TDEE calculator for women
The calculator is not running
Its script did not start in this browser, so the numbers below are the example figures this page ships with — not yours. Nothing you typed was sent anywhere; there is nowhere for it to go. A reload usually fixes it.
Your likely daily energy use
1,606 as low as
1,912 kcal/day
2,217 as high as
±16% — the shaded band is where your real figure most likely sits.
Show the arithmetic
- BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor)
- 10(68) + 6.25(165) − 5(32) − 161 = 1390 kcal
- Activity — Lightly active
- 1390 × 1.375 = 1912 kcal
- Honest band — ±16%
- 1606 – 2217 kcal/day
Mifflin-St Jeor is the default because it is the best-validated equation that needs no body-fat number. Harris-Benedict would give 1,449 kcal for the same person — a difference of well under 100 kcal. The formula is not what makes these calculators wrong; the activity multiplier is.
Where your calories go
Estimated daily breakdown of your 1,912 kcal TDEE.
- BMR (Resting) 1,390 kcal (73%)
Organs, brain & heart function at complete rest
- TEF (Food digestion) 191 kcal (10%)
Energy spent digesting protein, carbs & fats (~10%)
- NEAT (Daily movement) 231 kcal (12%)
Walking, standing, fidgeting & non-exercise movement
- EAT (Workouts) 99 kcal (5%)
Structured workouts, sports & cardio sessions
So what do I eat?
One recommendation, not a menu. Moderate loss is marked because it is the rate most people actually sustain. Pick another row to move the numbers.
1,529 kcal/day · -0.35 kg per week, estimated
Macros — as ranges, because that is what the evidence supports
- Protein 122–150 g 1.6–2.2 g per kg bodyweight, upper end while cutting
- Fat 34–51 g 20–30% of calories
- Carbs 118–183 g whatever the calorie target has left
How to replace this estimate with your own number
Every figure on this page is a starting point, and the ±band is the honest size of the error. After two to three weeks of eating near your target, weigh yourself daily and compare the weekly averages, not single days. If the average moved less than the estimate predicted, your real maintenance is lower than shown — subtract roughly 100 kcal and hold for another fortnight. If it moved faster, add 100. Two cycles of that beat any formula, including this one.
2–3 Week Self-Correction Calculator
Calculators estimate; your body provides ground truth. Enter your 2–3 week progress to calculate your actual real-world TDEE.
Restored from your last visit. Stored only in this browser, never sent anywhere. Turn off on a shared computer.
What actually changes in the formula for women
Less than most people expect. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which the tool above uses by default, is identical for everyone except a single constant at the end: it adds 5 for men and subtracts 161 for women. So for the same height, weight and age, the equation puts a woman's resting metabolic rate about 166 kcal a day lower than a man's, and that gap is really standing in for average differences in body composition, chiefly that women carry a higher proportion of essential fat and, at a given bodyweight, less muscle.
That is the whole of the sex adjustment in the formula. Everything downstream (the activity multiplier, the goal shift, the macro split) works the same way it does on the main TDEE calculator. This page exists because the female offset is worth seeing explicitly, not because a different calculation is needed.
A realistic TDEE range for women
For most adult women, total daily energy expenditure falls somewhere between about 1,600 and 2,400 kcal, against roughly 2,000 to 3,200 for men. Where you land inside that depends far more on your size and how much you move than on anything sex-specific. A tall, lean, active woman can easily burn more than a shorter, sedentary man.
Treat any single figure the calculator gives you as the centre of a band about ±16% wide, not a precise number. The accuracy page explains where that uncertainty comes from: mostly the activity multiplier and day-to-day differences in unconscious movement, neither of which the equation can see.
The life stages generic calculators ignore
A calculator built from height, weight, age and sex cannot model any of the following, and for many women one of them is the reason the estimate feels off:
- The menstrual cycle. Resting metabolic rate rises modestly in the luteal phase (the roughly two weeks before a period) by something like 2–8%, often accompanied by higher appetite. Over a month it mostly averages out, but it can explain why intake and weight feel different across the cycle.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Energy needs rise substantially: on the order of 300 kcal a day in the second trimester, 450 in the third, and roughly 500 while exclusively breastfeeding. A standard TDEE calculator does not apply these, and this one should not be used to restrict intake during either.
- Perimenopause and menopause. Weight gain around this transition is common, but large studies of total energy expenditure across the lifespan, notably Pontzer and colleagues (2021), found that metabolic rate adjusted for body composition stays remarkably stable from the twenties into the sixties. The change is driven mainly by a gradual loss of muscle and a drop in daily activity, not by a metabolic cliff at menopause. That distinction matters, because the response to it is resistance training and protein, not eating dramatically less.
Body fat and the Katch-McArdle option
If you have a measured body-fat percentage, entering it switches the engine to the Katch-McArdle equation, which works from lean body mass and drops the sex constant entirely: lean mass already carries that information. For women this can be the more accurate route, but only if the body-fat figure is real. A guessed number, or a reading from a cheap bioimpedance scale on a random day, can make the estimate worse while looking more precise. The Katch-McArdle calculator page covers when it helps and when it does not.
