nutrition
Tdee calculator
What is TDEE?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns in a single day. It is the single most useful number in any fitness or nutrition plan because every diet decision — cutting, bulking, or maintaining — starts from this baseline.
TDEE is built from four components:
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — calories burned at complete rest to run breathing, circulation, brain activity, and cell repair. Accounts for 60–70% of daily energy expenditure.
- Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) — calories burned digesting and absorbing food. Roughly 10% of intake. Protein has the highest TEF (20–30%), carbs in the middle (5–10%), fat the lowest (0–3%).
- Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT) — deliberate training. Usually 5–15% of TDEE.
- Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) — everything else: walking, fidgeting, standing, posture. This is the most variable component and can swing 500–1000 kcal between two otherwise identical people.
BMR is predictable from height, weight, age, and sex. NEAT is not — which is why two people with identical stats can have TDEE values hundreds of calories apart.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your weight in kilograms or pounds (unit toggle at the top of the form).
- Enter your height in centimetres or feet/inches.
- Enter your age in years.
- Select biological sex — this changes the BMR constant (male +5, female −161). It reflects average metabolic differences in lean mass between sexes.
- Choose your activity level — see the detailed breakdown below. Most people overestimate this step; if unsure, pick one level lower.
- Click Calculate TDEE. The result appears instantly.
- Use the result as your calorie target and validate with 2–3 weeks of bodyweight tracking.
The formula
TDEE uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for BMR (the modern gold standard, accurate within ~10% for 80% of the population), then multiplies by an activity factor:
BMR (male) = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5
BMR (female) = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age − 161
TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier
Activity multipliers
| Level | Multiplier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Desk job, no structured exercise, under 5,000 steps/day |
| Light | 1.375 | Light exercise 1–3 days/week or 5,000–7,500 steps |
| Moderate | 1.55 | Moderate exercise 3–5 days/week or 7,500–10,000 steps |
| Active | 1.725 | Heavy exercise 6–7 days/week or 10,000–12,500 steps |
| Very active | 1.9 | Physical job plus daily training, or 12,500+ steps |
Mifflin-St Jeor was developed in 1990 from a dataset of 498 healthy adults and has outperformed the older Harris-Benedict equation in validation studies (Frankenfield 2005). It underestimates in very lean, muscular people — if that describes you, compare against the Katch-McArdle formula in the BMR Calculator.
How to interpret your result
Your TDEE is a starting estimate, not a fixed truth. Real-world factors that move the number:
- Muscle mass — each additional kilo of lean mass burns roughly 13 kcal/day at rest. A lifter with 5 kg more muscle than average has ~65 kcal/day higher TDEE baseline before the activity multiplier.
- Metabolic adaptation — long cuts lower TDEE below the calculated value by 5–15% through reduced NEAT, lower thyroid output, and subtle hormonal shifts. Recalculate every 4–5 kg of weight change.
- NEAT variance — sedentary workers often burn 200–400 fewer calories than the sedentary multiplier suggests; active workers can burn 300+ more. Steps data from a fitness tracker is a better input than self-reported activity level.
- Age — BMR declines roughly 1–2% per decade after 30, mostly from muscle loss rather than age itself. Resistance training slows this.
Validating your estimate
Calculated TDEE is a hypothesis. To confirm:
- Eat at the calculated number for 14 days.
- Weigh yourself daily at the same time (morning, after bathroom, before food). Average each week.
- Compare week-1 and week-2 averages:
- Weight stable (±0.5%): TDEE estimate is accurate.
- Weight up: real TDEE is lower. Subtract 150 kcal and retest.
- Weight down: real TDEE is higher. Add 150 kcal and retest.
Common mistakes
- Recalculating daily. TDEE doesn't move day-to-day. Weekly bodyweight averages are what matter.
- Blaming the calculator for lack of progress. 9 times out of 10 the issue is adherence — unlogged oils, liquid calories, or weekend drift — not the formula.
- Using TDEE as a hard ceiling. It's a starting point. If progress stalls, adjust by ±150 kcal and retest.
What to do next
Once you know your TDEE:
- To maintain weight: eat at TDEE.
- To lose fat: use the Cutting Macros Calculator for a 15–25% deficit with protein protection.
- To gain muscle: use the Bulking Macros Calculator for a 5–15% surplus.
- To split calories into macros: use the Macro Calculator to break TDEE into protein, fat, and carb targets.
Related tools
- Macro Calculator — split your TDEE into protein, fat, and carbs
- BMR Calculator — see your base metabolic rate before the activity multiplier
- Cutting Macros Calculator — set a deficit for fat loss
- Bulking Macros Calculator — set a surplus for muscle gain
Read more
What is TDEE?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns in a single day. It is the single most useful number in any fitness or nutrition plan because every diet decision — cutting, bulking, or maintaining — starts from this baseline.
TDEE is built from four components:
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — calories burned at complete rest to run breathing, circulation, brain activity, and cell repair. Accounts for 60–70% of daily energy expenditure.
- Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) — calories burned digesting and absorbing food. Roughly 10% of intake. Protein has the highest TEF (20–30%), carbs in the middle (5–10%), fat the lowest (0–3%).
- Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT) — deliberate training. Usually 5–15% of TDEE.
- Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) — everything else: walking, fidgeting, standing, posture. This is the most variable component and can swing 500–1000 kcal between two otherwise identical people.
BMR is predictable from height, weight, age, and sex. NEAT is not — which is why two people with identical stats can have TDEE values hundreds of calories apart.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your weight in kilograms or pounds (unit toggle at the top of the form).
- Enter your height in centimetres or feet/inches.
- Enter your age in years.
- Select biological sex — this changes the BMR constant (male +5, female −161). It reflects average metabolic differences in lean mass between sexes.
- Choose your activity level — see the detailed breakdown below. Most people overestimate this step; if unsure, pick one level lower.
- Click Calculate TDEE. The result appears instantly.
- Use the result as your calorie target and validate with 2–3 weeks of bodyweight tracking.
The formula
TDEE uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for BMR (the modern gold standard, accurate within ~10% for 80% of the population), then multiplies by an activity factor:
BMR (male) = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5
BMR (female) = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age − 161
TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier
Activity multipliers
| Level | Multiplier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Desk job, no structured exercise, under 5,000 steps/day |
| Light | 1.375 | Light exercise 1–3 days/week or 5,000–7,500 steps |
| Moderate | 1.55 | Moderate exercise 3–5 days/week or 7,500–10,000 steps |
| Active | 1.725 | Heavy exercise 6–7 days/week or 10,000–12,500 steps |
| Very active | 1.9 | Physical job plus daily training, or 12,500+ steps |
Mifflin-St Jeor was developed in 1990 from a dataset of 498 healthy adults and has outperformed the older Harris-Benedict equation in validation studies (Frankenfield 2005). It underestimates in very lean, muscular people — if that describes you, compare against the Katch-McArdle formula in the BMR Calculator.
How to interpret your result
Your TDEE is a starting estimate, not a fixed truth. Real-world factors that move the number:
- Muscle mass — each additional kilo of lean mass burns roughly 13 kcal/day at rest. A lifter with 5 kg more muscle than average has ~65 kcal/day higher TDEE baseline before the activity multiplier.
- Metabolic adaptation — long cuts lower TDEE below the calculated value by 5–15% through reduced NEAT, lower thyroid output, and subtle hormonal shifts. Recalculate every 4–5 kg of weight change.
- NEAT variance — sedentary workers often burn 200–400 fewer calories than the sedentary multiplier suggests; active workers can burn 300+ more. Steps data from a fitness tracker is a better input than self-reported activity level.
- Age — BMR declines roughly 1–2% per decade after 30, mostly from muscle loss rather than age itself. Resistance training slows this.
Validating your estimate
Calculated TDEE is a hypothesis. To confirm:
- Eat at the calculated number for 14 days.
- Weigh yourself daily at the same time (morning, after bathroom, before food). Average each week.
- Compare week-1 and week-2 averages:
- Weight stable (±0.5%): TDEE estimate is accurate.
- Weight up: real TDEE is lower. Subtract 150 kcal and retest.
- Weight down: real TDEE is higher. Add 150 kcal and retest.
Common mistakes
- Recalculating daily. TDEE doesn't move day-to-day. Weekly bodyweight averages are what matter.
- Blaming the calculator for lack of progress. 9 times out of 10 the issue is adherence — unlogged oils, liquid calories, or weekend drift — not the formula.
- Using TDEE as a hard ceiling. It's a starting point. If progress stalls, adjust by ±150 kcal and retest.
What to do next
Once you know your TDEE:
- To maintain weight: eat at TDEE.
- To lose fat: use the Cutting Macros Calculator for a 15–25% deficit with protein protection.
- To gain muscle: use the Bulking Macros Calculator for a 5–15% surplus.
- To split calories into macros: use the Macro Calculator to break TDEE into protein, fat, and carb targets.
Related tools
- Macro Calculator — split your TDEE into protein, fat, and carbs
- BMR Calculator — see your base metabolic rate before the activity multiplier
- Cutting Macros Calculator — set a deficit for fat loss
- Bulking Macros Calculator — set a surplus for muscle gain
Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the total calories your body burns per day, including resting metabolism, digestion, daily movement, and exercise. Eat at TDEE to maintain weight, below it to lose fat, above it to gain muscle.
How accurate is the TDEE calculator?
The Mifflin-St Jeor formula is accurate within about 10% for most people. Individual variation in muscle mass, NEAT, and metabolic adaptation affect the real number. Track bodyweight for 2–3 weeks at the estimated TDEE and adjust based on real-world results.
Which activity level should I pick?
Sedentary: desk job, no exercise. Light: 1–3 workouts per week. Moderate: 3–5 workouts per week. Active: 6–7 workouts per week. Very active: physical job plus daily training. Most people overestimate; start one level lower if unsure.
Should I recalculate TDEE as I lose weight?
Yes. Recalculate every 4–5 kg of bodyweight change. Lower body mass requires fewer calories to maintain, and the calculator will reflect that.
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