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TDEE Calculator

Find out how many calories you need per day based on your age, weight, height, and activity level.

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BMI is a screening tool, not a diagnostic measure. Consult a healthcare professional for medical advice.

What is TDEE Calculator?

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns over the course of a day — everything from keeping your heart beating while you sleep (your Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR) to walking to your car, digesting food, and intentional exercise. Your BMR accounts for roughly 60–75% of your TDEE and is calculated here using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the most validated formula for non-athlete adults. The remaining energy expenditure is multiplied by an activity factor ranging from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extremely active). Knowing your TDEE means you can set calorie targets with real precision — eat at TDEE to maintain weight, eat below it to lose, or eat above it to gain. One important caveat: TDEE decreases as you lose weight, and adaptive thermogenesis (your metabolism slowing in response to a deficit) means you may need to reassess your numbers every 4–6 weeks.

How to use

  1. Enter your age, biological sex, weight, and height.
  2. Choose your unit system (Metric or Imperial).
  3. Select your activity level honestly — most people overestimate theirs, so when in doubt, go one level lower.
  4. Click Calculate to see your BMR and TDEE.
  5. Review the calorie goal table to find your daily target for maintaining, losing, or gaining weight.
  6. Reassess your TDEE every 4–6 weeks as your weight changes to keep your targets accurate.

Why it matters

Eating in sync with your TDEE is the foundation of any evidence-based nutrition strategy. Without knowing your energy expenditure, calorie goals become guesswork. Whether you are trying to lose fat, build muscle, improve athletic performance, or simply maintain a stable weight, TDEE gives you a reliable baseline to build from.

Pro tip

Activity multipliers in TDEE calculators refer to all movement throughout the day, not just structured workouts. If you have a desk job but hit the gym 4 days a week, "Lightly active" is usually more accurate than "Moderately active." Overestimating your activity level is the single most common reason people stall on a diet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns in a day, accounting for your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and physical activity. It tells you how many calories you need to maintain your current weight.
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at complete rest to maintain basic functions like breathing, circulation, and cell production. It represents about 60–75% of your TDEE.
A safe calorie deficit is 250–500 calories below your TDEE per day, resulting in approximately 0.25–0.5 kg (0.5–1 lb) of weight loss per week. Avoid deficits larger than 1,000 calories without medical supervision.
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which is considered the most accurate for estimating BMR without laboratory measurements: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5 (male) or −161 (female).