TDEE

TDEE Calculator

Details

How to use TDEE Calculator

What the tool does, how to run it, and what to expect from the result.

How to estimate your TDEE

Enter weight, height, age, and sex to get a Mifflin-St Jeor BMR, then choose an activity level, which multiplies that BMR by a factor between 1.2 and 1.9. The result is your estimated total daily energy expenditure, the calories you burn on an average day.

The BMR half of that is a well-validated equation with roughly 10 percent error. The activity half is a judgment call with a much wider spread, so the honest way to use the output is as a starting point that you correct against the scale over two or three weeks.

  • Enter weight in kilograms, height in centimeters, and age in years.
  • Select your sex, which sets the Mifflin-St Jeor constant at plus 5 or minus 161.
  • Pick an activity level, erring one step lower than feels flattering.
  • Read the TDEE, and note the BMR line underneath it so you can see how much of the total is the multiplier.
  • Eat to the number for two to three weeks, track your weight, and adjust the calories rather than the calculator.

The math behind the number

The BMR comes from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation: 10 times weight in kilograms, plus 6.25 times height in centimeters, minus 5 times age in years, then plus 5 for men or minus 161 for women. The TDEE is that BMR multiplied by the activity factor you selected.

Take a 30-year-old man at 70 kg and 175 cm. The BMR is 700 plus 1,093.75 minus 150 plus 5, which is 1,648.75, displayed as 1,649. At the Moderate setting of 1.55 the TDEE is 2,556. At Sedentary it would be 1,979, and at Active it would be 2,844. Same body, three answers, one dropdown.

A 30-year-old woman at 65 kg and 165 cm has a BMR of 650 plus 1,031.25 minus 150 minus 161, or 1,370. At the Light setting of 1.375 that gives a TDEE of 1,884, and at Sedentary it gives 1,644.

  • Sedentary, little exercise: multiply BMR by 1.2
  • Light, exercise 1 to 3 days a week: 1.375
  • Moderate, exercise 3 to 5 days a week: 1.55 (the default)
  • Active, exercise 6 to 7 days a week: 1.725
  • Very active, hard training: 1.9

Using a TDEE number without fooling yourself

Almost everyone picks an activity level one notch too high. The gap between 1.2 and 1.9 is 70 percent of your BMR, which on a 1,649 calorie BMR is about 1,150 calories a day of difference decided by a dropdown. That single choice moves the answer more than any other input on the page.

The two extra lines subtract and add 275 calories, which under the common 7,700 calories per kilogram assumption works out to roughly a quarter of a kilogram a week. They are deliberately small, because a modest change is the kind people can hold for months.

Then test it. Eat close to the number for two to three weeks, weigh yourself under the same conditions, and read the weekly trend rather than any single morning. If your weight is flat, that number is your real maintenance. If it is not, adjust the calories rather than hunting for a better calculator.

Tips

Getting a better result out of TDEE Calculator

Specific settings and thresholds, not general advice.

  • The calculation is Mifflin-St Jeor for BMR (10 x kg + 6.25 x cm - 5 x age, plus 5 for men or minus 161 for women), multiplied by an activity factor: 1.2 sedentary, 1.375 light, 1.55 moderate, 1.725 active, 1.9 very active.
  • The activity multiplier is where most of the error lives. Going from 1.2 to 1.9 adds 70 percent of your BMR to the total, so on a 1,600 calorie BMR that is a spread of more than 1,100 calories a day depending on which line you pick from a dropdown.
  • Nearly everyone overrates their activity level. If you sit at a desk and train hard three times a week, that is Light or Moderate, not Active. Active (1.725) means physically demanding most days, and 1.9 is for people whose job is training.
  • The two adjusted lines move by 275 calories a day, which at the standard 7,700 calories per kilogram works out to almost exactly a quarter of a kilogram a week: 275 times 7 is 1,925, and 1,925 divided by 7,700 is 0.25.
  • Treat the TDEE as a starting hypothesis, not a measurement. The only way to find your real maintenance is to eat a fixed number for two or three weeks and watch what your weight does, then adjust the number, not the food.
  • Recalculate as your body changes. BMR falls by exactly 10 calories per kilogram lost in this equation, so the TDEE falls by 10 times your activity factor, which is 12 to 19 calories a day for every kilogram.
Limits

What TDEE Calculator does not do

The honest boundary, so you do not lose time finding it yourself.

