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🏃 TDEE Calculator

TDEE Calculator is a free online tool that estimates Total Daily Energy Expenditure, the calories you burn daily. Enter age, height, weight, and activity level to see your maintenance calories and targets for weight loss or gain. It runs in your browser with no account required, keeping details private. Fitness enthusiasts use it to set daily calorie goals.

Calculate your daily calorie needs.

Gender

Age

Height (cm)

Weight (kg)

Activity Level

What is this tool?

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the estimated number of calories your body burns in a full 24-hour period, accounting for everything your body does — not just resting metabolism but also all physical activity, structured exercise, and the energy required to digest and process food. TDEE combines four main components: Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which makes up the largest share; non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), the calories burned through walking, fidgeting, and daily tasks; exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT); and the thermic effect of food (TEF), the energy used to digest what you eat. Because TDEE captures real-world movement, it gives a far more accurate picture of daily calorie needs than BMR alone. Whether your goal is weight loss, maintenance, muscle gain, or improving athletic performance, TDEE is the number you compare your food intake against. Once you know your TDEE, eating slightly below it creates a calorie deficit for fat loss, while eating above it supports weight gain.

How it works

TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier. First estimate BMR using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiply by an activity factor: 1.2 for sedentary, 1.375 for light activity, 1.55 for moderate activity, 1.725 for very active, or 1.9 for extra active. Example: if BMR is 1,500 kcal/day and you exercise moderately, TDEE ≈ 1,500 × 1.55 = 2,325 kcal/day. This is your maintenance calorie target before any deficit or surplus.

Worked Example

Here is a step-by-step example so you can see exactly how the tool arrives at its result.

Input values

A 30-year-old female weighing 60 kg with a height of 165 cm, moderately active (3–5 days/week).

BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor)

BMR = 10 × weight + 6.25 × height − 5 × age − 161 = 10 × 60 + 6.25 × 165 − 5 × 30 − 161 = 600 + 1,031.25 − 150 − 161 = 1,320 kcal/day

TDEE

TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier = 1,320 × 1.55 = 2,046 kcal/day

Result

Maintenance calories = 2,046 kcal/day. To lose weight, eat ~300–500 kcal below this (1,546–1,746 kcal/day).

Reference Table

Goal	Daily Calorie Target	Expected Rate of Change
Aggressive weight loss	TDEE − 500 to 1,000 kcal	0.5–1 kg (1–2 lb) per week
Moderate weight loss	TDEE − 300 to 500 kcal	0.25–0.5 kg per week
Maintenance	TDEE (no change)	Stable weight
Lean bulk (muscle gain)	TDEE + 200 to 400 kcal	0.25–0.5 kg per month
Fast bulk	TDEE + 500+ kcal	0.5+ kg per month (with more fat)

How to use

Enter your weight, height, age, and biological sex.
Select the activity level that best matches your typical week — be honest, since most people overestimate their activity.
Click Calculate to see your estimated TDEE. The tool first computes your BMR and then applies the activity multiplier you selected.
Use the result to set nutrition goals. To lose fat, aim for a deficit of 300–500 kcal/day below TDEE; to gain weight, aim for a similar surplus; to maintain, eat around your TDEE. Adjust every two to three weeks based on real results.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use TDEE for weight loss?

Subtract 300 to 500 calories from your TDEE to create a moderate deficit that supports steady fat loss while preserving muscle. A deficit of about 500 calories per day typically produces roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) of weight loss per week. Combine the deficit with adequate protein and resistance training for the best body composition results.

How accurate is the TDEE calculator?

TDEE calculators provide a research-based estimate, not an exact figure. The formulas are accurate within roughly 10 percent for most people, but individual variation in metabolism, muscle mass, and untracked movement (NEAT) can shift the real number. Treat the result as a starting point and adjust based on how your body responds over two to three weeks.

Do I need to count macros as well as calories?

Calories determine whether you lose or gain weight; macros (protein, carbs, fat) determine the quality of that change. For most people, prioritizing 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight, then filling the rest with carbs and fat, produces better body composition and satiety than tracking calories alone.

Should I eat back exercise calories?

The activity multiplier already includes structured exercise, so you generally should not add back burned calories on top of your TDEE. If you use a fitness tracker, remember that devices often overestimate calorie burn by 10–20 percent or more, so treat those numbers cautiously.

What is the difference between TDEE and BMR?

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the energy your body burns at complete rest — just to keep your heart beating, lungs breathing, and cells functioning. It accounts for 60–75% of your total daily burn. TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is your BMR multiplied by an activity factor that accounts for movement, exercise, and digestion. In short: BMR is what you burn doing nothing; TDEE is what you actually burn each day.

How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

For sustainable weight loss of 0.5 kg (1 lb) per week, eat 500 calories below your TDEE. For a faster rate of 1 kg (2 lb) per week, aim for a 1,000-calorie deficit — but don't go below 1,200 (women) or 1,500 (men) without medical supervision. A combination of eating slightly less and exercising more is more sustainable than extreme dieting.

What is the thermic effect of food (TEF)?

TEF is the energy your body spends digesting and absorbing food, accounting for about 10% of your total daily energy expenditure. Protein has the highest TEF (20–30% of its calories are burned during digestion), followed by carbohydrates (5–10%) and fats (0–3%). This is one reason high-protein diets support weight loss. The TDEE calculator's activity multiplier already includes TEF, so no separate calculation is needed.

Tips & Advice

Treat TDEE as an estimate, not a guarantee. Track your actual food intake and weight for two to three weeks, then adjust the calorie target up or down based on real results rather than assumptions. NEAT — the walking, standing, and fidgeting you do outside of workouts — can vary by hundreds of calories between days, so staying generally active matters more than one hard gym session. Recalculate your TDEE whenever your weight, activity level, or goals change significantly. For sustainable results, aim for moderate deficits or surpluses, prioritize protein, and remember that sleep and stress both influence real-world energy balance.

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