TDEE Calculator

Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns every single day. It accounts for everything — from the calories your organs burn at rest (your Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR), to the energy you spend walking, exercising, and even digesting food.

Understanding your TDEE is the single most important thing you can do for your fitness goals. Whether you want to lose fat, build muscle, or simply maintain your current weight, it all comes down to one equation: calories in vs. calories out.

If you eat fewer calories than your TDEE, you lose weight. If you eat more, you gain weight. If you match it, you maintain. It's not a diet trend — it's thermodynamics, and it's the foundation that every successful transformation is built on.

How We Calculate Your TDEE

This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which is considered the gold standard for estimating BMR by the American Dietetic Association. It was developed in 1990 and has been validated in numerous clinical studies as the most accurate predictive equation for the general population.

The formula first calculates your BMR based on your age, height, weight, and gender. Then it multiplies your BMR by an activity factor that reflects your exercise habits and daily movement. The result is your estimated TDEE — the number of calories you need to eat each day to stay at your current weight.

Using Your TDEE for Weight Loss

For safe, sustainable weight loss, aim to eat 300–500 calories below your TDEE. This creates a caloric deficit of about 2,100–3,500 calories per week, which translates to roughly 0.5–1 pound of fat loss per week. Avoid going below 1,200 calories per day (women) or 1,500 calories per day (men) without medical supervision.

A common mistake is cutting calories too aggressively. While a larger deficit leads to faster weight loss initially, it also increases muscle loss, metabolic adaptation, hunger, and the likelihood of binging. Slow and steady wins the body composition race.

Using Your TDEE for Muscle Gain

To build muscle, eat 200–400 calories above your TDEE (a caloric surplus). This provides the extra energy your body needs to synthesize new muscle tissue, especially when paired with resistance training. Focus on getting 0.7–1g of protein per pound of body weight to maximize muscle protein synthesis.

The Role of Activity Level

Your activity multiplier has a huge impact on your TDEE. A sedentary office worker and a construction worker with the same height, weight, and age can have a TDEE difference of 800+ calories per day. Be honest about your activity level — overestimating leads to eating too much, and underestimating leads to unnecessary restriction.