How to Use the TDEE Calculator
Enter age, gender, weight, height, and activity level. Get your BMR, TDEE, and calorie targets for weight loss (−500 kcal), maintenance, and muscle gain (+300 kcal). Macro breakdown also shown.
TDEE Calculator Formula
BMR (Male) = 10×W + 6.25×H − 5×A + 5; BMR (Female) = 10×W + 6.25×H − 5×A − 161; TDEE = BMR × activity_factorActivity factors= Sedentary:1.2, Light:1.375, Moderate:1.55, Active:1.725, Very Active:1.9
Example Calculation
Male, 30 yrs, 75 kg, 175 cm, moderately active:
BMR = 10×75 + 6.25×175 − 5×30 + 5 = 1755 kcal; TDEE = 1755 × 1.55
TDEE ≈ 2,720 kcal/day; Weight loss target: 2,220 kcal
What TDEE Actually Tells You
TDEE — Total Daily Energy Expenditure — is the number of calories your body burns in a full day, including everything from breathing to walking to digesting food. It is the single most useful number in any nutrition plan, because every goal is defined relative to it: eat below your TDEE to lose weight, above it to gain, and at it to maintain. Without knowing your TDEE, calorie targets are guesswork.
Your TDEE is built from four parts: your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR, the calories you burn at complete rest, which is the largest chunk), the energy cost of physical activity, the thermic effect of food (digestion burns calories), and small involuntary movement. This calculator estimates BMR from your age, sex, height, and weight, then multiplies it by an activity factor.
Choosing the Right Activity Level
The activity multiplier is where most people get their TDEE wrong — almost always by overestimating. Be honest: a desk job with a couple of gym sessions a week is "lightly active", not "very active".
- Sedentary (×1.2): desk job, little or no exercise.
- Lightly active (×1.375): light exercise 1–3 days a week.
- Moderately active (×1.55): moderate exercise 3–5 days a week.
- Very active (×1.725): hard exercise 6–7 days a week.
- Extra active (×1.9): physical job or twice-daily training.
When unsure, pick the lower option. Overestimating activity inflates your TDEE, which leads to eating more than you burn and wondering why the scale will not move.
Turning TDEE Into a Goal
Once you know your TDEE, set your target by adjusting from it. A deficit of about 500 calories a day produces roughly half a kilogram of fat loss per week — a sustainable pace. Aggressive deficits beyond 1,000 calories tend to backfire: you lose muscle, feel terrible, and rebound. For gaining muscle, a modest surplus of 250–500 calories paired with strength training adds lean mass while limiting fat gain. Crucially, your TDEE falls as you lose weight (a smaller body burns less), so recalculate every few kilograms.
Why the Scale Is Not Enough
A TDEE estimate is a starting hypothesis, not a fixed truth — real metabolisms vary by up to 15% from the formula. The reliable method is to eat at your calculated target consistently for two to three weeks, track your weight trend (not daily fluctuations, which are mostly water), and adjust. If you are not losing on your planned deficit, your real TDEE is lower than estimated; nudge intake down by 100–200 calories. This feedback loop beats any calculator, which is why the number here is a launch point, not the destination.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is TDEE?
TDEE calculators are estimates — actual needs vary ±15%. Use the result as a starting point and adjust after 2–3 weeks based on actual weight change.