About the TDEE Calculator
Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is the number of calories you burn in a typical day: your basal metabolic rate (the energy to keep your body running at rest) plus everything you spend moving, exercising and digesting food. Eat at your TDEE and your weight stays roughly stable; eat below it to lose weight, above it to gain.
This TDEE calculator estimates your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — or Katch-McArdle if you know your body fat percentage — and multiplies it by a standard activity factor. It then shows common cutting and bulking targets and a comparison of your maintenance calories at every activity level, which helps if your week varies between desk days and training days.
Use it to set a starting calorie target for a diet, to sanity-check a fitness tracker, or before working out macros. Prediction equations are typically within about 10% for most adults, so treat the result as a first estimate and refine it with 2–4 weeks of real intake and weight data.
With the default inputs, the your tdee (maintenance) is 2,693 kcal/day. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the tdee calculator
- 1Choose Mifflin-St Jeor, or Katch-McArdle if you know your body fat percentage.
- 2Enter your sex, age, height and weight.
- 3Pick the activity level that best describes an average week.
- 4Read your TDEE — the calories that maintain your current weight.
- 5Use the cut or bulk figure as a starting target and adjust after a few weeks.
Formula and method
TDEE combines resting metabolism, the thermic effect of food and all physical activity. Because activity is hard to measure directly, calculators use activity multipliers: 1.2 for sedentary, 1.375 for light exercise 1–3 days a week, 1.55 for moderate exercise 3–5 days, 1.725 for hard exercise 6–7 days and 1.9 for very hard training or a physical job.
Mifflin-St Jeor predicts BMR from weight, height, age and sex. Katch-McArdle uses lean body mass instead, so it can be more accurate for very lean or muscular people who know their body fat percentage. Cut and bulk targets subtract 500 kcal (or 20%) and add 300 kcal to maintenance.
- W
- Weight in kilograms
- H
- Height in centimetres
- A
- Age in years
- BF
- Body fat percentage
Worked examples
30-year-old man, 5 ft 10 in, 170 lb, moderately active
At 77.1 kg and 177.8 cm, Mifflin-St Jeor gives a BMR of about 1,737 kcal/day. Multiplying by 1.55 for moderate exercise gives a TDEE of about 2,693 kcal. A standard 500 kcal cut is about 2,193 kcal, and a lean bulk about 2,993 kcal.
45-year-old woman, 162 cm, 70 kg, sedentary
BMR = 10 × 70 + 6.25 × 162 − 5 × 45 − 161 = 1,326.5 kcal/day. A sedentary multiplier of 1.2 gives a TDEE of about 1,592 kcal, of which only about 265 kcal comes from daily movement.
Katch-McArdle: 85 kg lifter at 15% body fat, very active
Lean mass is 85 × 0.85 = 72.25 kg, so Katch-McArdle BMR = 370 + 21.6 × 72.25 = 1,930.6 kcal/day. At a 1.725 activity factor his TDEE is about 3,330 kcal/day.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between TDEE and BMR?+
BMR is the energy your body uses at complete rest just to stay alive. TDEE adds the calories used for digestion, daily movement and exercise, so TDEE is always higher than BMR and is the number that maintains your weight.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?+
Equations like Mifflin-St Jeor are usually within about 10% of measured resting metabolism for healthy adults, and activity factors add more uncertainty. Track your weight and intake for 2–4 weeks; if weight is stable, your average intake is your real TDEE.
Which activity level should I pick?+
Choose based on your average week including your job. Most people with a desk job who train 3–4 times a week fit “moderately active” or below. Overestimating activity is the most common reason calorie targets do not work.
How much below TDEE should I eat to lose weight?+
A deficit of 300–500 kcal a day, or about 10–20% of TDEE, is a common sustainable range that loses roughly 0.5–1 lb (0.25–0.5 kg) a week while limiting muscle loss and hunger.
Does TDEE change as I lose weight?+
Yes. A smaller body burns fewer calories at rest and during movement, so TDEE falls as you lose weight. Recalculate every 5–10 lb (2–5 kg) to keep your targets accurate.
This tool gives general estimates and is not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or qualified professional about your health, diet or training.