Free calculator

TDEE calculator

Find your total daily energy expenditure: the calories that keep your weight steady. You get the result for your activity level and for every other level, so you can see how much movement matters.

Enter your sex, age, height and weight plus activity level. The calculator runs in your browser and nothing is stored.

What your TDEE means

TDEE is the total energy you use in a day: your resting metabolism (usually 60–70%), digesting food (about 10%), and all movement, from workouts to walking around the house. Eat at your TDEE and your weight stays roughly stable, which is why it is also called maintenance calories. Every calorie target, for losing, keeping or gaining weight, starts from this number.

How this TDEE calculator works

It first estimates your basal metabolic rate with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. A 2005 systematic review found this to be the most reliable of the common equations for healthy adults. It then multiplies BMR by the standard activity factor you choose. For example, a 35-year-old woman who is 165 cm and 75 kg has a BMR of about 1,445 kcal. At a light activity level (×1.375) her TDEE is about 1,987 kcal a day.

Choosing your activity level

The activity level moves the result more than anything else: each step up adds roughly 10–15% to your TDEE. Most people overestimate, so judge a normal week, not your best one. Three gym sessions with an otherwise desk-bound job is usually "light". Your daily step count is a good guide: under about 5,000 steps is sedentary, and more than 10,000 steps plus regular training is active. When in doubt, choose the lower level and let your weight trend correct you.

Check it against real life

Every formula predicts the average person with your stats, and individuals vary. Most people's measured resting burn falls within about 10% of the prediction. To find your true TDEE, eat a consistent, logged amount for two to four weeks and track your average weight. If your weight is stable, your intake is your TDEE. If it moves, each 0.1 kg a week of change is about 110 kcal a day. The full method is in how to calculate TDEE.

What to do with your TDEE

• To lose fat, eat 10–25% below it. The calorie deficit calculator shows targets for each weekly goal.
• To maintain, eat at it and recheck every few months.
• To build muscle, eat 5–10% above it, with enough protein (see the protein calculator) and progressive strength training.

Sources

• Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990.
• Frankenfield D, Roth-Yousey L, Compher C. Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate in healthy nonobese and obese adults: a systematic review. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005.