Calories
TDEE Calculator
Estimate maintenance calories with Mifflin-St Jeor, then take the number into the free Vitality Engine meal plan.
Hunter: I treat this as a starting point, then adjust after two weeks of honest logging. I do not treat it like a lab printout.
What TDEE actually is
TDEE is an estimate of how many calories you burn in a day, training included. It is not a lab test. Use it to set a meal plan, then watch your weekly average weight and your lifts. If both stall for a few weeks, you adjust food or steps. That is coaching, not a clinic.
How a 17-25 athlete should use it
If you lift 4 days and still play a sport, pick active, not moderate. Sitting in class does not cancel practice. Plug the number, then open Engine and generate a grocery list that hits it without eating like a brochure. Rouses-run food still counts.
A worked example
Say you are 18, about 170 pounds, 5 foot 10, lifting and practicing most days. The calculator will spit a maintenance estimate. Eat near that for two weeks while you log training. If weight trends down and lifts feel like trash, eat more. If weight trends up faster than you wanted and you are not trying to grow, shave a bit. Two weeks. Not two days.
What this page will not do
We will not write a clinic plan. We will not sell a shame goal. We will not grade you with a calorie number. If you have a condition that needs a clinician, talk to them. This tool is for athletes who need a starting calorie target they can actually cook from.
Take it into Engine
The number is useless if it lives in your camera roll. Create a free Vitality Engine account, set the target, and let the meal planner build a week. Share the grocery list if you cook with a parent or a roommate. That is the loop.
FAQ
Is this medical advice?
No. It is a coaching estimate. Talk to a clinician if you have a medical condition.
Why Mifflin-St Jeor?
It is a standard BMR formula. Close enough to start. Your weekly average weight is the real referee.
Should I eat less than this on rest days?
Keep it simple the first month. Same target most days. You can split training-day carbs later.
Save the number in the free Vitality Engine and build a meal plan from it. Do not screenshot and forget.