust after two weeks based on the trend in your weekly average weight.
Why does the Katch option ask for body fat?
It computes resting needs from lean mass: 370 + 21.6 × lean kg. The other two formulas use total weight and ignore the body-fat field.
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