TDEE Calculator
Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the calories you burn each day — and see targets for losing, maintaining, or gaining weight.
| Goal | Calories/day |
|---|---|
| Lose weight (−20%) | 2,150 |
| Mild loss (−10%) | 2,420 |
| Maintain | 2,690 |
| Mild gain (+10%) | 2,960 |
| Gain weight (+20%) | 3,230 |
TDEE = BMR (Mifflin–St Jeor) × activity factor. Estimates only; actual needs vary. Not medical advice.
How to use this calculator
Enter your biological sex, age, height (feet and inches), and weight (pounds), then select your typical activity level. The calculator returns your BMR (resting burn), your TDEE (total maintenance calories), and a goal table showing daily calorie targets for fat loss, maintenance, and lean gain.
What makes up your Total Daily Energy Expenditure
TDEE is not a single measurement — it is the sum of several components that all contribute to your daily calorie burn:
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): The calories your body needs to sustain life at complete rest. Organ function, breathing, circulation, and temperature regulation are all included. BMR is the largest component, typically 60–70% of TDEE.
- Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): The energy cost of digesting, absorbing, and metabolizing food. On a mixed diet this is roughly 10% of calorie intake. Protein has a higher TEF (~20–30%) than carbohydrates (~5–10%) or fat (~0–3%).
- Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): All movement that is not formal exercise — walking to the car, typing, fidgeting, standing. NEAT varies enormously between individuals and is one of the main reasons two people of the same size can have very different TDEEs.
- Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT): Calories burned during intentional exercise. Contrary to popular belief, this is often the smallest component for most people — a 30-minute run burns fewer calories than the BMR does in the same period.
Activity multipliers explained
Because accurately measuring NEAT and EAT directly is impractical, TDEE calculators use activity multipliers applied to BMR:
- Sedentary (×1.2): Desk job, little walking, no planned exercise.
- Lightly active (×1.375): Light exercise 1–3 days/week, some daily walking.
- Moderately active (×1.55): Moderate exercise 3–5 days/week, moderate daily movement.
- Very active (×1.725): Hard training 6–7 days/week or a physically demanding job.
- Extra active (×1.9): Very intense daily training plus a demanding job — competitive athletes or laborers who also train hard.
Most office workers with a regular gym habit fall into the lightly active or moderately active category. The most common error is choosing "very active" or "extra active" when life outside the gym is sedentary.
Worked example — step by step
A 42-year-old woman, 5 feet 4 inches (162.5 cm), 155 lb(70.3 kg), lightly active:
- BMR: 10 × 70.3 + 6.25 × 162.5 − 5 × 42 − 161 = 703 + 1,015.6 − 210 − 161 = ≈ 1,348 calories
- TDEE (×1.375): 1,348 × 1.375 = ≈ 1,854 calories to maintain
- Mild deficit (−10%): ≈ 1,669 calories → gradual fat loss
- Moderate deficit (−20%): ≈ 1,483 calories → approximately 0.75 lb/week loss
- Lean gain surplus (+10%): ≈ 2,039 calories
How to use TDEE for your goal
TDEE is a starting estimate, not a guarantee. Here is how to apply it:
- Fat loss: Eat 10–20% below TDEE. A 500-calorie daily deficit targets about 1 lb of fat loss per week. Avoid cutting more than 25% below TDEE without professional guidance, as larger deficits accelerate muscle loss and metabolic adaptation.
- Maintenance: Eat at TDEE. Track your weight over 2–3 weeks; if it drifts up or down, adjust by 100–200 calories in the appropriate direction.
- Lean gain: Eat 5–15% above TDEE. Larger surpluses primarily produce fat gain rather than additional muscle.
Want a full macro breakdown (protein, carbs, fat grams) on top of your TDEE? Try the macro calculator.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Not recalculating as your weight changes. Every pound you lose reduces your BMR slightly. After losing 10–15 lb, your original TDEE estimate will be noticeably too high.
- Overestimating activity. This is the most common error. A sedentary person who works out 3 times a week is "lightly active" at most, not "moderately active" — because 21 hours of most days are still sedentary.
- Ignoring week-to-week weight fluctuation. Water retention, hormonal changes, and food volume can cause the scale to move 2–4 lb day to day. Judge your calorie targets by 2–3 week trends, not daily readings.
- Using TDEE as a precise number. The formula has a margin of error of roughly 10–15% for individuals. Treat it as a starting point and calibrate from your real-world results.
The formula
BMR (men): 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5
BMR (women): 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161
TDEE = BMR × activity factor (1.2 – 1.9)
Estimates for general informational purposes, not medical advice. Consult a registered dietitian or physician for personalized nutrition and weight management guidance.
How we calculate this
We estimate BMR with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, then multiply by an activity factor (1.2 sedentary to 1.9 very active) to get TDEE. Estimates only; individual needs vary and this is not medical advice.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
TDEE — Total Daily Energy Expenditure — is the total number of calories your body burns in a full day, combining your resting metabolic rate with the calories you use for all activity, movement, and digestion. Eating at your TDEE keeps your weight stable over time.
How is TDEE calculated?
Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is first estimated using the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, then multiplied by an activity factor ranging from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extremely active). The product is your estimated TDEE — the calorie level that maintains your current weight.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
A deficit of 10–20% below your TDEE is a commonly recommended range for steady, sustainable fat loss. A 500-calorie daily deficit targets approximately 1 pound of fat loss per week. Deficits beyond 25% of TDEE are harder to sustain and increase the risk of muscle loss.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is what you would burn if you lay still all day without eating — purely organ function at rest. TDEE adds daily movement, exercise, the energy cost of digesting food, and all other activity. TDEE is always higher than BMR; for most people the difference ranges from 20% (sedentary) to 90% (extremely active).
Does TDEE change as I lose weight?
Yes. As your body mass decreases, your BMR decreases, and therefore your TDEE decreases too. This is one reason weight loss typically slows after several weeks even when calorie intake stays the same. Recalculating TDEE at your new weight every 10 lb or so keeps your targets accurate.
Which activity level should I choose?
Choose the level that best describes your average week, not your most active week. Most people with desk jobs fall into sedentary or lightly active even if they work out 3 times a week, because the rest of the day is spent sitting. When in doubt, choose one level lower and increase by 100–200 calories after 2–3 weeks if your weight is dropping faster than expected.
Can TDEE estimate be significantly off?
Yes. TDEE equations are population averages with an estimated error of ±10–15% for any individual. Factors like thyroid function, genetics, sleep quality, and medication can push your actual burn above or below the formula output. Use the estimate as a starting point, track your weight for 2–3 weeks, and calibrate from there.
How does muscle mass affect TDEE?
Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue — roughly 6 calories per pound of muscle per day versus about 2 calories per pound of fat. People with higher lean body mass therefore have higher BMRs and TDEEs at any given weight. This is one reason resistance training supports long-term weight management.