Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) Calculator

Follow these steps to calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure:

1. Select your biological gender (male or female). The Mifflin-St Jeor formula applies different constants for each sex due to inherent differences in muscle mass and fat distribution.
2. Enter your age in years. Metabolic rate declines with age, so this input ensures the formula accounts for age-related changes in energy expenditure.
3. Enter your body weight in pounds. Larger bodies burn more calories at rest, making weight a primary driver of your BMR calculation.
4. Enter your total height in inches. Multiply feet by 12 and add the remaining inches (for example, 5 feet 8 inches equals 68 inches). Taller individuals generally have higher BMRs due to greater body surface area.
5. Select your activity level carefully. This multiplier has the greatest impact on your TDEE result. Evaluate your average week honestly. If you exercise three days per week but have a desk job, moderately active is appropriate. If you are unsure, choose one level lower to avoid overestimating.

Once you have your TDEE, apply it to your goals. For maintenance, eat at your TDEE. For cutting (fat loss), subtract 300 to 500 calories from your TDEE to create a moderate deficit that preserves muscle. For bulking (muscle gain), add 250 to 500 calories above your TDEE to provide the surplus needed for muscle growth without excessive fat gain. Track your weight weekly and recalculate every four to six weeks as your body composition changes.

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns over a full 24-hour period. It represents the complete picture of your daily energy use and is the single most important number for anyone trying to manage their weight. TDEE is composed of four distinct components that together account for every calorie you burn. The largest component is your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which typically makes up 60 to 70 percent of TDEE and represents the energy required to keep your body alive at complete rest, powering functions like breathing, circulation, cell repair, and brain activity.

The second component is the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF), which accounts for roughly 10 percent of TDEE. TEF is the energy your body expends digesting, absorbing, and metabolizing the food you eat. Protein has the highest thermic effect at 20 to 30 percent, followed by carbohydrates at 5 to 10 percent, and fat at 0 to 3 percent. The third component is Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT), the calories burned through everyday movements that are not formal exercise, such as walking, fidgeting, standing, and doing household chores. NEAT varies enormously between individuals and can account for 15 to 50 percent of TDEE. The fourth component is Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT), the calories burned during intentional physical exercise like running, weightlifting, or swimming.

Understanding the difference between TDEE and BMR is critical. BMR only tells you what your body needs at rest, while TDEE reflects your actual real-world calorie burn. Eating at your TDEE maintains your weight, eating below it creates a deficit for fat loss, and eating above it creates a surplus for muscle gain. One important concept to be aware of is adaptive thermogenesis, the tendency of your metabolism to slow down when you eat in a prolonged calorie deficit. Your body reduces NEAT, lowers BMR slightly, and becomes more metabolically efficient. This is why weight loss often plateaus after several weeks and why periodic recalculation of your TDEE is important as your body weight and activity levels change over time.

This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), then multiplies by an activity factor:

• Men: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age in years) + 5
• Women: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age in years) − 161

TDEE = BMR × Activity Multiplier

Variable definitions:

Example 1 — Sedentary Individual: A 40-year-old female weighing 145 lbs (65.8 kg) and 5'4" (162.6 cm) tall with a sedentary desk job. BMR = 10(65.8) + 6.25(162.6) − 5(40) − 161 = 658 + 1,016.3 − 200 − 161 = 1,313 cal. TDEE = 1,313 × 1.2 = 1,576 cal/day. To lose weight at roughly half a pound per week, she would target 1,326 calories per day. To maintain, she eats at 1,576 calories. This example shows how a sedentary lifestyle significantly limits daily calorie allowance.

Example 2 — Moderately Active Individual: A 30-year-old male weighing 175 lbs (79.4 kg) and 5'11" (180.3 cm) tall who exercises moderately 4 days per week. BMR = 10(79.4) + 6.25(180.3) − 5(30) + 5 = 794 + 1,126.9 − 150 + 5 = 1,775.9 cal. TDEE = 1,776 × 1.55 = 2,753 cal/day. For a lean bulk targeting half a pound of muscle gain per week, he would eat approximately 3,003 calories per day. For a moderate cut, he would consume around 2,253 calories per day.

Example 3 — Very Active Individual: A 25-year-old male weighing 200 lbs (90.7 kg) and 6'2" (188.0 cm) tall who trains intensely six days per week and works a physically active job. BMR = 10(90.7) + 6.25(188.0) − 5(25) + 5 = 907 + 1,175 − 125 + 5 = 1,962 cal. TDEE = 1,962 × 1.9 = 3,728 cal/day. This individual burns nearly 3,750 calories daily and would need to eat approximately 4,228 calories to gain weight at a rate of about one pound per week. Even his cutting calories of 3,228 per day are higher than many people's maintenance levels, illustrating how dramatically activity level affects total energy needs.