TDEE Calculator
Use our TDEE calculator to learn more about your Total Daily Energy Expenditure and discover a complete measure of how many calories you burn per day.
TDEE Calculator
How to Use Our TDEE Calculator
Everything you need to enter carefully.
Step 1.
Enter gender, age, height, and weight.
Step 2.
Add body fat % (optional).
Step 3.
Pick the activity level that matches most weeks.
Step 4.
Get your TDEE, BMR, and an easy macro split for maintain/cut/bulk.
Step 5.
Do the 14-day check above and nudge calories by 100–200 kcal as needed.
Why TDEE Matters
All apps use height, weight, and age, basically. That’s a good start, but the way you move and what you’re made of can change the number a lot. If you are lean and love lifting, you’re probably burning a lot more than some random app estimate. If you sit around for most of your day’s activities, you also burn less. The point is you want a strong enough estimate you can go test in the real world.
BMR = Mifflin–St Jeor
Men: BMR = 10 × weight + 6.25 × height − 5 × age + 5
Women: BMR = 10 × weight + 6.25 × height − 5 × age − 161
OR
BMR = Katch–McArdle
BMR = 370 + 21.6 × Lean Body Mass
Lean Body Mass = weight × (1 − body fat percentage)Both of these are within a few percent of each other for most folks; Katch–McArdle is a little tighter for those heavier on the lean or the muscle side.
Multiply by Your Activity
Pick the range that matches most of your week—be honest.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise): × 1.2
- Lightly active (exercise 1–3 days/week): × 1.375
- Moderately active (active 3–5 days/week): × 1.55
- Very active (hard training 6–7 days/week): × 1.725
- Extra active (extremely active daily or intense work): × 1.9
Get Dirty Quickly (Example)
A common frame you might see:
- Male, 25 years
- 5 feet 10 inches, 165 pounds
- Moderately active
Mifflin–St Jeor BMR ≈ 1,740 kcal
TDEE = 1,740 × 1.55 ≈ ≥2,700 kcal/day
Another very effective method is to use the person’s actual intake that results in a stable weight to estimate their true energy balance: If this person eats 2,700 kcals/day and their bodyweight remains stable for a period of two to three weeks at a month-end average (using weekly averages), then that is also likely truly “maintenance.” If weight is drifting up, they know their real TDEE was actually lower; if the weight drifts down, it was higher.
Tip: If you know body fat—let’s say 15%—Katch–McArdle suggests BMR is around 1,740 kcal (very close), and TDEE still falls near 2,700 kcal. Nice cross-check.
What to Do With Your Number
Maintain:
Across the course of weeks, eat in the vicinity of your TDEE.
Cut:
TDEE − 300–500 kcal/day. Steady, livable fat loss.
Bulking:
TDEE + 200–300 kcal/day. Lean gains; minimal fat.
Avoid extreme jumps. You’re more likely to make permanent changes if they are small and consistent.
Macros That Work
Protein:
1.6–2.2 g/kg of body weight (build/keep muscle, control hunger).
Fats:
25–35% of calories (hormones, joints, vitamin absorption).
Carbs:
Fill the rest (fuel training and recovery).
Example at 2,700 kcal
- Protein ≈ 150 g → 600 kcal
- Fats = (Total calories − protein) × a third (2,700 − 600) / 3 = 810 kcal
- Carbs = Total Calories − (Protein + Fats)
Training hard? Keep protein fixed, and move carbs up or down based on performance and recovery.
Precision Dialing
- Track for 14 days. Log weight in the morning, after the bathroom, before food.
- Hold steady. Hit your calories within ± 100 – 150 each day; keep steps and workouts fairly consistent.
- Read the trend, not the noise.
- Up 0.2 –0.4 kg/week? You’re in surplus—cut intake some.
- Down 0.2 -0.6 kg/week? You’re in deficit—if that’s too fast, inch intake up a smidge.
- Flat within ±0.1 –0.2 kg? You’re at maintenance—nice.
This measure → adjust loop beats any one-time calculator.
Common Mistakes That Stall Progress
- Overrating activity. Most people choose an activity level one step too high.
- Under-logging bites and sips. Oil, sauces, coffees, and “just a taste” add up.
- Changing everything at once. Keep training, sleep, steps, and calories stable while you test; otherwise the data gets noisy.
- Crash cuts or dirty bulks. Huge swings cause muscle loss (cuts) or unnecessary fat gain (bulks). Small changes win.
BMI, Ideal Weight, and Body Fat: Use Them the Right Way
- BMI is a quick size-for-height screen, not a verdict on health or muscle.
- “Ideal weight” formulas (Devine, Robinson, Hamwi) are rough targets, not rules.
- Body fat % makes calorie estimates smarter. Use calipers, a decent smart-scale trend, or a clinic scan when possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
Your TDEE is not a magic number. It’s a smart first draft. Use it to set calories, but then let your body’s data fine-tune the plan. Keep protein solid, train often, walk daily, and adjust.