TDEE Calculator (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)
TDEE is the total number of calories you burn in a day — resting metabolism plus all movement and exercise. It's your true maintenance number. This calculator shows your TDEE at every activity level so you can see exactly where you sit.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your sex, age, height and weight.
- Press Calculate to see your TDEE across all five activity levels at once.
- Pick the row matching your honest average week — that's your maintenance number.
- Subtract ~500 kcal from it to lose about 0.5 kg/week, or add ~300–500 to gain.
Formula used
BMR comes from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. Multipliers: 1.2 sedentary, 1.375 light, 1.55 moderate, 1.725 very active, 1.9 extremely active. When in doubt, choose the lower level — most people overestimate their activity.
Example calculation
A 30-year-old man, 170 cm, 70 kg (BMR ≈ 1,618 kcal):
Sedentary TDEE = 1,942 kcal · Moderate = 2,508 kcal · Very active = 2,791 kcal. The same body burns ~850 kcal/day more at high activity — the difference between maintaining and steadily gaining on the same diet.
What is TDEE?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure is everything you burn in 24 hours. It has four parts: your BMR (~60–70%), the thermic effect of digesting food (~10%), deliberate exercise, and NEAT — non-exercise activity like walking, fidgeting and household tasks, which varies enormously between people.
TDEE is the single number that determines weight change: eat at it and you maintain, below it you lose, above it you gain. Because NEAT and metabolism differ person to person, treat the calculated figure as a well-informed starting point and adjust based on 2–3 weeks of real-world results.
Why use this calculator?
- See all activity levels side by side — no guessing which multiplier to pick before you see the numbers.
- Set cutting and bulking targets from your true maintenance instead of generic 2,000-calorie advice.
- Understand how much daily movement (not just workouts) moves your calorie budget.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between TDEE and BMR?
BMR is calories burned at complete rest; TDEE adds digestion, daily movement and exercise on top. TDEE is always higher — even a fully sedentary person burns about 20% above their BMR just by living normally.
Which activity level should I choose?
Count only genuine exercise sessions and consider your job. A desk worker who lifts 3× a week is "moderate" at most. Studies consistently show people overestimate activity — when torn between two levels, pick the lower one and adjust from results.
Should I eat my TDEE to lose weight?
No — TDEE is your maintenance. To lose weight, eat below it: a 500 kcal daily deficit yields roughly 0.5 kg/week. To gain muscle, eat 300–500 above it alongside strength training.
Does TDEE change as I lose weight?
Yes. A lighter body burns fewer calories, and metabolism adapts slightly in a deficit. Recalculate every 5 kg of change or whenever progress stalls for 2–3 weeks.