TDEE Calculator

What Is TDEE?

Total Daily Energy Expenditure, commonly abbreviated as TDEE, represents the total number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period. It encompasses every calorie used for basic survival functions, digesting food, and all physical activity throughout the day. Understanding your TDEE is the single most important number for any nutrition or body composition goal because it establishes the baseline around which all calorie targets are set.

Your body burns calories through four main channels. The largest is your Basal Metabolic Rate, which accounts for 60 to 70 percent of total expenditure and covers involuntary functions like maintaining body temperature, powering your brain, and keeping your heart beating. The second channel is the thermic effect of food, which uses approximately 10 percent of calories to digest and process the nutrients you eat. The third is non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT, which includes all movement that is not structured exercise such as walking, fidgeting, and household tasks. The fourth is exercise activity thermogenesis, which covers deliberate exercise sessions.

How the Calculation Works

This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which researchers at the University of Nevada developed in 1990. It has been validated in numerous studies and is recommended by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as the most accurate predictive equation for estimating resting metabolic rate.

The Mifflin-St Jeor formulas are as follows. For men, BMR equals 10 times weight in kilograms plus 6.25 times height in centimeters minus 5 times age in years plus 5. For women, BMR equals 10 times weight in kilograms plus 6.25 times height in centimeters minus 5 times age in years minus 161.

Once BMR is calculated, the result is multiplied by an activity factor that accounts for your typical daily movement and exercise. The standard activity multipliers are 1.2 for sedentary, 1.375 for lightly active, 1.55 for moderately active, 1.725 for very active, and 1.9 for extremely active individuals. The resulting number is your TDEE.

How to Use This Calculator

Enter your age in years, select your gender, and provide your height in centimeters and weight in kilograms. Then choose the activity level that most accurately describes your typical week. The calculator will automatically display your BMR, your TDEE at your selected activity level, TDEE values across all activity levels for comparison, and calorie targets for common goals including weight loss, maintenance, and weight gain.

Worked Examples

Example 1: Moderately active man. A 30-year-old male who is 175 cm tall and weighs 70 kg with moderate exercise 3 to 5 days per week. His BMR is 10 times 70 plus 6.25 times 175 minus 5 times 30 plus 5, which equals 1,648 calories. Multiplied by 1.55 for moderate activity, his TDEE is approximately 2,554 calories per day.

Example 2: Sedentary woman. A 45-year-old female who is 163 cm tall and weighs 65 kg with a desk job and no exercise. Her BMR is 10 times 65 plus 6.25 times 163 minus 5 times 45 minus 161, which equals 1,297 calories. With a sedentary multiplier of 1.2, her TDEE is approximately 1,557 calories per day.

Example 3: Very active young athlete. A 22-year-old male who is 183 cm tall and weighs 82 kg training hard 6 to 7 days per week. His BMR is 10 times 82 plus 6.25 times 183 minus 5 times 22 plus 5, which equals 1,854 calories. With a very active multiplier of 1.725, his TDEE is approximately 3,198 calories per day.

Example 4: Lightly active older woman. A 60-year-old female who is 160 cm tall and weighs 58 kg doing light exercise twice per week. Her BMR is 10 times 58 plus 6.25 times 160 minus 5 times 60 minus 161, which equals 1,119 calories. With a lightly active multiplier of 1.375, her TDEE is approximately 1,539 calories per day.

Tips and Common Mistakes

The most frequent mistake is overestimating activity level. Many people who exercise three or four times per week but otherwise sit at a desk for eight hours are lightly active, not moderately active. The activity multiplier accounts for total daily movement, not just gym sessions.

Another common error is treating TDEE as a fixed number. Your TDEE changes as your weight, age, and activity levels change. Recalculate regularly to stay on track with your goals.

Do not confuse TDEE with the number of calories you should eat. TDEE tells you what you burn. Your calorie target depends on your goal. To lose weight, eat below your TDEE. To gain weight, eat above it. A deficit or surplus of roughly 500 calories per day corresponds to about one pound of weight change per week.

Finally, remember that all TDEE calculations are estimates. Individual variation due to genetics, body composition, hormonal status, and other factors means your actual expenditure may differ by 10 to 15 percent from the calculated value. Use the number as a starting point, track your results for two to four weeks, and adjust as needed based on real-world outcomes.