TDEE Calculator
Find your Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the exact calories you burn each day based on your body and activity level. Your starting point for any diet goal.
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Calorie Targets by Goal
What is TDEE?
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories you burn each day. Unlike BMR (which assumes you’re completely at rest), TDEE accounts for all your daily movement and exercise.
TDEE = BMR × Activity Multiplier. This number is the most important figure for setting your diet:
Eat less than your TDEE → Weight Loss | Eat equal → Maintain | Eat more → Weight Gain
The calorie targets above use a ±500 calorie deficit/surplus, which corresponds to approximately 0.45 kg (1 lb) per week of weight change — the healthy, sustainable rate recommended by nutritionists.
What Is TDEE?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period, accounting for all activities — from sleeping and sitting to working out and walking. TDEE is your “maintenance calories” — eating at this level keeps your weight stable. Eating below TDEE creates a deficit (weight loss); eating above creates a surplus (weight gain).
TDEE is composed of four components:
- BMR (60–75%): Calories burned at complete rest for vital organ function
- TEF — Thermic Effect of Food (8–15%): Energy used to digest, absorb, and metabolize food
- NEAT — Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (15–30%): Energy from all non-exercise movement (fidgeting, walking, standing)
- EAT — Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (5–10%): Calories burned during deliberate exercise
How Is TDEE Calculated?
TDEE = BMR × Activity Factor. Our TDEE Calculator first estimates your BMR using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiplies by your selected activity multiplier. The activity levels and their multipliers:
- Sedentary: ×1.2 (desk job, minimal movement)
- 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)
- Super active: ×1.9 (physical job + twice-daily training)
Why TDEE Matters More Than BMR
While BMR tells you what you burn at rest, TDEE tells you what you actually burn in real life. A construction worker and a software developer of identical height, weight, and age can have a TDEE difference of 800–1,000 calories per day due to activity differences alone. Using BMR alone to set calorie targets without accounting for activity level leads to undereating (muscle loss, fatigue) or overeating (unintended weight gain).
Setting Calorie Goals From TDEE
Once you know your TDEE, setting goals is straightforward:
- Mild deficit (−10%): Slow, sustainable weight loss with minimal muscle loss — ideal for long-term results
- Moderate deficit (−20%): ~0.5 kg/week weight loss — the gold standard
- Aggressive deficit (−25%): Faster loss but requires careful protein intake to preserve muscle
- Lean bulk (+10–15%): Muscle gain with minimal fat accumulation
Why TDEE Estimates Change Over Time
As you lose weight, your BMR decreases (lighter body = less energy needed). As you gain muscle, BMR increases. Metabolic adaptation also occurs during prolonged calorie restriction — your body becomes more efficient and burns fewer calories. This is why recalculating TDEE every 4–8 weeks and adjusting calorie targets is essential for continued progress. Use our free TDEE calculator as a regular check-in tool.