Health & Fitness
Calculate BMR, TDEE and personalised protein, carb and fat targets with three proven formulas.
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BMR formula
Goal
Macro split
Lose weight
2,044
kcal / day
Maintain
2,556
kcal / day
Gain weight
2,939
kcal / day
Daily macronutrient targets · Balanced split · Lose
Research generally supports 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of bodyweight when losing fat or building muscle. Your current split gives 2.2 g/kg — a solid range for most goals.
| Formula | BMR | TDEE |
|---|---|---|
| Mifflin-St Jeor | 1,649 kcal | 2,556 kcal |
| Harris-Benedict | 1,696 kcal | 2,628 kcal |
| Katch-McArdle | needs body fat % | — |
| Goal | Daily calories | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Lose fast | 1,917 kcal | ≈0.75 kg / week |
| Lose | 2,044 kcal | ≈0.5 kg / week |
| Lose slow | 2,300 kcal | ≈0.25 kg / week |
| Maintain | 2,556 kcal | Hold weight |
| Gain slow | 2,811 kcal | Lean gain |
| Gain | 2,939 kcal | Faster gain |
Enter your weight, height, age and sex (switch between metric and imperial freely).
Choose a BMR formula. Stick with Mifflin-St Jeor unless you know your body-fat %, in which case Katch-McArdle is more personalised.
Pick the activity level that honestly matches your week, then choose a goal (lose, maintain or gain) and a macro split.
Read your BMR, TDEE, calorie target and protein/carb/fat grams. Copy or print the plan, then adjust after 2–3 weeks based on your real results.
Counting calories without counting macros is only half the picture. This calculator gives you both: your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) — the calories you actually burn in a day — and a precise breakdown of how much protein, carbohydrate and fat to eat to hit a goal, whether that's losing fat, building muscle, or maintaining. It's the single tool that turns "eat less" into an actual daily plan.
What sets it apart is choice and transparency. It offers three respected formulas for your basal metabolic rate: Mifflin-St Jeor (the modern default dietitians trust most), Harris-Benedict (the classic 1919 equation, revised in 1984), and Katch-McArdle, which uses your body-fat percentage and lean body mass for a more tailored number if you know it. You pick your activity level and goal, choose a macro split (balanced, low-carb, high-protein or keto), and the tool shows your BMR, TDEE, a calorie target for every goal, and your protein, carb and fat grams — including how many grams of protein that works out to per kilogram of bodyweight, the number that actually matters for muscle.
Everything updates live, works in metric or imperial, and lays the three formulas side by side so you can see how much they disagree (often 100–200 kcal). The result is a starting point, not a life sentence: eat to it consistently for two or three weeks, track the scale trend, and nudge the number if reality disagrees. For the bigger picture, pair it with the BMI Calculator to set a goal weight and the BMR Calculator to understand your baseline burn.
Setting protein, carb and fat targets for a fat-loss cut without losing muscle.
Planning a lean bulk with a controlled calorie surplus and enough protein to build muscle.
Dialling in a high-protein or keto macro split and seeing the exact grams per day.
Comparing how the Mifflin-St Jeor, Harris-Benedict and Katch-McArdle formulas estimate your calorie needs.
Aim for 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of bodyweight when cutting or building — the tool shows your g/kg so you can check you're in range.
Be conservative with the activity selector. Three gym sessions on a desk-job week is 'light' to 'moderate', not 'very active' — overestimating quietly erases your deficit.
Set fat to at least 0.5 g/kg to support hormones, then let carbs fill the remaining calories to fuel training.
Use the Katch-McArdle formula only if you have a reasonably accurate body-fat number; a wrong guess makes it less accurate than Mifflin-St Jeor, not more.
Chasing a perfect formula. All three are estimates within ~10%; your weight trend over a few weeks is the real calibration, not the equation you pick.
Under-eating protein while over-restricting calories, which costs you muscle. Protein should stay high even in a deficit.
Re-calculating and slashing calories every few days. Give a target 2–3 weeks before judging it, because water weight masks fat change short-term.
Calculate your Body Mass Index and see the WHO category.
Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.
Estimate your daily water intake based on body weight and activity.
Calculate your daily calorie needs (TDEE) for maintenance, cut or bulk.