  • Metric only: kilograms, centimeters, and years. There is no pounds, feet, or inches entry.
  • The activity multiplier is a coarse five-step dropdown, not a measurement. It cannot read a step count, a training log, or a physically demanding job.
  • It does not model non-exercise activity thermogenesis or metabolic adaptation, both of which vary more between individuals than deliberate exercise does.
  • It is an educational estimate, not medical or dietary advice. Real energy needs vary between individuals with the same numbers, and a doctor or registered dietitian should guide any decision about what you eat.
At a glance

Who TDEE Calculator is for

A quick way to understand who this helps, what it solves, and where it connects next.

Best fit

People tracking fitness, nutrition, and everyday health goals.

Ideal for

A quick, private health estimate without an account or app install.

FAQ

Common questions

Short answers for the questions people usually have before trying a utility like this.

What is TDEE?

Total daily energy expenditure: the calories your body burns across an average day, including resting metabolism, movement, exercise, and digestion. This tool estimates it as your basal metabolic rate multiplied by an activity factor.

What is the TDEE of a 30-year-old man at 70 kg and 175 cm?

His Mifflin-St Jeor BMR is 1,649 calories a day (700 plus 1,093.75 minus 150 plus 5). At the Moderate activity setting of 1.55 the TDEE is 2,556. Sedentary would give 1,979 and Active would give 2,844.

What is the TDEE of a 30-year-old woman at 65 kg and 165 cm?

Her BMR is 1,370 calories a day (650 plus 1,031.25 minus 150 minus 161). At the Light setting of 1.375 the TDEE comes out at 1,884, and at Sedentary it is 1,644.

Which formula does this calculator use?

Mifflin-St Jeor for the resting component: 10 times weight in kilograms plus 6.25 times height in centimeters minus 5 times age, then plus 5 for men or minus 161 for women. It is the equation dietitians generally prefer over the older Harris-Benedict formula, which tends to run high.

What are the activity multipliers?

1.2 for sedentary, 1.375 for light exercise 1 to 3 days a week, 1.55 for moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week, 1.725 for active 6 to 7 days a week, and 1.9 for hard daily training. Moderate is the default.

Which activity level should I actually pick?

Be conservative. A desk job with three or four gym sessions a week is Moderate (1.55) at most, and many people in that situation are closer to Light (1.375). Overstating activity is the most common reason a TDEE-based deficit fails to produce any change.

Is TDEE the same as BMR?

No, and the tool shows both so the difference is visible. BMR is what you burn at complete rest, and TDEE is that figure multiplied by your activity factor. At 1.55, the TDEE is 55 percent higher than the BMR.

How do I use the mild loss and mild gain lines?

They are your TDEE minus and plus 275 calories, which is a slow rate of change of roughly a quarter of a kilogram a week. A change that size is easy to hold and easy to absorb into normal eating. Larger deficits are harder to sustain than they look on paper.

Does the number stay right as I lose weight?

No. BMR scales with weight, and in this equation every kilogram lost takes 10 calories off the BMR and 10 times your activity factor off the TDEE, which is 12 to 19 calories a day. Recalculate every 5 kilograms or so, and expect progress to slow if you do not.

Why does my TDEE differ from another calculator?

Almost always because of the activity multipliers, which are not standardized. The BMR half of the calculation is the same Mifflin-St Jeor equation nearly everyone uses. Two sites can disagree by hundreds of calories purely on how they label the activity bands.

How accurate is a TDEE estimate?

The resting half typically lands within about 10 percent of measured resting energy expenditure for healthy adults, and the activity multiplier adds a wider band on top. Two people with identical inputs can genuinely differ by several hundred calories a day, which is why the scale is the arbiter and not the calculator.

Can I enter pounds and feet?

No. The fields are kilograms, centimeters, and years. Divide pounds by 2.205 for kilograms, and multiply feet by 30.48 then add 2.54 per inch for centimeters.

Which other calculators pair with this one?

The BMR calculator gives you the resting figure on its own, the calorie deficit calculator turns a maintenance number into a target intake and an estimated weekly change, and the macro calculator splits a calorie target into grams of protein, carbohydrate, and fat.

Is the TDEE calculator free?

Yes. It is completely free to use, with no signup, no account, and no paywall.

Is the calculation done on a server?

No. The whole thing is a few lines of arithmetic running in your browser as you type. Your weight, height, and age are never transmitted anywhere.

Are the results medical advice?

No. The output is a general estimate built from standard formulas and population averages, and real energy needs vary between individuals. For decisions about your health, diet, or training, check with a doctor or registered dietitian.

Recommendations

You Might Also Like

Nearby tools from the catalog that fit the same job or workflow.

Cleanor app

Do it all on your device

Cleanor puts these tools in one app: compress and convert images, video, and audio, work with PDFs, and scan text right on your device. Plus free up storage and clear inbox clutter with Email Cleaner. Start with a free trial.

  • iPhone
  • Android
  • Macsoon
  • Windowssoon