Your TDEE is the number of calories you burn in a day, so eating about that much keeps your weight where it is. Put in your sex, age, height, weight and how active you are, and you get your maintenance calories, a number to lose weight, a number to build muscle and your protein range.
Your resting burn (BMR) is 1,750 kcal a day. These are estimates, not medical advice.
What your TDEE and maintenance calories mean
You already know that eating less helps you lose weight. The harder question is less than what. That is the number the calculator gives you.
Think of it in two parts. Your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is what you would burn resting all day. On top of that comes everything you do, like walking, working and training. Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is the two together.
Maintenance calories are the same number seen from your plate. Eat about your TDEE and your weight stays steady. Eat less and you lose. Eat more and you gain. So one number lets you plan all three goals.
How the calculator works
The calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, from a 1990 study that measured the resting energy use of 498 healthy adults aged 19 to 78, both normal weight and obese.
- Men: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age) + 5
- Women: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age) - 161
That gives your BMR. A 2005 systematic review for the American Dietetic Association found Mifflin-St Jeor the most reliable of the common formulas. It came within 10% of measured resting burn in more people than any other equation. The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention uses the same formula and the same activity factors in its own calorie calculator.
Then the calculator multiplies your BMR by an activity factor.
| How active you are | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Mostly sitting, little or no exercise | 1.2 |
| Light exercise 1 to 3 days a week | 1.375 |
| Moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week | 1.55 |
| Hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week | 1.725 |
| Very hard training, training twice a day, or a physical job | 1.9 |
For example, take a 35-year-old woman, 165 cm and 68 kg, who trains lightly twice a week. Her BMR is 1,375 kcal. Multiply by 1.375 and her TDEE is 1,891 kcal, which the calculator shows as 1,900. Her number to lose weight is 1,400 kcal and her number to build muscle is 2,200. Results are rounded to the nearest 50 kcal, because an estimate of 1,891 looks more exact than it is.
Pick the level that matches a normal week, not your best one. If you are stuck between two, take the lower.
To lose weight: how big a deficit is sensible
The calculator takes 500 kcal a day off your maintenance number. That is the gentle end of what health bodies suggest. The US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute says cutting 500 to 1,000 kcal a day gives a recommended loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week, and the NHS puts the same pace at 0.5 to 1 kg a week.
There is also a floor. Harvard Health advises that calorie intake should not fall below 1,200 a day for women or 1,500 for men, unless a health professional supervises it. If 500 less would take you under that line, the calculator shows the floor instead and tells you so. A 55-year-old woman who is 155 cm, 55 kg and mostly sitting maintains on about 1,300 kcal, so she would see 1,200. For her, moving more will do more of the work than eating less.
A deficit is a weekly average, so a long Friday brunch and a big Saturday night can cancel out five careful weekdays. Keep protein high while you cut. In short-term, tightly controlled feeding studies, higher-protein diets during weight loss led to more fat loss and kept more lean mass. The calorie deficit guide goes deeper, and the 7-day weight loss meal plan shows what a week can look like.
To build muscle: how big a surplus, and how much protein
The calculator adds 300 kcal a day. A research review on natural bodybuilders suggests eating about 10 to 20% above maintenance and gaining about 0.25 to 0.5% of your body weight a week, with experienced lifters at the careful end. For any maintenance number between 1,500 and 3,000 kcal, 300 kcal falls inside that range. For an 80 kg person, 0.25 to 0.5% is 0.2 to 0.4 kg a week. The exact surplus that builds the most muscle with the least fat is still unknown, according to a 2019 review in Frontiers in Nutrition. So start at 300, weigh yourself weekly and adjust.
For protein, the calculator shows 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg of body weight if you train. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) says 1.4 to 2.0 g per kg is enough for most people who exercise. A 2018 meta-analysis of 49 studies found that gains in lean mass stopped increasing above about 1.6 g per kg, and a review in the ISSN's journal puts the upper intake reported in research at 2.2 g per kg. So 1.6 g gets you most of the benefit and 2.2 g gives you room. For an 80 kg person that is 128 to 176 g a day.
If you don't train, 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg is a sensible range. A review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that diets in that range improved appetite, weight management or heart health markers. The calculator shows the training range, so multiply your weight by 1.2 and 1.6 if that fits you better. The National Academy of Medicine's minimum for adults is 0.8 g per kg.
Spread it out. The ISSN suggests 20 to 40 g at a time, every 3 to 4 hours. Our guide to high protein meals has 15 ways to get there.
Which Sanos plan matches your number
Each of the three results lines up with one of our plans.
- To lose weight: the Weight Loss Meal Plan. Lean protein, fibre-rich vegetables and low-GI carbs in controlled portions.
- To keep your weight: the Weight Maintenance Meal Plan. Calorie-controlled, fibre-rich, with moderate carbs and low fat.
- To build muscle: the Muscle Gain Meal Plan. High-quality protein, complex carbs and healthy fats.
You choose the meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks), the days (weekdays, weekdays plus Saturday, or the full week) and the length, from 1 to 8 weeks. Our chefs cook everything in our Jumeirah kitchen, nutritionists approve the plans, and we deliver anywhere in Dubai. Build your plan and we send your price on WhatsApp. Want a second opinion on your number? Book a free nutrition consultation and bring it with you.
Limits: this is an estimate, not medical advice
Every calorie formula is an average. The 2005 review that rated Mifflin-St Jeor most reliable also found real errors for individuals, and older adults and some ethnic groups were under-represented in the studies behind these formulas. The original study only covered adults aged 19 to 78.
So treat your result as a starting point. Eat your number for two to three weeks and weigh yourself on the same mornings each week. If nothing moves, adjust by 100 to 200 kcal and test again. Run the calculator again when your week changes, for example when you start training outdoors in the cooler months or sign up for the Dubai Fitness Challenge.
If you are pregnant, have a medical condition or take medication, check with your doctor before you change how much you eat.
FAQ
What are maintenance calories?
They are the calories that keep your weight the same at your normal activity level. They are the same as your TDEE.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
Start about 500 kcal a day below your maintenance number. The NHLBI says a cut of 500 to 1,000 kcal a day leads to a loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week. Harvard Health advises not going below 1,200 kcal a day for women or 1,500 for men without a health professional's supervision.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is what you burn at rest. TDEE is your BMR multiplied by your activity level, so it includes everything you do on top.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
It is a good starting estimate, not a measurement. Mifflin-St Jeor came within 10% of measured resting burn in more people than any other common formula, but it can still be off for you, so test it for a few weeks.
Sources
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990
- Frankenfield D, Roth-Yousey L, Compher C. Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate in healthy nonobese and obese adults: a systematic review. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2005
- UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention. Daily calorie requirements calculator (updated July 2025)
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH). The Practical Guide: Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults
- NHS. Obesity: treatment (reviewed April 2026)
- Harvard Health Publishing. Calorie counting made easy (April 2024)
- Leidy HJ, et al. The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2015
- Iraki J, et al. Nutrition recommendations for bodybuilders in the off-season: a narrative review. Sports, 2019
- Slater GJ, et al. Is an energy surplus required to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy associated with resistance training? Frontiers in Nutrition, 2019
- Jäger R, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017
- Morton RW, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018
- Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA. How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2018
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source. Protein