Calorie & Deficit Calculator (TDEE)
Knowing your maintenance calories tells you how big a deficit you are actually running. This calculator estimates your burn with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and suggests a moderate, muscle-sparing deficit.
Your estimate
Maintenance calories (TDEE)
2,382kcal/day
What you burn in a day at this activity level.
Moderate deficit
1,882kcal/day
About 500 below maintenance. Slower loss protects more muscle.
How this works
First we estimate your basal metabolic rate, the calories you burn at rest, with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation:
BMR (men) = 10 x kg + 6.25 x cm - 5 x age + 5
BMR (women) = 10 x kg + 6.25 x cm - 5 x age - 161
Then we multiply BMR by an activity factor to get total daily energy expenditure (TDEE): 1.2 sedentary, 1.375 light, 1.55 moderate, 1.725 very active, and 1.9 athlete.
TDEE = BMR x activity factor
The suggested deficit is about 500 calories below TDEE. A moderate deficit loses weight more slowly but protects more muscle than an aggressive one, especially when paired with high protein and resistance training. This is an estimate, not a measurement: track your weight trend over two to three weeks and adjust. To turn the deficit into a muscle-sparing plan, set a protein target and read fat loss versus muscle loss on a GLP-1.
Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
TDEE is total daily energy expenditure, the calories you burn in a day. This tool estimates it by calculating your basal metabolic rate with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and multiplying by an activity factor.
Why a moderate deficit instead of a big one?
Larger deficits drive faster scale loss but tend to cost more muscle. A moderate deficit (often around 500 calories below maintenance), paired with high protein and resistance training, helps keep more of your loss coming from fat.
How accurate is this estimate?
Equation-based estimates are a starting point, not a measurement. Your real expenditure depends on body composition, NEAT, and other factors. Track your weight trend over two to three weeks and adjust.
Related tools
Related reading
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