TDEE Calculator
Use this TDEE calculator to calculate your total daily energy expenditure, or how many calories you burn each day.
Calculated instantly in your browser — nothing is sent to or stored on our servers.
Alyssa Northrop, MPH, RD
Alyssa Northrop, MPH, RD, is a registered dietitian who earned her MPH in Human Nutrition at the University of Michigan and completed her dietetic internship there.
Medical Disclaimer: This calculator provides a general estimate based on established research and is for educational purposes only, not a substitute for medical advice. Individual results can vary based on health conditions, so consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, exercise, or health routine. Read our full Medical Disclaimer.
How TDEE Is Calculated
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the full number: everything your body burns in a day, not just what it takes to stay alive at rest. This calculator builds that number in two layers, a resting metabolism estimate first, then an activity multiplier on top, and every other calorie-based calculator on this site uses your TDEE as its starting point.
What TDEE Measures
TDEE answers one specific question: how many calories would you burn today if nothing about your activity level changed. It’s a maintenance number, not a goal. Turning it into a target for losing or gaining weight is what the Calorie Calculator does next.
The Formula
By default, this calculator estimates your resting metabolism with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation¹, which systematic reviews have identified as one of the most accurate predictive equations for resting energy expenditure in both non-obese and obese individuals².
Men: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age in years) + 5
Women: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age in years) − 161
If you enter a body fat percentage, we switch to the Katch-McArdle equation instead, which estimates resting metabolism from lean body mass rather than total body weight. Lean-mass-based estimates may be more useful for people who are leaner or more muscular than average, since two people at the same weight can carry very different amounts of metabolically active tissue³.
Katch-McArdle: BMR = 370 + (21.6 × lean body mass in kg), where lean body mass = weight × (1 − body fat % ÷ 100)
How This Calculator Computes Your Result
Enter your stats using the toggle above. If you leave body fat percentage blank, we calculate your BMR with Mifflin-St Jeor using your age, sex, height, and weight. If you enter a body fat percentage, we switch to Katch-McArdle instead, using your lean body mass. Either way, we then multiply the result by your selected activity level to get your TDEE.
Applying Your Activity Multiplier
Once your BMR is established, it's multiplied by a commonly used activity factor based on your selected activity level to estimate your TDEE. Unlike the BMR equation itself, these multipliers reflect longstanding practice rather than a single validated study. This accounts for your non-exercise activity plus intentional exercise.
Activity Level | Multiplier | Lifestyle & Training Description |
Sedentary | x 1.2 | Desk job, little to no intentional exercise. |
Lightly Active | x 1.375 | Light exercise or sports 1 to 3 days per week. |
Moderately Active | x 1.55 | Moderate exercise or sports 3 to 5 days per week. |
Very Active | x 1.725 | Hard exercise or sports 6 to 7 days per week. |
Extremely Active | x 1.9 | Very hard daily exercise and a physical job (e.g., construction). |
A Note on Accuracy
No predictive formula matches your true metabolic rate exactly. Even Katch-McArdle, despite accounting for body composition, produced errors in the range of 70 to 300 calories per day against directly measured resting metabolism in one validation study comparing seven equations³. Use your calculated TDEE as a starting baseline, then adjust based on your real-world weight trend over 2 to 3 weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TDEE the same as maintenance calories?
Yes. Your TDEE is the exact caloric intake required to keep your body weight stable at your current activity level. Eating below it creates a deficit, eating above it creates a surplus.
How is TDEE different from BMR?
BMR is the energy your body burns at complete rest just to keep your organs functioning. TDEE takes that baseline and adds the calories you burn through physical activity and digestion, so TDEE is always the higher number.
Why does this calculator sometimes use a different formula?
If you enter a body fat percentage, we switch from Mifflin-St Jeor to Katch-McArdle, since a lean-mass-based estimate is generally more accurate for people whose muscle mass differs from average³. Leave body fat blank to use Mifflin-St Jeor directly.
How often should I recalculate my TDEE?
You should recalculate your TDEE after every 10 lbs (4 to 5 kg) of weight change, or whenever your activity level changes significantly. A lighter body needs fewer calories to move and maintain itself, so your TDEE naturally drops as you lose weight.
Sources
A New Predictive Equation for Resting Energy Expenditure in Healthy Individuals, Mifflin et al., 1990
Comparison of Predictive Equations for Resting Metabolic Rate in Healthy Nonobese and Obese Adults, Frankenfield et al., 2005
Are Predictive Equations a Valid Method of Assessing the Resting Metabolic Rate of Overweight or Obese Former Athletes?, de Jesus et al., 2020
TDEE Calculator
Use this TDEE calculator to calculate your total daily energy expenditure, or how many calories you burn each day.
