TDEE Calculator
Calculate total daily energy expenditure from BMR and your activity level.
About TDEE Calculator
Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the number of calories your body burns in 24 hours including all activity. It's calculated by multiplying your Basal Metabolic Rate (the energy needed to keep you alive at rest, using Mifflin-St Jeor 1990) by an activity factor. Weight loss or gain is achieved by eating below or above this number — no calorie source behaves differently from another at the same deficit or surplus.
Formulas
Mifflin-St Jeor BMR
BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + S (S = +5 male, −161 female)
- W
- Body weight in kilograms
- H
- Height in centimetres
- A
- Age in years
- S
- Sex constant (+5 for male, −161 for female)
TDEE
TDEE = BMR × Physical Activity Level multiplier
- PAL
- Activity multiplier (1.2 sedentary → 1.9 extra active)
Worked example
With the default values below, TDEE Calculator returns TDEE (maintenance) of 2,633. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Biological Sexone of Male, Female
- Male
- Ageaccepts 15–100 years
- 30 years
- Unitsone of Metric (kg, cm), Imperial (lb, in)
- Metric (kg, cm)
- Weight (kg)accepts 20–300 kg
- 75 kg
- Height (cm)accepts 100–250 cm
- 175 cm
- Weight (lb)accepts 44–660 lb
- 165 lb
- Height (in)accepts 39–98 in
- 69 in
- Activity Levelone of Sedentary (desk job, little or no exercise), Lightly active (1–3 days/week exercise), Moderately active (3–5 days/week exercise), Very active (6–7 days/week hard exercise), Extra active (physical job + daily hard exercise)
- Moderately active (3–5 days/week exercise)
- Goalone of Maintain weight, Mild weight loss (−250 kcal/day), Weight loss (−500 kcal/day), Aggressive loss (−750 kcal/day), Mild weight gain (+250 kcal/day), Weight gain (+500 kcal/day)
- Maintain weight
Results
- TDEE (maintenance)
- 2,633 kcal/day
- Target CaloriesAdjusted for your selected goal.
- 2,633 kcal/day
- BMRCalories burned at complete rest.
- 1,699 kcal/day
- ProteinEstimated at 1.6 g/kg body weight.
- 120 g/day
- Fat25% of target calories.
- 73 g/day
- CarbohydratesRemaining calories after protein and fat.
- 374 g/day
Step by step
- 1Mifflin-St Jeor BMR= 1699 kcal/day
- 2Multiply by activity factor= 2633 kcal/day
- 3Apply goal adjustment= 2633 kcal/day
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 9 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to whole numbers, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
- This calculator provides estimates based on population-average equations. Individual metabolic rate varies by ±15–20%. These results are not medical or dietary advice — consult a registered dietitian or physician before making significant changes to your diet.
- This is an estimate for general information and not professional medical advice. See the full disclaimer for the limits that apply to this kind of calculator.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Guides that use this calculator
This calculator provides estimates based on population-average equations. Individual metabolic rate varies by ±15–20%. These results are not medical or dietary advice — consult a registered dietitian or physician before making significant changes to your diet.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories your body burns at total rest — just breathing, circulating blood and maintaining temperature. TDEE adds every calorie you burn from activity, digestion and daily movement. You eat relative to TDEE, not BMR.
Why is Mifflin-St Jeor used instead of Harris-Benedict?
A 2005 Journal of the American Dietetic Association meta-analysis found Mifflin-St Jeor predicted RMR within 10% for about 82% of subjects, compared to 72% for the revised Harris-Benedict. The older equation was derived from a small 1919 sample and tends to overestimate by 5–15%.
How accurately can I trust these numbers?
TDEE equations are population averages with ±15–20% individual variation. Use the result as a starting point: track your weight for 2–3 weeks at the calculated target, then adjust by 100–150 kcal if the trend doesn't match your goal.
How large should my calorie deficit be?
A deficit of 500 kcal/day produces roughly 0.45 kg (1 lb) of weight loss per week, which is sustainable for most people. Deficits beyond 750–1000 kcal/day significantly increase lean-mass loss and metabolic adaptation.