TDEE calculator — daily calories & macros
TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is the number of calories your body burns per day: resting metabolism multiplied by an activity factor. This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — 10×weight(kg) + 6.25×height(cm) − 5×age + 5 (men) / −161 (women) — and switches to Katch-McArdle if you provide your waist circumference.
| Protein | — |
| Fat | — |
| Carbohydrates | — |
| Fiber (14 g / 1,000 kcal) | — |
Activity levels explained
| Level | Multiplier | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | ×1.3 | Desk job, mostly sitting, occasional walks |
| Light | ×1.45 | Regular walks, 1–2 easy workouts per week |
| Moderate | ×1.6 | 3–4 workouts per week or an active daily routine |
| Heavy | ×1.8 | Hard training most days of the week |
| Extreme | ×2.0 | Competitive athlete or heavy physical job |
These multipliers come from the NOMS engine, which also fine-tunes them with your training style — the app version adds a small training bonus on top of the base level.
How the macros are set
Instead of one-size-fits-all percentage splits, NOMS sets protein and fat in grams per kilogram based on your training style and goal. As a guide: protein typically lands around 1.2–2.4 g per kg of body weight (higher with strength training or in a deficit), fat around 0.8–1.2 g per kg (capped near 35% of calories), and carbohydrates fill the remaining calories to fuel training and daily life.
The science behind the numbers
- Resting energy expenditure: Mifflin-St Jeor equation — Mifflin MD et al., "A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals", Am J Clin Nutr, 1990.
- With waist circumference: body fat estimated via Relative Fat Mass (Woolcott & Bergman, Scientific Reports, 2018), then BMR via the Katch-McArdle equation (370 + 21.6 × lean body mass in kg).
- Fiber target: dietary reference guideline of 14 g per 1,000 kcal (National Academies DRI for macronutrients).
- Safety floor: NOMS never recommends a calorie target below established medical minimums or below your estimated BMR.
Frequently asked questions
Which formula does this TDEE calculator use?
For adults it uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (Mifflin et al., 1990). If you enter your waist circumference, it estimates body fat with the RFM formula, derives lean body mass and switches to the Katch-McArdle equation — the same logic the NOMS engine uses.
What activity multiplier should I pick?
Pick the level that matches your everyday movement, not your best week. Most desk workers are sedentary (×1.3) or lightly active (×1.45). If in doubt, choose the lower level — you can adjust after a week or two of real data.
Why does the calculator refuse to go below a certain calorie number?
NOMS never recommends a calorie target below established medical minimums or below your estimated BMR. Very low targets are not safer or faster — they are just harder to sustain.
Are the macro numbers exact prescriptions?
No — they are ranges. Instead of one-size-fits-all percentage splits, NOMS sets protein and fat in grams per kilogram based on your training style and goal, and carbohydrates fill the remaining calories.
Track this daily in Telegram
A number is only useful if you can see how your days compare to it. Send NOMS a photo, a voice note or a text — it logs calories, protein, fat, carbs and fiber against your target in seconds.
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