wikiHow Daily Calorie Calculator To calculate your total daily calorie needs, you need to consider several factors that can affect your energy requirements, including: 1. Basal metabolic rate (BMR): This is the number of calories your body burns at rest to maintain basic physiological functions such as breathing, heartbeat, and organ function. 2. Physical activity level: This includes all physical activity throughout the day, such as exercise, work, and daily activities. 3. Thermic effect of food (TEF): This is the number of calories your body burns to digest and absorb the nutrients from the foods you eat. To calculate your total daily calorie needs, you can use the following formula: Total Daily Calorie Needs = BMR + Physical Activity + TEF 1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): To estimate your BMR, you can use an online BMR calculator or use the Harris-Benedict equation, which is a mathematical formula that estimates BMR based on age, gender, weight, and height: For men: BMR = 88.36 + (13.4 x weight in kg) + (4.8 x height in cm) - (5.7 x age in years) For women: BMR = 447.6 + (9.2 x weight in kg) + (3.1 x height in cm) - (4.3 x age in years) 2. Physical Activity Level: Your physical activity level will depend on your lifestyle and the amount and intensity of physical activity you do each day. You can estimate your daily calorie needs based on your activity level using the following guidelines: Sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR x 1.2 Lightly active (light exercise or sports 1-3 days per week): BMR x 1.375 Moderately active (moderate exercise or sports 3-5 days per week): BMR x 1.55 Very active (hard exercise or sports 6-7 days per week): BMR x 1.725 Extra active (very hard exercise or sports, physical job or training twice per day): BMR x 1.9 3. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): The TEF is estimated to be about 10% of your total daily calorie intake. You can add this to your BMR and physical activity level to get your total daily calorie needs. Example: Let's say a 35-year-old woman weighs 150 pounds, is 5'6" tall, and exercises moderately 3-5 days per week. Her BMR using the Harris-Benedict equation is: BMR = 447.6 + (9.2 x weight in kg) + (3.1 x height in cm) - (4.3 x age in years) BMR = 447.6 + (9.2 x 68) + (3.1 x 168) - (4.3 x 35) BMR = 447.6 + 625.6 + 521.6 - 150.5 BMR = 1444.3 calories per day To estimate her daily calorie needs, we can multiply her BMR by 1.55 (moderately active) and add 10% for the TEF: Total Daily Calorie Needs = BMR x Activity Level + TEF Total Daily Calorie Needs = 1444.3 x 1.55 + (0.1 x 1444.3) Total Daily Calorie Needs = 2233 calories per day Therefore, this woman needs approximately 2233 calories per day to maintain her weight based on her BMR, physical activity level, and TEF. Page