Calculate Your Daily Calorie Needs Instantly
Discover your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) to understand your metabolism and achieve your fitness goals, whether it's weight loss, gain, or maintenance.
Get StartedTDEE Calculator
Enter your details below to calculate your maintenance calories and get personalized targets for your goals.
Your Fitness Metrics
Why Track Your TDEE?
Our tool provides an intuitive and science-based way to understand your body's energy needs.
Personalized Calculation
Get results tailored to you, based on your unique age, gender, size, and activity level.
Instant Results
Your TDEE and goal-based calorie targets are calculated instantly in your browser.
Privacy Focused
No data is sent to our servers. All calculations happen locally on your device, respecting your privacy.
How It Works
Calculating your TDEE is simple with our straightforward three-step process.
Enter Your Metrics
Provide your age, gender, weight, and height using either metric or imperial units.
Select Activity Level
Choose the activity level that best describes your weekly routine, from sedentary to extra active.
Calculate & Analyze
Click the 'Calculate' button to see your maintenance calories and customized targets for your goals.
The Ultimate Guide to TDEE and Calorie Management
Unlock the secrets of your body's energy needs. Learn how to use TDEE to achieve your weight loss, muscle gain, or body recomposition goals.
What is TDEE and Why Does It Matter?
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. In simple terms, it's the total number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period. This includes all activities: sleeping, breathing, eating, exercising, and even fidgeting. Knowing your TDEE is the cornerstone of any successful nutrition plan because it provides you with a baseline for your daily calorie intake.
Whether your goal is to lose fat, gain muscle, or simply maintain your current weight, understanding your TDEE is the crucial first step. It transforms guesswork into a calculated strategy, empowering you to make informed decisions about your diet.
The Components of TDEE: BMR and Activity
Your TDEE is not a single number but a sum of several components. The two most significant are:
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): This is the number of calories your body needs to perform its most basic, life-sustaining functions at rest. Think of it as the energy required to keep the lights on—powering your brain, heart, lungs, and other organs. BMR is the largest portion of your TDEE. Our calculator uses the widely-accepted Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate your BMR.
- Activity Level: This accounts for all the calories you burn through physical movement. It's broken down into two parts: exercise activity (like going to the gym or for a run) and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), which includes everything else, from walking to your car to typing on a keyboard. We simplify this by using an "activity multiplier."
How the TDEE Formula Works
The calculation is a straightforward two-step process:
Step 1: Calculate BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
We use the Mifflin-St Jeor formula, which is considered one of the most accurate methods:
- For Men: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) + 5
- For Women: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) - 161
Step 2: Apply the Activity Multiplier
We multiply your BMR by an activity factor to find your TDEE:
TDEE = BMR × Activity Multiplier
The multipliers used in our calculator are standard values used in the fitness industry:
- Sedentary (little to no exercise): 1.2
- Lightly Active (exercise 1-2 days/week): 1.375
- Moderately Active (exercise 3-5 days/week): 1.55
- Very Active (exercise 6-7 days/week): 1.725
- Extra Active (hard physical labor or athlete): 1.9
The result is your estimated maintenance calories—the number of calories you need to eat per day to stay at your current weight.
Using Your TDEE to Achieve Your Goals
Once you know your TDEE, you can adjust your daily calorie intake to match your fitness goals. This is the principle of energy balance.
For Weight Loss (Caloric Deficit)
To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than your TDEE. This is called being in a caloric deficit. Your body, needing energy, will turn to its stored fat for fuel. A safe and sustainable deficit is typically 15-20% below your TDEE.
- Mild Weight Loss (~0.25 kg or 0.5 lb per week): Subtract 250 calories from your TDEE.
- Standard Weight Loss (~0.5 kg or 1 lb per week): Subtract 500 calories from your TDEE.
Starting with a smaller deficit is often more sustainable and helps preserve muscle mass.
For Weight Gain (Caloric Surplus)
To gain weight, primarily muscle, you must consume more calories than your TDEE. This is a caloric surplus. The extra energy, combined with resistance training, provides the resources for your body to build new muscle tissue.
- Lean Gain (~0.25 kg or 0.5 lb per week): Add 250-300 calories to your TDEE.
- Standard Gain (~0.5 kg or 1 lb per week): Add 500 calories to your TDEE.
A modest surplus is recommended to minimize fat gain while building muscle.
For Maintenance
To maintain your current weight, simply eat at or around your calculated TDEE. This is perfect for when you've reached your goal weight or are focusing on performance rather than changing body composition.
Important Considerations
- It's an Estimate: Remember that any calculator provides an estimate. Your unique metabolism, genetics, and hormonal profile can affect your actual energy needs. Use the TDEE as a starting point, track your progress for 2-3 weeks, and adjust your calorie intake up or down as needed based on real-world results.
- Calories Are Not Everything: While calorie balance dictates weight change, the quality of those calories matters. For optimal health and body composition, focus on a balanced intake of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats) from whole-food sources.
- Protein is Key: Ensure adequate protein intake (especially in a deficit) to help preserve muscle mass and promote satiety.
Start Your Journey Today!
You now have the fundamental knowledge to take control of your nutrition. Use our TDEE calculator to find your starting numbers and embark on a more precise and effective path toward your health and fitness goals. Good luck!
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about our TDEE Calculator tool.
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It's an estimation of how many calories your body burns per day when exercise and other activities are taken into account. It's your "maintenance" calorie level.
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor formula, which is widely considered one of the most accurate methods for estimating calorie needs. However, it's still an estimate. Use it as a starting point, monitor your weight over 2-3 weeks, and adjust your calories if needed.
No. All calculations are performed directly in your browser. Your age, weight, height, and gender are never sent to our servers or stored anywhere, ensuring 100% privacy.
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the number of calories your body burns at complete rest (e.g., if you were in a coma). TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is your BMR plus all the calories you burn from daily activities and exercise. TDEE is the number you should use to set your diet goals.
For sustainable weight loss, a good starting point is to eat 250-500 calories less than your calculated TDEE per day. This creates a caloric deficit, prompting your body to use stored fat for energy. Our calculator provides estimates for both mild and standard weight loss.
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