Estimate your total daily energy expenditure — the calories you burn across a whole day, training included.
Estimates are for general guidance only and are not medical advice. For a personalised plan, book a free guided tour at RPM Gym.
Your TDEE is your BMR multiplied by an activity factor. BMR is what you would burn lying still for 24 hours; the multiplier is a bracket that stands in for everything else you do: training, walking, work, fidgeting.
The deficit and surplus figures shown aren't prescriptions. A 500 kcal deficit is a common starting point because it maps to roughly half a kilogram of fat per week, and the gain figure is a 10–20% band over expenditure rather than a fixed number, because no single surplus has been established as optimal. Both are starting estimates you adjust against real weight data.
BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) + 5 for men, − 161 for women. TDEE = BMR × activity factor (1.2 sedentary, 1.375 light, 1.55 moderate, 1.725 active, 1.9 very active)
A 30-year-old man, 80 kg, 180 cm, training 3–5 days a week (moderate, 1.55).
A TDEE of about 2,759 kcal/day, from a BMR of 1,780 kcal/day.
Yes, but not mainly through metabolism. The component that moves most is everyday movement: steps, standing, general restlessness, which can vary by hundreds of calories between two similar people. Added muscle raises it too, though by less than most expect: roughly 13 kcal per kilogram per day at rest.
Count structured training honestly and be conservative about the rest. Three to five gym sessions a week with a desk job is 'moderate' (1.55), not 'active'. Most people over-select here, which is why the estimate reads high.
It's a population equation applied to an individual, so expect roughly ±10% for most people and more if your body composition is unusual for your height and weight. Its value is as a starting point you then correct with two to three weeks of real weight data.
Not if you selected an activity multiplier that already includes your training. That would count the same sessions twice. Eat back tracked exercise calories only if you calculated from a sedentary baseline.
A smaller body costs less to move and maintain, so BMR falls as weight falls. People also move less, often without noticing, when in a deficit. Recalculating every 4–5 kg of change keeps the estimate honest.
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation applies a different constant by sex (−161 instead of +5), and women are on average smaller, so the resulting figure is typically lower. The method and the activity multipliers are the same.
Estimates become programmes on the gym floor, not in a spreadsheet. Book a free guided tour at RPM Gym in Al Manhal.