TDEE Calculator
This TDEE calculator finds your total daily energy expenditure, meaning every calorie you burn in a day including movement and training. Get that number right and the rest of your nutrition plan turns into simple arithmetic.
Maintenance Calories (TDEE)
calories per day
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): 0 kcal
How to Use This TDEE Calculator
Enter your gender, age, weight in kilograms, and height in centimeters. Then choose the activity level that honestly matches your average week. Most people overestimate how active they are, so when in doubt go one level lower.
Hit Calculate and the tool gives you three numbers: your TDEE for maintenance, a cutting target for fat loss, and a bulking target for muscle gain. The cutting number is roughly 500 calories below TDEE, which works out to about half a kilogram of fat loss per week. The bulking number adds about 300 to 500 calories above maintenance for slow, lean mass gain.
Your TDEE is not fixed. As your weight changes, so does your metabolic rate. Recalculate every four to six weeks to keep your targets accurate.
The Mifflin-St Jeor Formula
This TDEE calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which is the formula most registered dietitians recommend today. It was published in 1990 and has been validated in multiple clinical studies since then.
Step 1, Calculate BMR:
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
Step 2, Multiply by your activity factor:
- Sedentary: BMR x 1.2
- Lightly active: BMR x 1.375
- Moderately active: BMR x 1.55
- Very active: BMR x 1.725
- Extra active: BMR x 1.9
The result is your TDEE, the actual number of calories you burn in a day accounting for your lifestyle.
Example TDEE Results
Here are some realistic outputs to help you check if your results make sense.
- Sedentary male, 30 years old, 80 kg, 178 cm: BMR roughly 1,840 kcal. Multiplied by 1.2 gives a TDEE of about 2,208 calories per day. Cutting target: 1,708 kcal.
- Moderately active female, 25 years old, 62 kg, 165 cm: BMR roughly 1,413 kcal. Multiplied by 1.55 gives a TDEE of about 2,190 calories per day.
- Very active male athlete, 22 years old, 75 kg, 182 cm: BMR roughly 1,894 kcal. Multiplied by 1.725 gives a TDEE of about 3,267 calories per day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does activity level change my TDEE so much?
The activity multiplier is the single biggest variable in the formula. The difference between sedentary and very active is a multiplier of 1.2 vs 1.725. For a person with a BMR of 1,800 that means a gap of nearly 950 calories per day. Choosing the wrong level throws off your whole plan.
How often should I recalculate my TDEE?
Every four to six weeks is a reasonable schedule, or any time your weight changes by more than three kilograms. As you lose fat your BMR decreases slightly, so the deficit that worked before slowly becomes less effective without adjustment.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is how many calories your body burns at complete rest, basically just to keep your organs running. TDEE adds your daily movement and exercise on top. Eating at your TDEE holds your weight steady. Eating below it causes fat loss; above it causes weight gain.
Is this calculator better than other TDEE calculators?
All calculators using Mifflin-St Jeor will produce similar numbers because the formula is the same. The bigger factor is how accurately you enter your data and how honestly you select your activity level. No online tool can measure actual calorie burn; it can only produce an evidence-based estimate.
Guides for the TDEE Calculator
Longer reads on the maths and the practical side of this tool.