TDEE Calculator — Total Daily Energy Expenditure

What is TDEE and why does it matter?

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns in a day. It combines three components: your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — the calories burned at rest, the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) — energy used to digest meals, and your physical activity — from walking to the gym to fidgeting at your desk.

Your TDEE is the single most important number for any nutrition goal. Eat at your TDEE to maintain weight. Eat below it to lose weight. Eat above it to gain. Every successful diet — whether keto, intermittent fasting, or simple calorie counting — works because it creates a deficit below your TDEE.

How TDEE is calculated

First, we calculate your BMR using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation - the formula the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends for both normal-weight and obese adults. It replaced the 1919 Harris-Benedict equation, which overestimates modern populations by around 5%. Your BMR depends on your weight, height, age, and gender. Then we multiply your BMR by an activity factor that reflects how much you move throughout the day.

Using TDEE for weight loss

The right deficit depends on your size: aim to lose 0.5-1% of your body weight per week, which works out to roughly 250-750 calories a day below your TDEE. Slower rates preserve more muscle. Our lose-weight target is floored at your estimated BMR - not because eating below BMR is physiologically dangerous in itself, but because the BMR estimate carries around 150 calories of error, and going under it makes lean-mass loss and nutrient shortfalls more likely.

For the most accurate results, use your calculated TDEE as a starting point and let real-world change be the judge: if the scale is not moving as expected, adjust by 100-200 calories. Then recalculate every 4 weeks or every 5% of body weight lost, whichever comes first. TDEE calculators are estimates - your body is the final judge.

Once you know your TDEE, use our Macro Calculator to divide those calories into protein, carbs, and fat. Or see your full weight loss timeline with the Weight Loss Calculator. Not sure about your baseline? Check your BMR first.