TDEE calculator
Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the calories you burn each day.
PhD Sports Science, Registered Nutritionist (RNutr)
Sports scientist and registered nutritionist specialising in metabolic health, athletic performance and dietary analysis.
Related calculators
BMI calculator
Calculate your Body Mass Index and see where you fall in the healthy weight range.
Macro calculator
Calculate your daily protein, carbohydrate and fat targets based on your goal.
Daily water intake calculator
Calculate your personalised daily hydration target based on weight, activity and climate.
About the TDEE calculator
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period, combining your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — the energy needed just to keep your organs functioning at rest — with all physical activity. TDEE is the single most important number in any nutritional strategy, whether you are trying to lose fat, gain muscle, or maintain your current weight. Eating consistently below your TDEE creates a calorie deficit that drives fat loss; eating above it drives muscle gain (when combined with resistance training) or fat gain.
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate BMR, which is the most validated formula for general adults according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2005 review). For males: BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 × weight_kg) + (4.799 × height_cm) − (5.677 × age). For females: BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 × weight_kg) + (3.098 × height_cm) − (4.330 × age). The BMR is then multiplied by an activity factor (1.2 to 1.9) to account for physical activity — this is where most of the variation between individuals lies.
The activity multiplier is the largest single source of error in TDEE estimates. People consistently overestimate how active they are. "Moderately active (3–5 days/week)" applies to someone doing meaningful cardio or lifting sessions — not office workers who occasionally walk. For desk workers with no structured exercise, 1.2 (sedentary) is often more accurate than they would expect. If you track your intake accurately for two weeks and your weight doesn't change, your actual maintenance calories equal your average daily intake — that's your true TDEE regardless of what any formula says.
How it works
BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor): Male: 88.362 + (13.397 × W) + (4.799 × H) − (5.677 × A) Female: 447.593 + (9.247 × W) + (3.098 × H) − (4.330 × A) TDEE = BMR × Activity Multiplier Activity multipliers: Sedentary: ×1.2 Lightly active: ×1.375 Moderately active: ×1.55 Very active: ×1.725 Extra active: ×1.9
Where
WBody weight in kilogramsHHeight in centimetresAAge in yearsWorked example
Male, 35 years old, 80 kg, 178 cm, moderately active (×1.55)
BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 × 80) + (4.799 × 178) − (5.677 × 35)
= 88.362 + 1,071.76 + 854.422 − 198.695
= 1,815.85 kcal/day at rest
TDEE = 1,815.85 × 1.55 = 2,814 kcal/day
Fat loss target (−500 kcal deficit): 2,314 kcal/day
This creates approximately 0.5 kg fat loss per week
(3,500 kcal = ~1 lb / ~0.45 kg of fat)
Tips to improve your result
- 1.
A deficit of 500 kcal/day creates roughly 0.5 kg of fat loss per week. Deficits larger than 1,000 kcal/day risk muscle loss and metabolic adaptation — most research supports 0.5–1 kg/week as the sweet spot.
- 2.
Protein intake is critical during a deficit. Aim for 1.6–2.2 g per kg of body weight to preserve lean mass. Higher protein also has a greater thermic effect (costs more calories to digest) and is more satiating.
- 3.
Your TDEE changes as you lose weight — a 10 kg lighter person needs fewer calories to maintain. Recalculate every 5–10 kg of weight change.
- 4.
Muscle tissue is metabolically active — adding 5 kg of lean muscle can increase your BMR by approximately 50–75 kcal/day, making long-term weight maintenance significantly easier.
- 5.
Diet breaks — returning to maintenance calories for 1–2 weeks every 6–10 weeks of a deficit — help mitigate metabolic adaptation (adaptive thermogenesis) and are associated with better long-term fat loss outcomes in research.