How Many Calories Should You Eat Per Day? Calculator and Complete Guide

Your daily caloric needs (TDEE - Total Daily Energy Expenditure) consist of:

• BMR (65-70%) - calories burned at absolute rest
• Physical activity (15-30%) - exercise and movement
• Thermic effect of food (10%) - energy for digestion
• NEAT (variable) - non-exercise movements (walking, fidgeting)

Step 1: Calculate BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor Formula)

Men: (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age) + 5

Women: (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age) - 161

Step 2: Multiply by activity factor

• Sedentary (desk job): BMR x 1.2
• Lightly active (1-3 workouts/week): BMR x 1.375
• Moderately active (3-5 workouts): BMR x 1.55
• Very active (6-7 workouts): BMR x 1.725
• Extra active (physical labor + sports): BMR x 1.9

Example: Woman, 70 kg, 165 cm, 30 years old, moderately active

BMR = (10x70) + (6.25x165) - (5x30) - 161 = 1420 calories

TDEE = 1420 x 1.55 = 2200 calories

For weight loss:

TDEE - 500 calories = ~0.5 kg lost per week

TDEE - 750 calories = ~0.75 kg per week (maximum recommended)

For maintenance:

Eat at your TDEE level

For muscle building:

TDEE + 300-500 calories (controlled surplus)

Warning: Don't go below 1200 calories (women) or 1500 calories (men) without medical supervision.

Online calculators are approximate. They don't account for:

• Body composition (muscle vs fat)
• Individual metabolism (can vary by 15%)
• Metabolic adaptations over time
• Actual activity level

FitAzi uses AI that learns from your real data. As you track your progress, the algorithm adjusts recommendations to reflect YOUR unique metabolism, not a statistical average.