Eating for a goal, and the floor that matters
For fat loss, 10–25% below your estimated maintenance is the sustainable band, landing near 0.25–0.7% of bodyweight per week. Below about 1,200 kcal a day, the calculator shows a floor rather than the number the percentage asked for. That floor is not arbitrary caution: chronically under-eating relative to training load (low energy availability) is linked to menstrual disruption, bone loss and a drop in the very metabolic rate you were trying to work with. If your periods become irregular or stop on a diet, that is a signal to eat more, not a sign the diet is working.
For muscle gain, a surplus of around 10% above maintenance with resistance training is enough for most women, often at roughly half the weekly rate quoted for men.
Then replace the estimate with your own data
Whatever number you start with, confirm it against reality. Eat near it for two to three weeks, weigh yourself each morning under the same conditions, and track the weekly average rather than single days, and if you menstruate, compare the same point in consecutive cycles where you can, since water retention shifts across the month. If your average held steady, the estimate was close; if it moved, adjust by about 100–150 kcal and check again.
What this calculator cannot tell you
It cannot see your hormonal health, your medical history, your training, your stress or your sleep, and it is not built for use during pregnancy or breastfeeding. It also cannot detect a history of disordered eating, which is more common in women and for whom calorie targets can be harmful rather than helpful.
This page is written by Madhu Kinnera, who is not a clinician. Nothing here is medical advice. If your periods are irregular or absent, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have a condition affecting your metabolism, speak to a doctor or a registered dietitian before changing how you eat.
Frequently asked questions
How is TDEE calculated differently for women?
Only by one term. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation subtracts 161 for women where it adds 5 for men, putting a woman’s estimated resting rate about 166 kcal a day lower than a man’s of the same height, weight and age. That constant stands in for average differences in body composition. Everything else in the calculation is the same.
What is the average TDEE for a woman?
Most adult women fall between about 1,600 and 2,400 kcal a day, but that range is wide because it depends mainly on size and activity. A tall, active woman can burn more than a shorter, sedentary man. Use the calculator with your own numbers rather than an average.
How many calories should a woman eat to lose weight?
Ten to twenty-five percent below your estimated maintenance, which is roughly 0.25 to 0.7 percent of bodyweight per week. For many women that lands somewhere between 1,400 and 1,900 kcal, but it depends entirely on your maintenance figure. The calculator will not recommend below about 1,200 kcal.
Does a woman’s TDEE change during her menstrual cycle?
Modestly. Resting metabolic rate rises by around 2 to 8 percent in the luteal phase, the roughly two weeks before a period, often with increased appetite. Across a full month it largely averages out, so it is not usually worth adjusting targets for, but it can explain why some weeks feel harder.
Why does my TDEE seem to drop after menopause?
Large studies of energy expenditure across the lifespan find that metabolic rate adjusted for body composition stays stable from the twenties into the sixties. Weight gain around menopause is driven mainly by gradual muscle loss and reduced daily activity, not a sudden metabolic drop. The effective response is resistance training and adequate protein.
Should I use body fat percentage in a TDEE calculator as a woman?
Only if you have a measured figure from a reliable method such as a DEXA scan. A good body-fat number switches the calculator to the Katch-McArdle equation, which can be more accurate. A guessed number or a reading from a cheap scale can make the estimate worse while looking more exact.
How many calories does a woman need during pregnancy or breastfeeding?
Needs rise by roughly 300 kcal a day in the second trimester, 450 in the third, and around 500 while exclusively breastfeeding, on top of pre-pregnancy maintenance. A standard TDEE calculator does not apply these, and it should not be used to restrict intake during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Follow guidance from your maternity care provider.
Is it safe for a woman to eat below her BMR?
Briefly and by a small margin, sometimes. Chronically, it is a warning sign. Persistently under-eating relative to activity is linked to menstrual disruption, bone loss and a fall in metabolic rate. Irregular or absent periods on a diet mean you should be eating more, not less.
Why do TDEE calculators give me different numbers?
Almost always because they assumed a different activity multiplier, not because their formula for women is different. Moving one activity bucket changes the estimate by 150 to 250 kcal. The calculator here shows the multiplier it used so you can judge whether it matches your week.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator for women?
About the same as for men: roughly four in five people land within 10 percent of the resting estimate, with more uncertainty added by the activity multiplier. Treat the result as the centre of a band about 16 percent wide, and confirm it against two to three weeks of your own weight data.
How often should a woman recalculate her TDEE?
After every 4 to 5 kg of weight change, and any time your weekly weight average plateaus for two to three weeks despite consistent eating. Life-stage changes (pregnancy, breastfeeding, the menopause transition) also warrant revisiting your intake, ideally with professional input.
Do women need different macros?
The macro rules are not sex-specific: protein at 1.6 to 2.2 g per kilogram of bodyweight, fat at 20 to 30 percent of calories, carbohydrate as the remainder. The calorie total differs because the formula uses sex as an input, and everything downstream follows from that. The intake floor is the main thing to watch.
No questions matching your search.