TDEE Calculator – Total Daily Energy Expenditure

Active person exercising outdoors, burning calories toward total daily energy expenditure

How Many Calories Do You Actually Burn Each Day?

The single most useful number in weight management

Eat at your TDEE and your weight holds steady. Eat below it and you lose weight; eat above it and you gain. Your TDEE — total daily energy expenditure — turns weight management from guesswork into arithmetic.

This free calculator estimates your TDEE from your age, gender, height, weight, and activity level, then shows your exact calorie targets for cutting, maintaining, or bulking — all in seconds, all privately in your browser.

yrs
cm
ft in
kg
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BMR — calories burned at rest (per day)
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TDEE — total calories burned per day
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Weight loss (~1 lb/week)
Eat at a 500-calorie deficit
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Maintain weight
Eat at your TDEE
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Weight gain (~0.5–1 lb/week)
Eat at a 500-calorie surplus

Uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the most validated formula for estimating BMR in the general population. Results are estimates — individual metabolism can vary by 10–15%. Consult a healthcare professional before starting a diet plan.

Person staying active daily, the biggest adjustable lever in total daily energy expenditure
Daily movement — not just workouts — is often the biggest lever in your total daily burn.

How to Use This TDEE Calculator

  1. Pick your units. Choose Metric (cm, kg) or Imperial (ft/in, lbs) at the top of the calculator.
  2. Select your gender and enter your age. Both feed the BMR equation, since metabolic rate differs by sex and declines with age.
  3. Enter your height and current weight. Be honest — the math is only as good as your inputs.
  4. Choose your activity level. This is where most people go wrong: be realistic. A desk job with three gym sessions a week is “moderately active,” not “very active.”
  5. Press “Calculate TDEE.” You’ll see your BMR, your TDEE, and three calorie targets: weight loss (about 1 lb per week), maintenance, and weight gain.

What Is TDEE?

TDEE stands for total daily energy expenditure — the total number of calories your body burns in 24 hours. It bundles four things:

  • Basal metabolic rate (BMR) — the energy to keep you alive at rest, roughly 60–70% of the total.
  • NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) — walking, fidgeting, standing, chores. Bigger than most people think, often 15–30% of daily burn.
  • Exercise activity — your workouts, runs, and gym sessions.
  • TEF (thermic effect of food) — the energy spent digesting what you eat, roughly 10% of intake (higher for protein).

The relationship is simple: TDEE = BMR + NEAT + exercise + TEF. Non-exercise daily movement varies enormously between individuals — two people with identical workouts can have TDEEs hundreds of calories apart simply because one walks to work and the other drives.

The TDEE Formula + Worked Example

Step 1 — BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor):
Men: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) + 5
Women: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) − 161

Step 2 — TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier
1.2 sedentary → 1.375 lightly active → 1.55 moderately active → 1.725 very active → 1.9 extra active

Worked example: A 30-year-old man weighing 80 kg at 180 cm tall, moderately active. BMR = (10 × 80) + (6.25 × 180) − (5 × 30) + 5 = 800 + 1,125 − 150 + 5 = 1,780 calories. TDEE = 1,780 × 1.55 = 2,759 calories per day.

So this person burns roughly 2,759 calories daily. To lose about a pound a week he’d eat around 2,259; to maintain, 2,759; to gain muscle, around 3,259. The calculator runs this exact math for your numbers automatically.

Limitations of TDEE Calculators

TDEE estimates are the best starting point available — but they’re not exact, and here’s where the error creeps in:

  • Activity level is subjective. This is the #1 source of error. People systematically overestimate how active they are — a desk job plus three workouts is moderately active at best, and picking one level too high can inflate TDEE by 300+ calories, quietly erasing a deficit.
  • Individual metabolism varies by 10–15%. Body composition, genetics, illness, medication, sleep, and dieting history all shift real burn outside the formula.
  • Fitness trackers overestimate. Wearable “calories burned” figures routinely run 20–40% high. If you “eat back” exercise calories, you’re probably erasing your deficit.
  • Your TDEE moves. A lighter body burns fewer calories, so every 5–10 lbs lost shrinks your number — yesterday’s deficit quietly becomes today’s maintenance unless you recalculate.
  • Not for everyone. This tool is for adults. Teenagers, pregnant or breastfeeding individuals, and anyone with a medical condition should work with a healthcare professional instead of a general formula.

