Calorie & Macro Calculator

BMR is what your body burns at complete rest. Here's what the calculator adjusts for:

• If you're in a calorie deficit, it drops your BMR a little (5%) to account for the natural slowdown that happens when dieting.
• If you're more than 10% below your all-time highest weight, it lowers things a bit (3%). Both together: 8%.
• If you entered your body fat percentage, it switches to a more accurate formula for your body composition.
• If you ticked Athlete, it uses a formula built for people carrying more muscle than average.

This adjusts for how active you actually are. Don't overthink it. This is a starting point, not a final verdict.

Your total daily burn (TDEE) is made of four parts:

• BMR: what you burn at complete rest. The biggest chunk by far.
• NEAT: steps, chores, standing, fidgeting, chasing your kids. This is the part that quietly drops when you diet.
• TEF: the energy it takes to digest food, roughly 10%.
• EAT: your actual workouts. Usually smaller than people think.

Your TDEE comes from the calculator. How it splits between NEAT, TEF and EAT is an estimate.

A day under it here and there is fine. But try not to eat below your BMR for long periods. Hunger gets louder, energy drops, training suffers, and holding onto muscle gets a lot harder. Slower and sustainable wins.

This calculator gives you a starting point. Your body will change, so your numbers eventually need to change too.

Been dieting for a while? Your metabolism naturally slows a little. That's not "damage," it's just how your body protects itself. The calculator factors that in so your numbers stay realistic.

Weight loss is set as a % of your body weight per week. Your calories come straight from that pace (about 3,500 calories per pound):

• Sustainable: up to 0.5% a week. Where most people should live.
• Moderate: 0.5 to 0.75% a week.
• Aggressive: 0.75 to 1% a week. Keep it short.
• Reckless: over 1% a week. You'll feel like a zombie and lose more muscle.

Expect the first week or two to move faster than this. That's water, not fat.

Weight gain: aim for 0.5 to 2% per month. Newer lifters can go faster, experienced lifters should go slower.

When you start tracking or change how you eat, your scale weight will probably jump up or down in the first week. That's water, food volume and glycogen. Ignore the first week and look at 3 to 4 week averages instead.

Small changes beat drastic ones every time.

• Losing slower than planned: drop about 250 calories per day.
• Losing faster than planned: add about 150 calories per day.
• Building muscle: adjust by 100 to 200 calories per day based on monthly progress.
• Keep protein steady, and tweak carbs or fats based on what you prefer.

And check your consistency before blaming the calculator. Studies show even smart people underestimate their food intake by a lot. If progress stalls, log everything for two weeks. Yes, even the coffee creamer and the kids' leftovers.

You don't need to eat like a bodybuilder to get results. Protein is based on your goal body weight, not your current weight, so it's realistic and easier to hit.

• Fat loss or muscle gain: 1g per pound of goal body weight
• Maintenance / recomp: 1.1g per pound of goal body weight

Whey shakes help, but real food keeps you full longer.

Relax. Calculators give science-based averages, not gospel truth. If your numbers are close, they're all working from the same science. Don't hop between them. What matters is how consistent you are with tracking and adjusting slowly.