TDEE Calculator

TDEE Calculator

Estimate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), the number of calories you burn in a full day including rest, daily movement, and exercise. TDEE is the most useful single number for setting maintenance, cutting, or bulking calorie targets.

How TDEE is calculated

TDEE is estimated in two steps. First, basal metabolic rate (BMR) is calculated with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation:

• Men: BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) - 5 x age + 5
• Women: BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) - 5 x age - 161

Second, BMR is multiplied by an activity factor that accounts for everything you do beyond resting:

• TDEE = BMR x 1.2 for sedentary (desk job, little exercise);
• TDEE = BMR x 1.375 for light exercise 1 to 3 days per week;
• TDEE = BMR x 1.55 for moderate exercise 3 to 5 days per week;
• TDEE = BMR x 1.725 for hard exercise 6 to 7 days per week; and
• TDEE = BMR x 1.9 for very hard daily training or a physically demanding job.

Eating close to your TDEE keeps weight roughly stable; eating below it produces a deficit and eating above it produces a surplus.

Worked example

A 25-year-old man who is 175 cm tall and weighs 70 kg has an estimated BMR of 10 x 70 + 6.25 x 175 - 5 x 25 + 5 = 1674 kcal (1673.75 before rounding). If he trains lightly one to three days a week, his TDEE is about 1673.75 x 1.375 = 2301 kcal per day. If he stopped exercising entirely, the sedentary estimate would drop to about 1673.75 x 1.2 = 2009 kcal per day.

How to interpret your result

TDEE from a formula is a planning estimate, not a measurement. The activity multipliers are broad averages, and two people with identical inputs can burn noticeably different amounts because of fidgeting and daily movement, job demands, body composition, and genetics. Real-world error of a few hundred calories in either direction is normal. The estimate becomes far more accurate once you compare it against your own weight trend: if your weight is stable at a known intake for several weeks, that intake is your actual TDEE.

Practical tips

• Most people overestimate activity; when in doubt, choose the lower multiplier.
• Do not add exercise calories on top of a TDEE that already includes an activity factor, or you will double-count them.
• Weigh yourself under consistent conditions and judge the weekly average, not daily swings.
• Recalculate after weight changes of more than a few kilograms or after a change in routine.
• TDEE drops somewhat during prolonged dieting, so expect targets to need occasional adjustment.

Related calculators

The BMR calculator shows the resting component of your expenditure, and the calorie calculator turns TDEE into goal-based intake targets. The macro calculator splits calories into protein, carbohydrate, and fat, the lean body mass calculator estimates fat-free mass, and the fitness age calculator offers another view of overall fitness.

This calculator does not replace personalised advice from a qualified healthcare or nutrition professional.