TDEE Calculator
Estimate the calories you burn in a typical day. The calculator splits TDEE into resting metabolism (BMR) plus activity burn so you can see where the kcal go.
TDEE — total daily energy expenditure (kcal/day)
2,633
- BMR — calories burned at rest (kcal/day)
- 1,699
- Activity burn — kcal from movement & exercise
- 934
- Activity multiplier
- 1.55
TDEE = BMR × activity factor. Mifflin-St Jeor estimates BMR from sex, age, weight and height; the activity multiplier scales it up for daily movement, NEAT and exercise. Activity burn shown here is TDEE minus BMR — what your day adds on top of resting metabolism. Educational estimate, not medical advice.
How to use this calculator
Pick your sex, type your age in years, weight in kilograms and height in centimetres, then choose the activity level closest to your weekly routine. The headline figure is TDEE — total daily energy expenditure. The breakdown shows BMR (calories used at complete rest) and activity burn (everything you add on top through movement and exercise).
How the calculation works
BMR is estimated with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation: 10·kg + 6.25·cm − 5·age + 5 for men, or − 161 for women. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics rates this as the most accurate predictive BMR equation for healthy adults. BMR is then multiplied by an activity factor — 1.2 sedentary, 1.375 light, 1.55 moderate, 1.725 very active, 1.9 extra active — to give TDEE. Activity burn is simply TDEE minus BMR.
Worked example
A 30-year-old man, 75 kg and 175 cm, training moderately 3-5 days a week. BMR = 10·75 + 6.25·175 − 5·30 + 5 = 750 + 1,093.75 − 150 + 5 = 1,698.75 kcal/day. Multiplying by the 1.55 moderate factor gives a TDEE of 2,633 kcal/day. Activity burn ≈ 2,633 − 1,699 = 934 kcal/day on top of his resting metabolism.
Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE and how is it different from BMR?
BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the calories your body burns to keep you alive at complete rest — breathing, circulation, organ function. TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is BMR plus everything else: walking around, fidgeting, working out, digesting food. For most people TDEE runs 20-90 % above BMR depending on how active they are.
Which activity multiplier should I choose?
Be honest — most desk workers who go to the gym 3 times a week are "lightly active" (1.375), not "moderate". Moderate (1.55) suits people doing structured exercise 4-5 hours a week plus some incidental movement. Very active (1.725) is for athletes training daily. Extra active (1.9) is reserved for manual labourers or twice-a-day training. Overestimating activity is the single biggest source of calorie-tracking failure.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
Group accuracy of Mifflin-St Jeor is roughly ±10 % for healthy adults aged 19-78. The bigger error source is the activity multiplier, which is a coarse band rather than a measurement. Treat the TDEE figure as a starting estimate: track your weight for 2-3 weeks at that intake, and adjust ±100-200 kcal/day if you drift up or down.
How do I use TDEE to lose or gain weight?
Eat at TDEE to maintain weight. To lose fat, run a 300-500 kcal/day deficit (≈ 0.5-1 lb of fat per week). To gain muscle, eat 200-400 kcal/day above TDEE. Larger deficits or surpluses speed scale-weight change but worsen body composition: aggressive cuts shed muscle, aggressive bulks add fat. Stay within ±20 % of TDEE for runs longer than a few weeks.
Does TDEE include the calories I burn from exercise?
Yes — that is the whole point of the activity multiplier. If you also log workouts in a fitness tracker and add those kcal on top of TDEE, you will double-count and overestimate intake. Pick one method: either TDEE-with-multiplier or BMR-plus-tracked-workouts, not both.
Is this medical advice?
No. This is a general educational estimate based on a published equation. It is not a substitute for advice from a registered dietitian, GP or sports physician — particularly if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, over 65, recovering from an eating disorder, or managing a metabolic condition such as diabetes or thyroid disease. Use the figure as a starting point and seek qualified guidance for prescriptive plans.