The fix: use the estimate for 2–3 weeks alongside your weight trend (weekly averages, not daily noise), then fine-tune by 100–200 calories. Your scale is the referee.

Tips for Hitting Your Calorie Target

  • Underestimate activity, not overestimate. If you’re unsure, choose the lower level for a week or two and adjust based on results.
  • Don’t cut below your BMR. Eating far under your basal metabolic rate is unsustainable and can cause muscle loss, fatigue, and nutrient deficiencies.
  • Recalculate monthly. Every 5–10 lbs lost or gained changes your numbers — recalculate during a cut or bulk.
  • Weigh food for accuracy. Calorie estimates from memory routinely undercount by 20–30%; a food scale fixes that fast.
  • Watch the weekend. Five perfect days plus a 4,000-calorie weekend averages out to no deficit at all — consistency across all seven days matters.
  • Sleep and protein matter. Poor sleep raises hunger hormones and low protein slows muscle retention — both make a deficit harder to sustain.
Medical disclaimer: This tool is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting any diet or exercise program.

Related Tools

Calorie Calculator

Maintenance, weight-loss, and weight-gain targets with built-in safety floors.

BMR Calculator

Your basal metabolic rate — the resting foundation your TDEE is built on.

BMI Calculator

Check whether your weight is in a healthy range for your height.

What Your TDEE Is Made Of

The formula hides the parts inside one activity multiplier; here is what a typical day of energy use actually looks like, using a TDEE of 2,500 calories:

Component Share Calories
BMR — keeping you alive at rest 62% 1,550
Movement — NEAT plus exercise 28% 700
TEF — digesting your food 10% 250

BMR and TEF are mostly fixed — TEF is a fairly steady share of intake (protein costs the most to process, around 20–30% of its calories, versus 5–10% for carbs). Movement is the swing factor: two people with the same BMR can land 500 or more calories apart, because NEAT — steps, standing, chores, fidgeting — accumulates all day. That is why a higher daily step count usually moves your TDEE more than one hard workout.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good TDEE?
There’s no universal “good” number — a typical range for adults is roughly 1,800–3,000 calories per day depending on size, sex, age, and activity. Your TDEE is good when it reflects your actual lifestyle and your weight trend matches your goal.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
Within about 10–15% for most people when the inputs are honest. The biggest source of error is the activity-level choice, which is subjective. Use the estimate for 2–3 weeks alongside your weight trend, then fine-tune.
How do I calculate TDEE for weight loss?
First calculate your TDEE, then subtract 300–500 calories for a steady, sustainable fat loss of roughly 0.5–1 lb per week. Larger deficits work faster but are harder to sustain and cost more muscle.
Should I use Mifflin-St Jeor or Harris-Benedict?
Mifflin-St Jeor is the better default — validation studies have found it more accurate for the general population. Harris-Benedict remains common in clinical settings but tends to overestimate.
Why is my TDEE so low?
Common reasons: a sedentary lifestyle (the 1.2 multiplier keeps TDEE close to BMR), small body size, older age, or female sex — all lower BMR. Increasing daily movement (walking, stairs, standing) raises TDEE without formal exercise.
Do I need to recalculate TDEE as I lose weight?
Yes. A lighter body burns fewer calories, so your TDEE shrinks as you lose weight. Recalculate every month or every 5–10 lbs lost, or your once-perfect deficit quietly becomes maintenance.
How many extra calories do I need to gain muscle?
A modest surplus of about 200–300 calories above your TDEE, with resistance training and roughly 0.7–1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. Bigger surpluses mostly add fat — muscle grows slowly even in ideal conditions, so gaining about 0.25–0.5% of body weight per week is plenty.
Should I add exercise calories on top of my TDEE?
No — that double-counts them. Your activity level already includes your workouts, and fitness trackers typically overestimate exercise burn by 20–40% besides. Eat to the TDEE target as calculated, then adjust by 100–200 calories only if your weight trend over 2–3 weeks disagrees.

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