TDEE Calculator
Work out how many calories you burn in a total day. The result takes your resting energy expenditure and adds your activity on top.
Short answer: TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total number of calories you burn in a day. It is your basal metabolic rate multiplied by an activity factor. If you want to maintain your weight, your daily intake should equal your TDEE; eat below it to lose weight and above it to gain.
- Basal metabolic rate (BMR) —
- BMR as a share of TDEE (%) —
This result is an estimate based on published formulas and is not medical advice.
Fill in the fields above to see your result. Everything updates automatically as you change the values.
How is TDEE calculated?
Two steps. First your BMR: the energy your body spends doing nothing but staying alive. This page uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the one that performs most consistently in current research:
- Men: (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) + 5
- Women: (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) − 161
Second, that figure is multiplied by an activity factor between 1.2 and 1.9. The factor covers all your movement, not just training: walking, standing at work, housework, even digestion.
The most common mistake when picking an activity level
Most people pick an activity level that is too high. Training three times a week is not "very active" if you spend the rest of the day at a desk — your real factor is most likely between 1.375 and 1.55.
The gap is not small. For someone with a BMR of 1,400, choosing 1.725 instead of 1.375 inflates the daily target by 490 kcal — roughly 0.45 kg a week of drift. For most people who cannot work out why the scale will not move, this is the actual answer.
Practical rule: when in doubt, pick the level below. Track your weight for two or three weeks; if change is slower than expected your factor is too high, if faster it is too low.
Should I add the calories my watch reports?
No. This is the most common double-counting error in TDEE. The activity factor already includes your exercise; adding the 400 calories your watch reports on top of TDEE counts the same movement twice.
Pick one approach: either use the activity factor and ignore the watch, or set the factor to 1.2 (sedentary) and add exercise calories separately. The first produces fewer errors, because wearables tend to overestimate calories burned.
How often does TDEE change?
Your TDEE changes as your weight does; a smaller body spends less energy. This is why sticking to the original target as you lose weight is the most common reason progress stalls.
Recalculate after a change of 3-4 kg, or when your activity pattern changes for good — a new job, a new training programme. Practical rule: once a month.
Example figures
To get a sense of scale before entering your own details: basal metabolic rate and total daily expenditure at three activity levels for common profiles.
| Profile | BMR | Sedentary | Moderate | Very active |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yrs · Female · 60 kg · 165 cm | 1,320 | 1,584 | 2,046 | 2,277 |
| 45 yrs · Female · 70 kg · 160 cm | 1,314 | 1,577 | 2,037 | 2,267 |
| 35 yrs · Female · 80 kg · 170 cm | 1,527 | 1,832 | 2,366 | 2,633 |
| 30 yrs · Male · 70 kg · 175 cm | 1,649 | 1,979 | 2,556 | 2,844 |
| 40 yrs · Male · 85 kg · 180 cm | 1,780 | 2,136 | 2,759 | 3,071 |
| 50 yrs · Male · 95 kg · 175 cm | 1,799 | 2,159 | 2,788 | 3,103 |
This table shows example profiles, not your own result. Enter your details in the calculator above to get yours. Figures come from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and are estimates.
Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
TDEE is the total number of calories you burn in a day: your resting metabolism plus movement, exercise and digestion. It equals the intake needed to maintain your current weight.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation lands within roughly 10% of measured values for most healthy adults. Body composition, genetics and hormones shift the result. Treat it as a starting point and calibrate against 2-3 weeks of weight data.
What is the difference between TDEE and BMR?
BMR is what you would burn lying in bed all day. TDEE adds walking, working, exercising and digesting. TDEE is always higher — the gap ranges from 20% to 90% depending on activity.
How far below TDEE should I eat to lose weight?
A deficit of 300-500 kcal a day gives roughly 0.3-0.5 kg per week and is sustainable for most people. Going below 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 kcal for men is not recommended.
Which activity level should I pick?
Desk job and no exercise: 1.2. Light exercise 1-3 days: 1.375. Regular training 3-5 days: 1.55. Training nearly daily: 1.725. Physical job or two sessions a day: 1.9. When unsure, pick the level below.
My TDEE looks low — is my metabolism slow?
Probably not. TDEE depends largely on body size; a smaller, lighter body naturally spends less energy. A genuinely slow metabolism is far rarer than people assume. Building muscle raises BMR somewhat, but the effect is usually overstated.
Sources
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST et al. — A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals (1990)
- National Academies of Sciences — Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Protein and Amino Acids (2005)
- World Health Organization — Healthy diet
- USDA FoodData Central — Food composition database
Last updated: · This tool is for general information only. Consult a doctor or registered dietitian if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, managing a chronic condition or taking medication.