TDEE Calculator
Unit System
About This Tool
What Is TDEE and Why Does It Matter?
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns every day — covering everything from breathing and digestion to workouts and daily movement. Unlike BMR, which represents the bare minimum calories needed at complete rest, TDEE reflects your real-world energy needs. Knowing your TDEE is the starting point for any evidence-based nutrition plan, whether your goal is fat loss, muscle gain, or weight maintenance.
Without knowing your TDEE you're essentially guessing how much to eat. Eat consistently above TDEE and you'll gain weight. Eat below it and you'll lose weight. Hit it exactly and your weight stays stable. Our TDEE calculator combines one of three tested BMR formulas with an activity multiplier to give you a personalised daily calorie target in seconds.
The BMR Formulas Explained
Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the foundation of the calculation. We support three formulas:
Male: BMR = 10·W(kg) + 6.25·H(cm) − 5·Age + 5
Female: BMR = 10·W(kg) + 6.25·H(cm) − 5·Age − 161
Male: BMR = 13.397·W + 4.799·H − 5.677·Age + 88.362
Female: BMR = 9.247·W + 3.098·H − 4.330·Age + 447.593
LBM = W × (1 − BF%) | BMR = 370 + 21.6 × LBM
Activity Multipliers
Your BMR is multiplied by an activity factor to account for the calories you burn through movement throughout the day. The five levels are:
| Level | Multiplier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | × 1.2 | Little or no exercise, desk job |
| Lightly Active | × 1.375 | Light exercise 1–3 days/week |
| Moderately Active | × 1.55 | Moderate exercise 3–5 days/week |
| Very Active | × 1.725 | Hard exercise 6–7 days/week |
| Extra Active | × 1.9 | Very hard exercise, physical job, or twice-daily training |
Most people underestimate how sedentary they actually are. If you have a desk job and do 3–4 gym sessions per week, "Lightly Active" or "Moderately Active" is usually most accurate. Overestimating activity level is one of the most common reasons people hit a weight-loss plateau.
Calorie Goals: Cutting and Bulking
Once you have your TDEE (maintenance calories), you can set a goal calorie target by applying a percentage adjustment:
| Goal | Adjustment | Weekly Change |
|---|---|---|
| Maintain | 0% | ~0 kg |
| Mild Cut | −10% | ~0.1–0.2 kg loss/week |
| Standard Cut | −15% | ~0.2–0.3 kg loss/week |
| Aggressive Cut | −20% | ~0.3–0.5 kg loss/week |
| Mild Bulk | +10% | ~0.1–0.2 kg gain/week |
| Standard Bulk | +15% | ~0.2–0.3 kg gain/week |
Understanding Your Macros
Macronutrients — protein, fat, and carbohydrates — provide the energy in your food. Each gram carries a different calorie density:
| Macro | Calories/gram | Primary Role |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 4 kcal/g | Muscle repair, satiety, immune function |
| Fat | 9 kcal/g | Hormones, fat-soluble vitamins, cell health |
| Carbohydrates | 4 kcal/g | Primary fuel for brain and high-intensity exercise |
Our calculator provides three preset macro distributions: Balanced (30/30/40), High Protein (35/25/40), and Low Carb (30/40/30), or you can set custom targets in grams per kilogram of body weight for protein and fat — carbohydrates are automatically calculated from the remaining calories.
How to Use Your TDEE Results
Treat your calculated TDEE as an evidence-based starting point, not an absolute truth. Individual metabolism varies by up to 15–20% due to genetics, hormones, gut health, and NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). The best approach:
- Set your goal calories based on the TDEE output and your chosen goal (cut, maintain, or bulk).
- Track food intake for 2–3 weeks using a calorie tracking app paired with a food scale.
- Monitor scale weight (weekly average, not daily). If you're not seeing expected changes after 2 weeks, adjust calories by 100–150 kcal/day.
- Reassess every 4–8 weeks as your weight changes, because TDEE changes as your body composition shifts.
TDEE vs. BMR: Key Differences
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the number of calories your body burns just to stay alive — keeping your heart beating, lungs breathing, and body temperature stable in a state of complete rest. It typically accounts for 60–75% of your total energy expenditure.
TDEE adds on top of BMR the calories burned through: the thermic effect of food (TEF, ~10% of calories eaten), exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT, your planned workouts), and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT, fidgeting, walking, household chores). This makes TDEE the number that actually dictates weight change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, TDEE Calculator is totally free :)
Yes, you can install the webapp as PWA.
Yes, any data related to TDEE Calculator only stored in your browser (if storage required). You can simply clear browser cache to clear all the stored data. We do not store any data on server.
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total number of calories your body burns in a day, including exercise and daily activities. It's calculated by first determining your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — the calories needed at complete rest — and then multiplying by an activity factor (1.2 to 1.9) based on your lifestyle and exercise frequency.
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the minimum number of calories your body needs just to maintain basic functions like breathing and circulation while at complete rest. TDEE is higher than BMR because it also accounts for the calories burned through physical activity, digestion (TEF), and non-exercise movement (NEAT). TDEE is your true maintenance calorie requirement.
Mifflin–St Jeor (the default) is generally considered more accurate for most people and is widely recommended by nutritionists. Harris–Benedict is an older revised formula that tends to give slightly higher estimates. If you know your body fat percentage, Katch–McArdle is often the most accurate because it's based on lean body mass rather than total weight, making it especially useful for very lean or very muscular individuals.
TDEE calculations are estimates based on population averages and formulas. Individual variation in metabolism, hormones, gut microbiome, and NEAT can cause actual TDEE to differ by 10–20% or more. Use the calculator as a starting point, then track your weight and calorie intake for 2–3 weeks and adjust accordingly. If your weight stays stable at a given calorie level, that is your actual TDEE.
For fat loss, a deficit of 10–20% below TDEE is typically recommended. A 10% (mild) deficit leads to slow, sustainable loss of roughly 0.2–0.4 kg/week with less muscle loss risk. A 20% (aggressive) deficit can lead to faster fat loss but requires higher protein intake to protect muscle. For muscle gain, a 10–15% surplus supports muscle growth while minimising fat gain. Going above 20% surplus mainly increases fat storage.
The macro targets show how to distribute your goal calories among protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Protein is the most important macro for body composition — aim for at least 1.6–2.2 g per kg of body weight to support muscle maintenance and growth. Fat provides essential hormones and vitamins; minimum 0.6 g/kg is recommended. Carbohydrates fill the remaining calories and fuel exercise performance. Use the custom macro option to set protein and fat targets in g/kg, and carbs will fill the rest automatically.