TDEE Calculator
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the number of calories you burn in a full day. Use this calculator to find your BMR and TDEE based on your stats and activity level.
Fill in your details to see your daily calorie burn.
The calculator follows a two-step process:
- Calculate BMR — Your Basal Metabolic Rate is the energy your body needs just to keep organs functioning, maintain body temperature, and sustain basic cellular processes. We use the Mifflin-St Jeor formula, which is widely considered the most accurate for the general population.
- Multiply by activity level — Your TDEE is your BMR scaled up by how active you are. Sedentary (little or no exercise) uses a 1.2 multiplier, while athlete-level training uses 1.9.
Your TDEE is your maintenance calorie level. To lose weight, eat 300–500 calories below TDEE. To gain weight or muscle, eat 200–300 above it. To maintain, eat at TDEE.
TDEE is the single most important number in nutrition planning. Without knowing how many calories you burn, you're guessing at your intake targets. A 200-calorie miscalculation can mean the difference between losing a pound a week and spinning your wheels.
Most people underestimate their TDEE when dieting (leading to overly aggressive deficits and metabolic slowdown) or overestimate it when trying to gain (leading to excess fat gain). Start with the calculator's estimate, track your intake for two weeks, and adjust based on your actual weight trend.
- Overestimating activity level. If you work a desk job and train three times a week, you're "lightly active" or "moderately active" — not "very active." Be honest; the labels are broader than they sound.
- Treating TDEE as exact. The activity multipliers are population averages. Your actual TDEE could be 10–15% higher or lower. Use this number as a starting point, then adjust based on results.
- Not updating as you lose or gain weight. TDEE drops as you get lighter and rises as you get heavier. Recalculate every 5–10 pounds of change.
What is TDEE?
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories you burn in a day, including resting metabolism (BMR), physical activity, digestion, and daily movement. It's your maintenance calorie level.
What is BMR and how is it different from TDEE?
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories you burn at complete rest just to keep your body alive. TDEE is BMR plus the calories burned from activity and movement. TDEE is always higher than BMR unless you're literally bedridden.
How accurate is this TDEE calculator?
The calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which has a margin of error around ±10% for most people. Factors like muscle mass, genetics, and non-exercise activity (fidgeting, standing, etc.) can cause individual variation. Use the result as a starting estimate and adjust based on real-world tracking.
Which activity level should I choose?
Choose based on structured exercise frequency, not total movement. If you train 3 times a week and have a desk job, pick 'moderately active' — even if you walk your dog daily. When in doubt, start one level lower and adjust up if you're losing weight too fast.
Should I eat at my TDEE to maintain weight?
Yes, eating at TDEE should keep your weight stable over time. In practice, daily fluctuations (water, digestion, sodium) will mask short-term trends, so track your average weekly weight over 2–4 weeks to confirm you're truly maintaining.
How much below TDEE should I eat to lose weight?
A deficit of 300–500 calories per day (roughly 10–25% below TDEE) is sustainable for most people and leads to 0.5–1 lb of fat loss per week. Aggressive deficits (>25% below TDEE) work faster but increase the risk of muscle loss, metabolic adaptation, and diet fatigue.
Do I need to recalculate TDEE as I lose weight?
Yes. As you lose weight, both your BMR and TDEE drop because there's less body mass to fuel. Recalculate every 5–10 lbs of weight change to keep your calorie targets accurate.
Can I use TDEE to gain muscle?
Absolutely. To build muscle, eat 200–300 calories above your TDEE (a slight surplus) and train with progressive overload. Eating too far above TDEE leads to unnecessary fat gain; eating at or below it makes muscle growth much slower.
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