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Calculate Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure
Find out exactly how many calories your body burns each day. Your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the foundation of any nutrition plan — whether you want to lose fat, build muscle, or maintain your current weight. Know your number, then adjust from there.
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We'll use this to calculate your daily energy needs.
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period. It includes your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), the thermic effect of food (TEF), non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), and exercise activity. Your TDEE represents your maintenance calories: eat this amount and your weight stays stable. Eat below it to lose weight, above it to gain weight.
Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at complete rest — just to keep you alive (breathing, circulation, cell production). BMR typically accounts for 60-70% of your TDEE. Your TDEE takes your BMR and multiplies it by an activity factor to account for movement, exercise, and daily activities. For example, if your BMR is 1,600 calories and you're moderately active, your TDEE might be around 2,480 calories (1,600 x 1.55).
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation calculates your BMR, then an activity multiplier estimates your TDEE. Sedentary (office job, little exercise) uses 1.2x. Lightly active (1-3 workouts/week) uses 1.375x. Moderately active (3-5 workouts/week) uses 1.55x. Very active (6-7 workouts/week) uses 1.725x. Extra active (physical job + daily training) uses 1.9x. Most people overestimate their activity level — when in doubt, choose one level lower.
James is a 35-year-old man who works an office job and exercises 4 times per week. Let's walk through his TDEE calculation step by step.
Step 1: Calculate BMR using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — for James, this gives approximately 1,780 calories. Step 2: Multiply by the moderate activity factor (1.55) to get a TDEE of approximately 2,760 calories. Step 3: Since James wants to maintain his weight, his calorie target is set near his TDEE at 2,600 calories, with macros balanced for his activity level: 180g protein, 293g carbs, and 72g fat.
Common questions about macro calculation and nutrition planning.
TDEE calculators provide a solid starting estimate, typically within 10-15% of your actual expenditure. They use validated equations (like Mifflin-St Jeor) but can't account for individual metabolic variation, exact activity intensity, or NEAT differences. Use your calculated TDEE as a starting point, then adjust based on real-world results over 2-3 weeks.
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is the most accurate BMR formula for most people. For men: BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age) + 5. For women: BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age) - 161. This BMR is then multiplied by an activity factor to estimate your TDEE.
Different calculators may use different BMR equations (Harris-Benedict, Mifflin-St Jeor, Katch-McArdle) and activity multipliers. Our calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which research has shown to be the most accurate for the general population. Differences of 100-200 calories between calculators are normal.
Recalculate your TDEE every 4-8 weeks, or whenever your weight changes by more than 5 lbs (2.3 kg), your activity level changes significantly, or your progress stalls. As you lose weight, your TDEE decreases because your body requires less energy to maintain a smaller frame.
Your TDEE is an estimate, not a precise number. Eating within 100-200 calories of your calculated TDEE should maintain your weight. Track your weight over 2-3 weeks — if it's trending up, reduce by 100-200 calories; if trending down, increase slightly. Day-to-day weight fluctuations are normal and don't indicate fat gain or loss.
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