Total Daily Energy Calculator

Plan calories with proven equations, lifestyle factors, and body metrics. Compare maintenance and goals. Build balanced nutrition targets for better progress daily.

This calculator estimates daily calorie expenditure, maintenance intake, and target macros using body size, activity, body fat, exercise, and nutrition goals.

Calculator Inputs

Units

Gender

Age (years)

Weight (kg)

Height (cm)

Body Fat (%)

Leave 0 to rely on Mifflin-St Jeor.

Activity Factor

Goal

Custom Goal Adjustment (kcal)

Protein Basis

Protein Factor

Common range: 1.4 to 2.2 g/kg.

Fat Calories (%)

Thermic Effect (%)

Exercise Calories (daily)

Steps or NEAT Calories

Example Data Table

Profile	Age	Weight	Height	Body Fat	Activity	Goal	Estimated Target
Office worker	32	72 kg	175 cm	18%	1.375	Maintain	2,330 kcal
Gym trainee	27	84 kg	180 cm	15%	1.55	Muscle gain	3,040 kcal
Fat loss plan	41	95 kg	170 cm	30%	1.375	Fat loss	2,050 kcal

Formula Used

1. Mifflin-St Jeor BMR

Male: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5

Female: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161

2. Katch-McArdle BMR

BMR = 370 + 21.6 × lean body mass(kg)

Lean body mass = weight × (1 − body fat % / 100)

3. Activity Calories

Activity calories = BMR × (activity factor − 1)

4. Base Daily Expenditure

Base expenditure = BMR + activity calories + exercise calories + steps calories

5. Thermic Effect of Food

TEF calories = base expenditure × thermic effect %

6. Maintenance Calories

Maintenance = base expenditure + TEF calories

7. Goal Calories

Target calories = maintenance calories + goal adjustment

8. Macronutrients

Protein grams = protein factor × body weight or lean mass

Fat grams = (target calories × fat %) ÷ 9

Carbohydrate grams = remaining calories ÷ 4

How to Use This Calculator

Select your preferred unit system.
Enter age, gender, weight, and height.
Add body fat if you know it for a lean-mass estimate.
Choose your activity factor based on daily movement.
Set your goal and optional custom calorie adjustment.
Choose a protein basis and enter your protein factor.
Set fat percentage, thermic effect, exercise calories, and steps calories.
Press the calculate button to see energy and macro targets.
Use the CSV or PDF buttons to export results.

FAQs

1. What does total daily energy mean?

Total daily energy is the estimated number of calories your body uses in one day. It combines resting metabolism, routine movement, exercise, and digestion effects to guide calorie planning.

2. Why does the calculator use two BMR equations?

Mifflin-St Jeor works well for most people. Katch-McArdle can improve estimates when body fat is known because it uses lean mass directly.

3. Should I enter body fat percentage?

Enter body fat when you have a reliable estimate from calipers, scans, or validated devices. Otherwise, leave it at zero and the calculator will use the general equation.

4. What activity factor should I choose?

Choose the factor matching your real weekly routine. Sedentary suits desk work with little movement. Higher factors fit regular training, active jobs, or high daily step counts.

5. How accurate is this estimate?

This estimate is a strong starting point, not a lab measurement. Track body weight, energy, and performance for two to three weeks, then adjust calories if needed.

6. Why include thermic effect of food?

Digestion requires energy, and protein usually has the highest thermic effect. Including TEF can make the estimate more realistic for structured nutrition planning.

7. Can I use this for weight loss and muscle gain?

Yes. Select the goal that matches your target. The calculator applies a calorie adjustment and then estimates macro targets around that new calorie intake.

8. How often should I recalculate?

Recalculate when body weight, training volume, body fat, or daily movement changes meaningfully. Updating every few weeks keeps calorie and macro targets more useful.