Why does my deficit not produce weight loss?

Most often the activity multiplier was too high. The gap between moderate and very active is eleven percent of the day, which is larger than most deficits. Track intake for two weeks and use what the scale says instead.

Which BMR equation is best?

Mifflin St Jeor for most people, Katch-McArdle if body fat is measured rather than guessed. Both carry about ten percent individual error, so neither deserves a target set to the nearest calorie.

Health & Fitnessmetabolism

TDEE Calculator

Total daily energy expenditure from the Mifflin St Jeor equation and an activity multiplier. The multiplier is the weak link and it is almost always chosen too high, which is the single most common reason a calculated deficit produces no weight loss.

Also called: total daily energy expenditure, maintenance calories calculator.

Daily energy expenditure

2,647

About 2,647 kcal a day, from a BMR of 1,708 multiplied by an activity factor of 1.55. The honest range is 2,382 to 2,911. The equation carries about ten percent individual error, so 2382 to 2911 is the honest band. Setting a target to the nearest calorie against a number that could be 265 out either way is false precision. The multiplier of 1.55 assumes moderate exercise three to five days a week. It is the crudest part of the estimate: moving one level up adds 299 kcal, which is larger than most deficits. Most people choose a level above where their week actually sits.

Basal metabolic rate

1,708

Activity multiplier

1.55

Low end

2,382

High end

2,911

BMR by Katch-McArdle, if body fat is known

For a slow cut

2,247

For a slow gain

2,897

On the range

The equation carries about ten percent individual error, so 2382 to 2911 is the honest band. Setting a target to the nearest calorie against a number that could be 265 out either way is false precision.

On the activity factor

The multiplier of 1.55 assumes moderate exercise three to five days a week. It is the crudest part of the estimate: moving one level up adds 299 kcal, which is larger than most deficits. Most people choose a level above where their week actually sits.

How this is calculated

These are population regressions with roughly ±10% individual error, which is why a range is shown rather than a single number.

The same person at each activity level

Level	Factor	kcal a day	What it means
sedentary	1.2	2,049	desk work with little deliberate exercise
light	1.38	2,348	light exercise one to three days a week
moderate	1.55	2,647	moderate exercise three to five days a week
active	1.73	2,945	hard exercise six or seven days a week
very active	1.9	3,244	physical work or twice daily training

Method and background

This is what the calculation gives for the numbers you entered. It is an estimate, not advice, and it knows nothing about your situation beyond those numbers. Rules for United States change on a published schedule; the effective date is shown on every rule-based tool.

How this is calculated

Mifflin St Jeor estimates the resting rate from weight, height, age and sex, and has the best published accuracy of the common equations, which still leaves about ten percent individual error. The activity multiplier then does the rest, and it is far cruder: the gap between moderately active and very active is eleven percent of the whole day, and most people place themselves a level above where their week actually sits. Where body fat is known the Katch-McArdle equation is shown alongside, since it works from lean mass and is more accurate at the extremes of body composition where the weight-based equations drift. The practical test is not the equation but the scale: track intake for a fortnight, and if weight is flat the real number is whatever was eaten.

a resting rate scaled by an activity factor, where the factor is the coarsest part of the estimate and the one people overstate

a: Activity multiplier

Worked examples

Each of these is asserted on every build. If a change to the engine ever moved one of these answers, the build would fail before the page could print it.

a moderately active 32 year old man

Weight: 75 kg
Height: 178 cm
Age: 32
Sex: Male
Activity level: Moderately active, 3 to 5 days
Body fat, if known: 0 %

Daily energy expenditure2,647

10x75 + 6.25x178 - 5x32 + 5, times 1.55

Open this example

one activity level higher

Weight: 75 kg
Height: 178 cm
Age: 32
Sex: Male
Activity level: Very active, 6 to 7 days
Body fat, if known: 0 %

Daily energy expenditure2,945

boundary: one level adds 299 kcal, more than most deficits

Open this example

Method and limits

What it assumes

A stable weight, since the equations are fitted to weight-stable populations.

What it deliberately does not model

Individual error is roughly plus or minus ten percent even before the activity multiplier is chosen.
The equations are fitted to adults and do not apply to children, in pregnancy, or during lactation.
Adaptive thermogenesis lowers expenditure during a sustained deficit, so the figure drifts down as weight comes off.

Formula version 1.0.0 · definition 1.0.0 · United States · Report a problem with this calculator

Frequently asked questions

Why does my deficit not produce weight loss?: Most often the activity multiplier was too high. The gap between moderate and very active is eleven percent of the day, which is larger than most deficits. Track intake for two weeks and use what the scale says instead.
Which BMR equation is best?: Mifflin St Jeor for most people, Katch-McArdle if body fat is measured rather than guessed. Both carry about ten percent individual error, so neither deserves a target set to the nearest calorie.