TDEE Calculator
TDEE stands for total daily energy expenditure. It is the number of calories your body uses in a full day, and it is the figure to eat at if you want your weight to stay the same. Enter your details and pick the activity level that honestly matches your week.
Type a number and the answer appears straight away.
Total daily energy expenditure2,598 kcal/day
- Resting metabolism 65%
- Activity and digestion 35%
- Basal metabolic rate (at rest)
- 1,676 kcal
- Burned through activity
- 922 kcal
- To lose about 1 lb a week
- 2,098 kcal
- To lose about 0.5 lb a week
- 2,348 kcal
- To gain about 0.5 lb a week
- 2,848 kcal
Mifflin-St Jeor equation times an activity factor. General information, not medical advice.
| Activity level | Calories per day |
|---|---|
| Sedentary (little or no exercise) | 2,011 |
| Light (exercise 1-3 days a week) | 2,305 |
| Moderate (exercise 3-5 days a week) | 2,598 |
| Active (exercise 6-7 days a week) | 2,891 |
| Very active (hard daily training or a physical job) | 3,185 |
The math behind it: TDEE
TDEE = BMR x activity factor; BMR = 10 x kg + 6.25 x cm - 5 x age + 5 (men) or - 161 (women)
The calculator first estimates your basal metabolic rate with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiplies it by a factor from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (very active). A 30-year-old man who is 5 ft 9 in, weighs 160 lb and exercises three to five days a week has a BMR of about 1,676 calories and a TDEE of about 2,598.
This is general information, not medical advice. Treat the result as a starting estimate and adjust it by what your weight actually does over two or three weeks.
Common questions
How do I calculate my TDEE?
Work out your basal metabolic rate, then multiply it by an activity factor: 1.2 if you are sedentary, 1.375 for light exercise, 1.55 for moderate, 1.725 for active and 1.9 for very active. A BMR of 1,676 at the moderate level gives 1,676 x 1.55 = 2,598 calories a day.
What is the difference between TDEE and BMR?
BMR is what you would burn lying still all day. TDEE adds everything else: walking about, digesting food, work and exercise. TDEE is always the bigger number, usually by 20% to 90%.
How many calories below my TDEE should I eat to lose weight?
A deficit of about 500 calories a day is a common target and works out to roughly a pound a week. Smaller deficits of 250 to 300 calories are easier to keep up.
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