TDEECalculatorTDEE Calculator
Find out how many calories you burn each day, and how much to eat to reach your goal.
Free. No sign-up. Takes 20 seconds.
Short answer
Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is how many calories you burn in a day. Eat that many and your weight stays about the same. Eat about 500 fewer a day and most people lose around 1 lb (0.45 kg) a week at first.
What makes up your TDEE
Typical shares, from the National Academies' 2023 report on energy needs. Movement is the part that changes most from person to person, which is why your activity level matters so much.
How this calculator works
- Resting burn. We estimate your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age, then +5 for men or −161 for women. If you enter your body fat, we use Katch-McArdle instead, which is based on lean mass.
- Activity. We multiply your BMR by your activity level, from 1.2 to 1.8. These are the standard multipliers most TDEE calculators use. They're rough, so treat the result as a first estimate.
- Goal. On the results screen, pick lose, maintain or gain and a weekly pace. We rate each pace against your body weight, never set a deficit bigger than 750 calories a day, and never go below 1,200 calories (women) or 1,500 (men).
| Level | Multiplier | Looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Desk job, under 5,000 steps a day |
| Light | 1.375 | 5,000–7,500 steps, or exercise 1–3 days |
| Moderate | 1.55 | Exercise 3–5 days a week |
| Very active | 1.725 | Hard exercise 6–7 days |
| Athlete | 1.8 | Daily training plus a physical job |
The step counts follow a widely used pedometer guide: under 5,000 steps a day counts as sedentary, and 5,000 to 7,499 is typical of daily life without sport or exercise.
Example: why your activity level matters most
Take a 30-year-old man who is 5 ft 10 in and 180 lb. His BMR is about 1,783 calories. Here is his TDEE at each activity level:
| Activity level | TDEE (calories a day) |
|---|---|
| Sedentary | 2,139 |
| Light | 2,451 |
| Moderate | 2,763 |
| Very active | 3,075 |
| Athlete | 3,209 |
Most steps up or down change his number by about 300 calories a day. That's why we suggest picking the lower level when you're unsure. It's easy to overestimate how active you are: in one study, people who said they couldn't lose weight over-reported their exercise by about half.
How accurate is it?
No formula knows your body exactly. In a systematic review of the four most-used equations, Mifflin-St Jeor came closest, estimating resting burn within 10% of measured values for more people than any other. Treat your number as a starting point. Eat to it for 2–3 weeks, compare your weekly average weight, and adjust by 100–200 calories if needed.
Common questions
What's the difference between TDEE and BMR?
BMR is what you burn at complete rest. TDEE is BMR plus everything else: walking, exercise and digesting food. You eat to your TDEE, not your BMR.
Which activity level should I pick?
Pick lower if you're unsure. Under 5,000 steps a day is Sedentary, 5,000–7,500 is Light. Move up a level only if you also train hard most days.
Should I eat back the calories my watch says I burned?
No. Your TDEE already counts your workouts through your activity level, so adding them again counts them twice.
How often should I recalculate?
Every 10–20 lb (5–10 kg) you lose or gain, or every 4–6 weeks. A smaller body burns less, so your target drops as you go.
More calculators
Not medical advice. These numbers are estimates for healthy adults aged 18–80, based on published equations. They aren't reviewed by a doctor or registered dietitian. Talk to one before making big changes to how you eat, especially if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, have a history of disordered eating, have a medical condition, or take medication that affects appetite or weight. Medical disclaimer
Written by Peter Kohout, strength & conditioning coach
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.
- Hall KD, et al. Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. Lancet, 2011.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy. Chapter 4: Factors affecting energy expenditure and requirements. National Academies Press, 2023.
- Tudor-Locke C, Bassett DR Jr. How many steps/day are enough? Preliminary pedometer indices for public health. Sports Med, 2004.
- Lichtman SW, et al. Discrepancy between self-reported and actual caloric intake and exercise in obese subjects. N Engl J Med, 1992.
You're a 30-year-old man, 5 ft 10 in and 180 lb, moderately active.
You burn about
2,763
calories a day
Give or take 10%: 2,490–3,040 · 19,341 a week
This already counts your workouts, so don't add your watch's exercise calories on top.
for a more accurate number.
Your goal
How fast, per week
to lose about 1 lb a week
Daily macros
Protein comes from your lean mass, up to 35% of calories. The style changes how the rest splits between carbs and fat.
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Your body
BMI can't tell muscle from fat. If you lift, your waist size says more.
All calorie targets
Calories by activity level
Ideal weight formulas
For lifters: your muscle potential
BMR and formula
Estimates for healthy adults, not measurements. Mifflin-St Jeor, our default formula, came closest to measured resting burn in a review of the main equations, and your activity level adds more uncertainty. Track your weight for 2–3 weeks and adjust by 100–200 calories if needed. Recalculate every 10–20 lb (5–10 kg). Not medical advice.