TDEE Calculator
Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the calories your body needs each day based on your stats and activity level.
| Goal | Adjustment | Calories/day |
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TDEE Calculator
TDEE Calculator estimates your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, the calories you burn in a day including activity, along with targets for maintaining, losing or gaining weight.
How to use it
- Choose imperial or metric units and enter your sex, age, height and weight.
- Pick the activity level that honestly matches your week.
- Read your BMR, your TDEE and the intake targets.
BMR first, then an activity multiplier
Basal metabolic rate is what you would burn lying still all day, and it accounts for the majority of daily expenditure for most people. It is estimated from weight, height, age and sex using an established formula.
TDEE multiplies BMR by an activity factor, ranging from about 1.2 for sedentary up to around 1.9 for very heavy training. That multiplier is the least reliable part of the whole calculation, because self-reported activity level is consistently overestimated.
When it helps
- Getting a starting intake number for a cut or a bulk.
- Understanding why intake needs to change as weight changes.
- Comparing how much activity level actually shifts daily needs.
- Setting a realistic deficit rather than guessing.
Common mistakes
- Choosing an activity level that describes your intentions rather than your habits. When in doubt, pick the level below.
- Treating the output as exact. Real expenditure varies by hundreds of calories between people with identical inputs.
- Not adjusting as you go. TDEE falls as you lose weight, so a deficit that worked in month one is smaller by month three.
What this tool handles
- An estimate for general fitness planning, not medical or nutritional advice. Speak to a professional before a significant change in intake.
