TDEE Calculator - Your Daily Energy Needs

What is TDEE?

Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the number of calories your body burns in a full day: your basal metabolic rate (the energy needed just to stay alive), plus everything you do on top of it: walking, working, training and even digesting food. Eat roughly your TDEE and your weight stays stable. Eat below it and you lose weight; eat above it and you gain.

How this calculator works

First it estimates your BMR with the formula you choose. Mifflin-St Jeor is the default because it is the most accurate for most people; Katch-McArdle is better if you know your body fat percentage, because it uses your lean body mass. Your BMR is then multiplied by an activity factor, from 1.2 for a desk job with no exercise up to 1.9 for athletes and very physical jobs.

How to use your result

• Fat loss: start around 500 kcal below your TDEE. That is roughly 0.5 kg a week for most people, without losing muscle.
• Muscle gain: start 250–500 kcal above your TDEE and keep protein high.
• Check after 2–3 weeks: weigh yourself a few mornings a week and compare the averages. If your weight isn't moving the way you want, adjust by 100–200 kcal.

Be honest with the activity level. Most people overestimate it, and that is the most common reason a calorie target doesn't work. Want calories split into protein, carbs and fats? Use the Macro Calculator.