TDEE Calculator

What is a TDEE calculator?

A TDEE calculator estimates your Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories your body burns in a typical 24 hours, including rest, everyday movement and exercise. It turns five inputs — weight, height, age, sex and activity level — into a clear daily figure in kilocalories (kcal). The tool above also shows your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and ready-made targets for slow weight loss and slow weight gain.

Your TDEE is the single most useful number for any nutrition plan, because it is your maintenance level: eat at your TDEE and your weight holds steady, eat below it and you lose, eat above it and you gain. Knowing it removes the guesswork from setting a calorie goal.

How does the TDEE calculator work?

The calculator works in two steps. First it finds your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the formula most dietitians regard as the most accurate for the general population. Then it multiplies that BMR by an activity factor to add the calories you burn moving around.

Step 1 — BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor):

• Men: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5
• Women: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161

Step 2 — TDEE:

• TDEE = BMR × activity factor

The terms and units are straightforward:

• weight(kg) — body mass in kilograms.
• height(cm) — standing height in centimetres.
• age — age in whole years.
• sex — sets the final BMR constant (+5 for men, −161 for women).
• activity factor — a multiplier from 1.2 to 1.9 that reflects how active you are.

The activity factors are:

Activity level	Factor	Typical description
Sedentary	1.2	Little or no exercise, desk job
Light	1.375	Light exercise 1–3 days per week
Moderate	1.55	Moderate exercise 3–5 days per week
Active	1.725	Hard exercise 6–7 days per week
Very active	1.9	Very hard exercise or a physical job

The tool then displays four numbers: maintenance (your TDEE), mild loss (TDEE − 500), mild gain (TDEE + 500), and your BMR. The 500 kcal step reflects the common guideline that a daily deficit or surplus of about 500 kcal changes weight by roughly half a kilogram per week.

Examples

Here are fully worked calculations that match the tool’s output exactly. Each one finds BMR first, then multiplies by the activity factor and rounds the maintenance figure.

Example 1 — Man, 70 kg, 175 cm, 30 years, moderate (1.55)

• BMR = 700 + 1093.75 − 150 + 5 = 1648.75 → about 1649
• TDEE = 1648.75 × 1.55 = 2555.56 → about 2556 kcal maintenance
• Mild loss: 2556 − 500 = about 2056 kcal to lose weight slowly
• Mild gain: 2556 + 500 = about 3056 kcal to gain weight slowly

Example 2 — Woman, 60 kg, 165 cm, 35 years, light (1.375)

• BMR = 600 + 1031.25 − 175 − 161 = 1295.25 → about 1295
• TDEE = 1295.25 × 1.375 = 1780.97 → about 1781 kcal maintenance
• Mild loss: about 1281 kcal; mild gain: about 2281 kcal

Example 3 — Man, 90 kg, 180 cm, 40 years, sedentary (1.2)

• BMR = 900 + 1125 − 200 + 5 = 1830
• TDEE = 1830 × 1.2 = 2196 → about 2196 kcal maintenance
• Mild loss: about 1696 kcal; mild gain: about 2696 kcal

Example 4 — Woman, 65 kg, 170 cm, 28 years, active (1.725)

• BMR = 650 + 1062.5 − 140 − 161 = 1411.5 → about 1412
• TDEE = 1411.5 × 1.725 = 2434.84 → about 2435 kcal maintenance
• Mild loss: about 1935 kcal; mild gain: about 2935 kcal

Notice how activity level drives big swings: the same person at sedentary versus very active can differ by hundreds of calories a day, which is why choosing an honest activity level matters more than any other input.

TDEE reference table

The table below shows maintenance calories (TDEE) at each activity level, calculated straight from the formula for two sample profiles. Use it as a quick sanity check, then enter your own figures above for a precise result.

Profile	Sedentary 1.2	Light 1.375	Moderate 1.55	Active 1.725	Very active 1.9
Man, 80 kg, 180 cm, age 30	2136	2448	2759	3070	3382
Woman, 65 kg, 165 cm, age 30	1644	1884	2124	2364	2603

Each step up the activity scale adds roughly 200–300 kcal of maintenance energy, so moving from a desk job to regular training meaningfully raises how much you can eat at maintenance.

Common uses

A TDEE figure is the backbone of most calorie plans:

• Find maintenance calories. Your TDEE is the intake that keeps weight stable when activity stays constant.
• Plan weight loss. Eat below TDEE — the tool’s mild-loss target (−500) is a sustainable starting deficit for about 0.5 kg per week.
• Plan weight gain or a lean bulk. Eat above TDEE — the mild-gain target (+500) supports slow, controlled gain.
• Set macros. Once you know total calories, you can split them into protein, carbohydrate and fat targets.
• Re-check after changes. Recalculate when your weight or activity shifts so your target stays accurate.

Tips and common mistakes

• Be honest about activity. Most people overestimate it; if you train three to five days a week, “moderate” (1.55) is usually more realistic than “active”.
• Do not confuse TDEE with BMR. BMR is your at-rest burn only; eating at BMR while active creates a steep, unintended deficit. Base intake on TDEE.
• Treat 500 kcal as a guideline, not a rule. Aim for a deficit that still leaves enough to fuel training.
• Use current numbers. Enter your present weight and re-run the tool as it changes, because TDEE moves with body size.
• Round sensibly. A TDEE of 2555.56 displays as 2556 — read it as a close estimate, not a precise ration.
• Track real results. If the scale is not moving as expected after two to three weeks, adjust intake by 100–200 kcal rather than trusting the formula blindly.

Limitations and notes

The Mifflin-St Jeor equation and fixed activity factors are accurate for most adults, but TDEE is a population estimate, not a measurement of your individual metabolism. Activity multipliers are broad bands, so real-world expenditure can vary by 10–20 percent or more between people with the same inputs. The formula does not account for body composition — two people of identical weight, height, age and sex receive the same figure even if their muscle mass differs — and it is validated for adults, not children, pregnant or breastfeeding people, or those with thyroid or other metabolic conditions. Genetics, hormones, sleep, temperature and recent dieting all shift true energy use as well.

Health disclaimer: This TDEE calculator is provided for general information and education only. It is not medical, nutritional or fitness advice, and it is not a substitute for professional assessment. Before making decisions about your diet, calorie intake or health, consult a qualified healthcare professional.

For more fitness self-checks, try the BMI calculator to gauge weight for height, the one rep max calculator for strength goals, or the steps to miles calculator to turn your daily step count into distance, and browse the full fitness category for more tools.