TDEE Calculator

Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure — calories you burn each day.
Get personalized targets for weight loss, maintenance, and muscle gain.

Mifflin-St Jeor formula · BMR + TDEE · Calorie goals · Macro breakdown
TDEE Calculator
Units:
yrs
in
lb
Activity Level
Sedentary
Desk job, little or no exercise
×1.2
Lightly Active
Light exercise 1–3 days/week
×1.375
Moderately Active
Moderate exercise 3–5 days/week
×1.55
Very Active
Hard exercise 6–7 days/week
×1.725
Extra Active
Athlete / physical job / 2× daily training
×1.9

What is TDEE and How to Use It

TDEE is the total calories you burn in a day. Eat below it to lose weight; eat above it to gain weight. It's the most important number in nutrition — not any specific diet rule.

Mifflin-St Jeor BMR Formula

Men: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5

Women: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161

BMR is what you'd burn doing nothing. Multiply by your activity factor (1.2–1.9) to get TDEE.

The activity multiplier is the hardest part

Most people overestimate their activity level. "Moderately active" means 3–5 hard workouts per week, not 3 light walks. When in doubt, choose a lower activity level and adjust based on real results after 2–4 weeks of tracking.

How fast should you lose weight?

1 lb of fat = ~3,500 calories. A 500 cal/day deficit = ~1 lb/week. A 1,000 cal/day deficit = ~2 lbs/week (the safe maximum for most people). Losing faster than 2 lbs/week typically means losing muscle along with fat.

Related: Body Fat Calculator

FAQ

TDEE calculator questions

What is TDEE?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure — all the calories you burn in a day. It includes your BMR (base metabolism) plus energy from movement, exercise, and digesting food. To lose weight, eat below TDEE. To gain, eat above it.
What is the most accurate BMR formula?
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation (used here) is considered the most accurate for the general population, validated in multiple clinical studies. The Harris-Benedict formula (older, 1919) tends to overestimate by 5–15%. Neither accounts for body composition — very muscular people will have higher actual BMR than predicted.
How many calories to lose 1 lb per week?
Eat TDEE minus 500 calories per day. 500 × 7 = 3,500 calories/week ≈ 1 lb of fat. For 2 lbs/week, eat TDEE minus 1,000. Going beyond that risks muscle loss, fatigue, and metabolic adaptation.
Why is my TDEE not matching my actual weight change?
Common reasons: (1) You selected too high an activity multiplier. (2) Your food tracking has errors — restaurant meals especially. (3) Metabolic adaptation — long-term calorie restriction lowers BMR. (4) Water weight masking fat changes short-term. Track for 4 weeks consistently before adjusting your targets.