How Many Calories Do I Need? BMR & TDEE Explained
Before choosing a calorie goal, it helps to know two numbers: your BMR (the energy you burn at rest) and your TDEE (total energy including activity). Here’s how they fit together.
BMR: your baseline
Basal Metabolic Rate is roughly the calories your body uses just to stay alive — breathing, circulation, keeping warm. It depends on your weight, height, age and sex. The BMR Calculator estimates it with a standard equation.
TDEE: BMR plus activity
Total Daily Energy Expenditure multiplies your BMR by an activity factor (sedentary to very active). That total is roughly the calories you’d eat to maintain your current weight.
Turning it into a goal
To lose weight, eat below your TDEE; to gain, eat above it. A deficit or surplus of about 500 calories a day changes weight by roughly half a kilo (one pound) a week. Pair this with the BMI and Ideal Weight tools for context — and treat all of it as an estimate, not medical advice.
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Last updated: July 6, 2026