TDEE Calculator (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories your body burns in a single day. It accounts for your resting metabolism (BMR), the energy used during physical activity, and the thermic effect of food (digestion). Knowing your TDEE helps you set the right calorie intake for your health or fitness goals.

TDEE is calculated by first estimating your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — the calories burned at complete rest — using a formula like Mifflin-St Jeor or Katch-McArdle. That BMR is then multiplied by an activity factor (ranging from 1.2 for sedentary to 1.9 for very active individuals) to account for your daily movement and exercise.

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the minimum number of calories your body needs to sustain vital functions at complete rest — breathing, circulation, and cell production. TDEE builds on BMR by adding the energy you expend through daily activity, exercise, and digestion. TDEE is always higher than BMR and is the number you should use for planning your diet.

No — to lose weight you need to eat fewer calories than your TDEE. A common approach is to subtract 500 calories per day from your TDEE, which creates a deficit that leads to approximately 0.5–1 lb of fat loss per week. Going below 1,200 calories (women) or 1,500 calories (men) is generally not recommended without medical supervision.

The Mifflin-St Jeor formula is widely considered the most accurate for most people, as it was developed from a larger and more diverse study population than the original Harris-Benedict formula. If you know your body fat percentage, the Katch-McArdle formula can be even more precise because it directly uses lean body mass rather than total weight.

Yes. Since TDEE includes all activity, increasing your exercise frequency or intensity will raise your TDEE, meaning you burn more calories without necessarily cutting food intake as drastically. Building muscle also raises your BMR over time, further increasing your baseline calorie burn.

You should recalculate your TDEE any time your weight changes by 5–10 lbs, your activity level changes significantly, or after major life changes like pregnancy or illness. Because TDEE is an estimate, tracking your actual weight over 2–4 weeks and comparing it to your expected results is the best way to fine-tune your calorie target.

Not typically. Men generally have higher TDEEs than women of the same age, height, and weight because they tend to have greater muscle mass and higher testosterone levels, both of which increase metabolic rate. The Mifflin-St Jeor formula accounts for biological sex differences directly in its calculation.