TDEE Calculator

What TDEE Means

Total daily energy expenditure is the total number of calories you burn in a day, including everything: the energy your body uses at rest, the calories burned through movement and exercise, and the energy used to digest and absorb food. It is the number that determines whether you gain, lose, or maintain weight.

How It Is Calculated

TDEE is estimated by first calculating basal metabolic rate with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiplying by an activity factor that reflects how much you move.

• Sedentary (1.2): desk job, little or no exercise.
• Lightly active (1.375): light exercise 1–3 days per week.
• Moderately active (1.55): moderate exercise 3–5 days per week.
• Very active (1.725): hard exercise 6–7 days per week.
• Extremely active (1.9): physical job plus hard training.

The activity factor is the largest source of error in any TDEE estimate. Most people overestimate how active they are, which is why the sedentary and lightly active settings suit more people than they expect.

Using Your TDEE

Once you have a TDEE figure, the practical step is to adjust it by goal. A deficit of about 500 calories per day is commonly associated with roughly 0.5 kg of loss per week, and a similar surplus with a comparable gain. Smaller adjustments are easier to sustain and preserve more lean mass. Recalculate every few weeks, because TDEE falls as body weight falls.

Why the Number Is an Estimate

Formulas predict the average person with your inputs, not you specifically. Real expenditure varies with genetics, muscle mass, hormonal status, sleep, and how much you fidget. Research suggests individual variation of roughly 10 to 15 percent is normal. Use the result as a starting point, then adjust based on what actually happens over two to three weeks.