Your result
Enter your details and select the button to see your result.
How it is calculated
The calculator first estimates your maintenance calories (TDEE) exactly as the TDEE Calculator does: Mifflin-St Jeor BMR × activity factor. It then applies the adjustment for your goal:
- Maintain: target = TDEE.
- Lose weight: TDEE − 250, − 500 or − 750 kcal/day. A daily deficit of 500–750 kcal is the range used in the 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS adult obesity guideline.
- Gain weight: TDEE + 250 or + 500 kcal/day.
Safety limits
Because this is a self-service tool used without medical supervision, it never suggests:
- a target below 1,200 kcal/day for women or 1,500 kcal/day for men — the lower ends of the intake ranges given for weight loss in the 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline (1,200–1,500 and 1,500–1,800 kcal/day);
- a deficit larger than 25% of your maintenance calories;
- any weight-loss target when your BMI is below 18.5.
When a limit applies, the result says so and shows the adjusted figure. Lower-calorie programmes exist, but they should be followed with a health professional.
Limitations
- The target is built on an estimated TDEE, which can be off in either direction. Track your weight for 2–4 weeks and adjust if it is not moving as expected.
- Weight loss slows over time as the body adapts and weight falls, even if intake stays the same. Recalculate after significant weight change.
- This is not suitable during pregnancy or breastfeeding, for children and teenagers, for people with an eating disorder, or for anyone with diabetes, kidney disease or another condition managed with diet or medication — ask your care team instead.
Sources
- Jensen MD, Ryan DH, Apovian CM, et al. 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS Guideline for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults. Circulation. 2014;129(25 Suppl 2):S102–S138. Read the source (opens in a new tab)
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241–247. Read the source (opens in a new tab)
- Hall KD, Sacks G, Chandramohan D, et al. Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. Lancet. 2011;378(9793):826–837. Read the source (opens in a new tab)