The three parts of your daily burn
Resting rate
The energy you use to stay alive: breathing, circulation, keeping warm, repairing tissue. For most people it is the largest part of the day by a wide margin.
Movement
Deliberate exercise, and everything else. Walking to the shop, carrying shopping up the stairs, standing, fidgeting at a desk. It adds up more than most people expect.
Digestion
Processing food costs energy too. It is the smallest of the three and it shifts with what you eat, because protein takes more energy to break down than fat does.
What daily calories burned means
Your daily calories burned, sometimes called total daily energy expenditure, is the whole amount of energy your body uses in twenty four hours. It has three parts. Your resting rate is the energy you use to stay alive: breathing, circulation, keeping warm, repairing tissue. Your movement is everything on top of that, from deliberate exercise to walking to the shop and fidgeting at a desk. Digestion is the rest, because processing food costs energy too.
How this calculator works it out
The calculator estimates your resting rate with the Mifflin St Jeor equation, which uses your sex assigned at birth, age, height and weight. It then multiplies that by a factor for your activity level, from 1,2 for little or no exercise to 1,9 for intense exercise daily. If you enter a measured body fat percentage it uses the Katch McArdle equation instead, which works from your lean mass and does not need your age or height.
Why sex assigned at birth is one of the questions
Mifflin St Jeor was published with two sets of constants, one derived from male bodies and one from female bodies, and there is no validated version in between. We ask for sex assigned at birth because that is the input the equation takes. It is used for this calculation and nothing else.
How accurate is it
It is an estimate built from population averages, and a person’s real rate can sit meaningfully above or below the average for their size. Estimates like this are typically within about 10 percent of a laboratory measurement for most people. Sleep, illness, medication, thyroid function, muscle mass and how honestly anyone rates their own activity all move the number. Use it as a starting point, not as a target to defend.
What this number does not tell you
It says nothing about whether your weight is healthy, and no calorie figure can. It is arithmetic about energy, not a verdict about your body. It also cannot see your medical history, your bloods, your thyroid or the medicines you take, and all four change what is true for you.
What to do with the number
If you want to keep your weight where it is, it is roughly what you use. If you want to lose weight, the number to work from is a deficit below it, and that has floors that exist for good reason. If you want to build muscle, protein intake matters as much as calories. A doctor or a dietitian can put all of that against your actual medical history, which no calculator can do.
Questions people ask about this calculator
What is TDEE?
TDEE stands for total daily energy expenditure. It is an estimate of all the energy your body uses in twenty four hours: your resting rate, plus your movement, plus the energy it takes to digest what you eat. This calculator estimates it from your age, height, weight, sex assigned at birth and how much exercise you do.
How accurate is this estimate?
Estimates like this are typically within about 10 percent of a laboratory measurement for most people, which is why the result is shown as a range as well as a figure. Sleep, illness, medication, thyroid function, muscle mass and how honestly anyone rates their own activity all move the number. Treat it as a starting point rather than a fact about your body.
Why does the calculator ask for sex assigned at birth?
The Mifflin St Jeor equation was published with two sets of constants, one derived from male bodies and one from female bodies, and there is no validated version in between. It is the input the equation takes, it changes the resting figure by 166 kcal a day, and it is used for this calculation and nothing else.
Should I enter my body fat percentage?
Only if you have had it measured, for example by a body composition scan. With a measured figure the calculator uses the Katch McArdle equation, which works from your lean mass and is often closer for people who train seriously. A guess makes the estimate worse rather than better, so leaving the field empty is the right answer for most people.
Is this how much I should eat?
No. It is an estimate of what you use, not an instruction about what to eat. If you want to lose weight, the figure to work from is a deficit below this one, and safe deficits have floors that exist for good reason. A doctor or a dietitian can set that against your medical history, which no calculator can see.
Does this tell me whether my weight is healthy?
No, and no calorie figure can. This calculator answers one question: roughly how much energy your body uses in a day. It is arithmetic about energy, not a judgement about your body, and it is not a diagnosis of anything.
Is anything I type here sent to Carisma Medical?
The maths runs in your browser and nothing leaves it until you choose to send your details. If you do send them, your answers are handled as health data under Article 9 of the GDPR, held in medical confidence, never sold and never used for advertising, and you can withdraw your consent at any time.
Who is this calculator for?
Adults aged 18 and over in Malta. It is not suitable if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have or have had an eating disorder, diabetes, kidney or liver disease, or any condition that affects your nutrition. If any of those apply to you, please speak to a doctor or a dietitian rather than following an estimate.
The doctor will see you now
A calculator can estimate. It cannot see your medical history, your bloods or the medicines you take. If you want to look at your weight properly, a Malta-registered doctor can start with a free assessment and tell you honestly whether we can help.
Start Your Free AssessmentFree to start. Malta only. 18 and over.
This tool gives general health and lifestyle information. It is not a medical device, it does not diagnose any condition, and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. The figures are estimates based on what you entered and on general population averages, and your own needs may differ.
Calorie figures shown here are estimates, not a prescribed diet plan. They are not suitable if you are under 18, pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have or have had an eating disorder, diabetes, kidney or liver disease, or any condition that affects your nutrition. If any of those apply to you, please speak to a doctor or a dietitian rather than following an estimate.
Carisma Medical is not for emergencies. If you are unwell now, call 112.