TDEE Calculator
What is TDEE?
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total number of calories you burn in a day, including your basal metabolic rate, physical activity and the energy cost of digesting food. It is the number your calories should match to keep your weight stable.
TDEE is the anchor number for several groups: people starting a cut who want a defensible calorie floor, hardgainers who consistently undereat without noticing, athletes matching intake to training load, and anyone whose weight has been stuck despite effort. The calculator needs five details: age, gender, height in centimeters, weight in kilograms, and the activity level that matches a typical week - not your best week. Behind the scenes it first computes BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, multiplies by an activity factor between 1.2 and 1.9, and reports four numbers: your BMR, your TDEE, a target 500 calories below TDEE for weight loss, and a target 500 above for gain.
An example makes the scale of these numbers clear. Take a 30-year-old man who is 175 cm tall and weighs 70 kg. His Mifflin-St Jeor BMR works out to about 1,649 calories. Because he exercises three to five days a week, the moderate factor of 1.55 applies, putting his TDEE near 2,556 calories. Eating around 2,056 daily should produce roughly half a kilogram of loss per week, while 3,056 supports gaining at a similar pace. The same person at a desk job with no exercise would multiply by 1.2 instead, dropping maintenance to about 1,979 calories - nearly 600 fewer every day.
The formula is an estimate, not a measurement. Studies put Mifflin-St Jeor within roughly 10% of measured metabolism for most adults, with outliers on both sides, and it cannot see body composition, genetics, medication or NEAT - the fidgeting and walking that varies enormously between people. Treat the output as a starting hypothesis rather than a prescription: hold the target for two to three weeks, watch what the scale actually does, and adjust by 100-200 calories if reality disagrees with the math. Recalculate after every few kilograms of weight change.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is TDEE calculated?
TDEE = BMR × activity factor. BMR uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation: 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) - 5 × age + 5 for men, -161 for women. The activity factor ranges from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (very active).
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is the calories you burn at complete rest - what keeps your heart beating and lungs working. TDEE adds everything else: walking, exercise, digestion and daily activity. TDEE is always higher than BMR and is the number that matters for weight management.
How much should I cut calories to lose weight?
A deficit of about 500 calories per day leads to roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) of fat loss per week. Cut from your TDEE, not from your BMR - eating below your BMR for extended periods can slow your metabolism and cause muscle loss.
How often should I recalculate my TDEE?
Every 2-3 kilograms of weight change, or whenever your activity pattern shifts. BMR falls as you lose weight, so a target set six months ago may now be your maintenance level. A quick recalculation after each plateau keeps your targets aligned with your current body.
Does TDEE include exercise?
Yes - that is what the activity multiplier represents. The 1.2 to 1.9 factors fold daily movement and workouts into one number, so you should not add exercise calories on top of TDEE. Double-counting workouts is one of the most common tracking mistakes.
Is the TDEE formula the same for men and women?
The equation differs by gender: men add 5, women subtract 161, so a man and a woman of identical size and age get BMRs about 166 calories apart. In practice, average differences in size and muscle mass widen that gap further.