Accurate Calorie Calculator: Maintenance & Net Calories, TDEE, BMR & TEF

Use this calorie calculator to estimate maintenance calories from BMR, TDEE, and TEF guidance — with transparent assumptions:

you can enter real activity calories from your fitness tracker
calculate a more accurate thermic effect of food based on your macro breakdown (protein, carbs, fat) or a custom percentage
we provide a net calorie target to use in tracking apps like MyFitnessPal or Lose It!.

If you prefer, you can keep it simple and use standard physical activity levels (PAL) for a quick estimate. Either way, you get transparent assumptions and a clearer view of maintenance, deficit, surplus, and net calories.

Need a practical setup? See our calorie calculator for weight loss guide.

Profile

Sex, age, height, weight, and optional body-fat %

Sex Age

Height

cm ft/in

Weight

kg lb

Body fat % (optional if you want the app to estimate lean-mass-based BMR) [Source 1][Source 2]

If you do not know body-fat %, leave this blank and the calculator will use the general Mifflin-St Jeor estimate instead.

Physical Activity

Calories burned through exercise (Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, EAT) and daily movement (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, NEAT).

Choose a basic physical activity level (PAL) multiplier for a quick estimate, or enter manual activity calories (for example from Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin, or MyFitnessPal) to get a more personalized result. [Source 1][Source 2]

Physical activity level (Basic) Manual calories (More accurate)

Select your physical activity level (PAL)

How to choose the right activity level

PAL values approximate average daily movement and training to scale your BMR to full-day needs. [Source 1][Source 2]

Minimal activity (x1.1): Bedridden or minimal mobility (e.g., only moving within the house). Virtually no steps, exclusively lying or sitting.
Lightly Active (x1.3): Predominantly sedentary or lying activities without significant daily movement. 2,000–3,000 steps per day, short walks at home, no additional physical activity.
Normally Active (x1.4): Sedentary job with occasional movement or short walks. 4,000–6,000 steps per day or 30 minutes of light activity (e.g., walking).
Moderately Active (x1.5): Sedentary job with more daily movement or regular walking. 8,000–10,000 steps per day or 45 minutes of moderate activity (e.g., brisk walking).
Active (x1.6): Sedentary job with a lot of daily movement or a light daily workout. 10,000–12,000 steps per day or 60 minutes of moderate activity (e.g., walking, cycling).
Very Active (x1.7): Mostly standing or walking work, supplemented with sports activities. 12,000–15,000 steps per day or 60–75 minutes of more intense activity (e.g., jogging).
Athlete (x2.3): A highly active lifestyle, usually including professional or intensive sports training. 20,000 steps per day or 2–3 hours of exercise (e.g., endurance or strength training).

Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)

The Thermic Effect of Food represents the energy cost of digesting and assimilating food. [Source 1][Source 2]

Physical activity levels already implicitly include an average TEF. If you switch to manual activity calories, you can choose how to model TEF - either as a fixed % or macro-weighted based on your diet. [Source 1][Source 2]

Sources & assumptions

These references support the formulas, assumptions, and health-related estimates shown on this page.

BMR formulas used in the calculator

The app defaults to Mifflin-St Jeor for general use and switches to the lean-mass-based Katch-McArdle equation when body fat is provided.

A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals - Mifflin, St Jeor, Hill, Scott, Daugherty, Koh (1990)
Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate in healthy nonobese and obese adults: a systematic review - Frankenfield, Roth-Yousey, Compher (2005)
Accuracy of the Resting Energy Expenditure Estimation Equations for Healthy Women - Molina-Luque et al. (2021)
Reexamination of the relationship of resting metabolic rate to fat-free mass and to the metabolically active components of fat-free mass in humans - Cunningham (1992)

TDEE, physical activity, and PAL assumptions

The exact PAL labels and step-count examples used in this app are practical product assumptions built on the PAL and physical-activity concepts in these sources.

Factors Affecting Energy Expenditure and Requirements - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2023)
Human energy requirements - FAO/WHO/UNU Expert Consultation (2001)
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT): a component of total daily energy expenditure - Villablanca, Alegria, Mirochnik, Castro (2018)
2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities - Ainsworth et al. (2024)

TEF assumptions and macro-weighted estimates

TEF values in the app are estimates and may vary with total intake, meal composition, and individual physiology.

The Thermic Effect of Food: A Review - Calcagno et al. (2019)
Diet induced thermogenesis - Westerterp (2004)
Effects of Varying Protein Amounts and Types on Diet-Induced Thermogenesis - Guarneiri et al. (2024)

Weight-change scenario heuristics

The 3,500 kcal/lb and 7,700 kcal/kg scenario math is presented as a rule of thumb, not as a precise physiological prediction.

Why is the 3500 kcal per pound weight loss rule wrong? - Hall (2013)
Body Weight Planner - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (2026)