🔥 TDEE Calculator
Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure and personalized calorie goals
Understand Your Daily Calorie Burn
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) tells you how many calories your body burns each day when you factor in all activities—breathing, digesting food, walking, workouts, even fidgeting. Knowing your TDEE is the foundation for any nutrition plan: eat below it to lose weight, at it to maintain, or above it to gain muscle. This calculator pairs TDEE with Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) to give you precise calorie targets for your goals.
BMR vs. TDEE
- BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate): Calories your body needs at rest to keep you alive—breathing, circulating blood, regulating temperature. Accounts for ~60-75% of daily burn.
- TDEE: BMR plus calories burned from daily activity, exercise, and digestion. This is your maintenance calorie level.
Think of BMR as "minimum required" and TDEE as "what you actually burn."
Activity Levels Explained
- Sedentary (1.2): Desk job, little or no exercise
- Lightly Active (1.375): Light exercise 1-3 days/week (walking, light gym sessions)
- Moderately Active (1.55): Moderate exercise 3-5 days/week (strength training, cycling)
- Very Active (1.725): Hard exercise 6-7 days/week or a physically demanding job
- Extremely Active (1.9): Intense training twice daily, manual labor, or endurance athletes
Be honest about your activity level—overestimating leads to overeating.
Formulas Used
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for BMR, widely considered the most accurate for modern lifestyles:
- Men: BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) + 5
- Women: BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) − 161
TDEE = BMR × Activity Factor. Simple, reliable, and science-backed.
How to Use Your TDEE
- Weight Loss: Eat 10-20% below TDEE (250-500 calorie deficit) for sustainable fat loss
- Maintenance: Eat at TDEE to keep your current weight
- Muscle Gain: Eat 5-15% above TDEE (250-300 calorie surplus) combined with strength training
A larger deficit = faster weight loss but higher risk of muscle loss and slower metabolism. Aim for steady progress, not crash diets.
Adjusting Over Time
- Recalculate every 4-6 weeks: Your TDEE changes as your weight and activity level change.
- Track Progress: If weight isn’t moving after 2-3 weeks, adjust calories by 100-150 per day.
- Monitor Energy: Low energy, poor sleep, or stalled performance may mean calories are too low.
- Consider Non-Exercise Activity: Walking more or fidgeting more increases TDEE—small habits add up.
TDEE vs. Other Calculators
TDEE calculators focus on total daily burn and calorie planning. Pair it with the Macro Calculator for protein/carb/fat targets, and the Calorie Calculator for daily intake planning. Together, they give you a complete nutrition roadmap.
Important Notes
- TDEE is an estimate. Use it as a starting point and adjust based on real-life results.
- Metabolism adapts. Long calorie deficits can slow TDEE—use diet breaks or refeeds to prevent plateaus.
- Medical conditions, hormones, and genetics affect TDEE. Consult a doctor or dietitian if you have unique health needs.
- Consistency matters most. Track habits, stay patient, and adjust carefully.
This tool is for educational use and should complement, not replace, professional guidance.
Your Information
Understanding TDEE & BMR
What is BMR?
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at complete rest to maintain vital functions like breathing, circulation, and cell production. It represents 60-75% of your total daily calorie expenditure.
What is TDEE?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories you burn in a day, including BMR plus all physical activity. TDEE = BMR × Activity Level Multiplier.
BMR Calculation Formulas
- Mifflin-St Jeor (Recommended): Most accurate for general population. Developed in 1990, it's considered the gold standard.
- Men: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age) + 5
- Women: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age) - 161
- Harris-Benedict (Revised): Updated version of the original 1919 formula. Slightly less accurate than Mifflin-St Jeor.
- Men: 88.362 + (13.397 × weight in kg) + (4.799 × height in cm) - (5.677 × age)
- Women: 447.593 + (9.247 × weight in kg) + (3.098 × height in cm) - (4.330 × age)
- Katch-McArdle: Most accurate if you know your body fat percentage. Based on lean body mass.
- 370 + (21.6 × lean body mass in kg)
Activity Level Multipliers
- Sedentary (1.2): Little or no exercise, desk job
- Lightly Active (1.375): Light exercise 1-3 days/week
- Moderately Active (1.55): Moderate exercise 3-5 days/week
- Very Active (1.725): Hard exercise 6-7 days/week
- Extremely Active (1.9): Very hard exercise, physical job, training twice per day
How to Use Your TDEE
- Weight Loss: Eat 15-20% below TDEE (300-500 calorie deficit)
- Maintenance: Eat at your TDEE to maintain current weight
- Muscle Gain: Eat 10-15% above TDEE (200-300 calorie surplus)
- Aggressive Cut: Eat 20-25% below TDEE (not recommended long-term)
Important Considerations
- TDEE calculations are estimates - adjust based on real-world results
- Track your weight for 2-3 weeks and adjust calories if needed
- Metabolic adaptation can occur during prolonged dieting
- Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) varies significantly between individuals
- Recalculate your TDEE every 10-15 lbs of weight change
- Be honest about your activity level - most people overestimate
Tips for Success
- Start with your calculated TDEE and monitor progress for 2 weeks
- Adjust calories by 100-200 if not seeing expected results
- Prioritize protein intake (1.6-2.2g per kg body weight)
- Don't cut calories too aggressively - aim for 0.5-1% body weight loss per week
- Include regular diet breaks to prevent metabolic adaptation
- Track both weight and measurements for accurate progress assessment
More Free Health & Fitness Tools
Complete your nutrition planning: