Daily Calorie Needs

BMR and TDEE estimate using the Mifflin–St Jeor equation. Adjust for activity and a weight goal to get a starting calorie target.

Reviewed by Pooja V. Menon, Registered Dietitian · Last updated

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How this is calculated

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the energy your body uses at complete rest. Mifflin–St Jeor (1990) is widely used in clinical practice and tends to be more accurate for modern populations than older Harris–Benedict variants.

  • Men: 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age + 5
  • Women: 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age − 161

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) multiplies BMR by an activity factor. A sustainable weight-change target usually falls in the range of ±300–750 kcal / day.

Indian reference

ICMR-NIN's Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024 sets reference energy intake for a sedentary adult man at ~2 080 kcal/day and a sedentary adult woman at ~1 660 kcal/day, with the energy split via the My Plate template (cereals ≤ 45 % of energy, total fat ≤ 30 %, protein 10–15 %). The Mifflin–St Jeor estimate above is intended as an individualised refinement of that population reference.

Sources

  • Mifflin MD, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr 1990;51:241–7.
  • ICMR-NIN. Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024, Guideline 1 and Annexure V (reference diets and energy tables).