Calculated instantly in your browser — nothing is sent to or stored on our servers.
Alyssa Northrop, MPH, RD
Alyssa Northrop, MPH, RD, is a registered dietitian who earned her MPH in Human Nutrition at the University of Michigan and completed her dietetic internship there.
Medical Disclaimer: This calculator provides a general estimate based on established research and is for educational purposes only, not a substitute for medical advice. Individual results can vary based on health conditions, so consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, exercise, or health routine. Read our full Medical Disclaimer.
How TDEE Is Calculated
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the full number: everything your body burns in a day, not just what it takes to stay alive at rest. This calculator builds that number in two layers, a resting metabolism estimate first, then an activity multiplier on top, and every other calorie-based calculator on this site uses your TDEE as its starting point.
What TDEE Measures
TDEE answers one specific question: how many calories would you burn today if nothing about your activity level changed. It’s a maintenance number, not a goal. Turning it into a target for losing or gaining weight is what the Calorie Calculator does next.
The Formula
By default, this calculator estimates your resting metabolism with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation¹, which systematic reviews have identified as one of the most accurate predictive equations for resting energy expenditure in both non-obese and obese individuals².
Men: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age in years) + 5
Women: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age in years) − 161
If you enter a body fat percentage, we switch to the Katch-McArdle equation instead, which estimates resting metabolism from lean body mass rather than total body weight. Lean-mass-based estimates may be more useful for people who are leaner or more muscular than average, since two people at the same weight can carry very different amounts of metabolically active tissue³.
Katch-McArdle: BMR = 370 + (21.6 × lean body mass in kg), where lean body mass = weight × (1 − body fat % ÷ 100)
How This Calculator Computes Your Result
Enter your stats using the toggle above. If you leave body fat percentage blank, we calculate your BMR with Mifflin-St Jeor using your age, sex, height, and weight. If you enter a body fat percentage, we switch to Katch-McArdle instead, using your lean body mass. Either way, we then multiply the result by your selected activity level to get your TDEE.
Applying Your Activity Multiplier
Once your BMR is established, it's multiplied by a commonly used activity factor based on your selected activity level to estimate your TDEE. Unlike the BMR equation itself, these multipliers reflect longstanding practice rather than a single validated study. This accounts for your non-exercise activity plus intentional exercise.
Activity Level | Multiplier | Lifestyle & Training Description |
Sedentary | x 1.2 | Desk job, little to no intentional exercise. |
Lightly Active | x 1.375 | Light exercise or sports 1 to 3 days per week. |
Moderately Active | x 1.55 | Moderate exercise or sports 3 to 5 days per week. |
Very Active | x 1.725 | Hard exercise or sports 6 to 7 days per week. |
Extremely Active | x 1.9 | Very hard daily exercise and a physical job (e.g., construction). |
A Note on Accuracy
No predictive formula matches your true metabolic rate exactly. Even Katch-McArdle, despite accounting for body composition, produced errors in the range of 70 to 300 calories per day against directly measured resting metabolism in one validation study comparing seven equations³. Use your calculated TDEE as a starting baseline, then adjust based on your real-world weight trend over 2 to 3 weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TDEE the same as maintenance calories?
Yes. Your TDEE is the exact caloric intake required to keep your body weight stable at your current activity level. Eating below it creates a deficit, eating above it creates a surplus.
How is TDEE different from BMR?
BMR is the energy your body burns at complete rest just to keep your organs functioning. TDEE takes that baseline and adds the calories you burn through physical activity and digestion, so TDEE is always the higher number.
Why does this calculator sometimes use a different formula?
If you enter a body fat percentage, we switch from Mifflin-St Jeor to Katch-McArdle, since a lean-mass-based estimate is generally more accurate for people whose muscle mass differs from average³. Leave body fat blank to use Mifflin-St Jeor directly.
How often should I recalculate my TDEE?
You should recalculate your TDEE after every 10 lbs (4 to 5 kg) of weight change, or whenever your activity level changes significantly. A lighter body needs fewer calories to move and maintain itself, so your TDEE naturally drops as you lose weight.
Sources
A New Predictive Equation for Resting Energy Expenditure in Healthy Individuals, Mifflin et al., 1990
Comparison of Predictive Equations for Resting Metabolic Rate in Healthy Nonobese and Obese Adults, Frankenfield et al., 2005
Are Predictive Equations a Valid Method of Assessing the Resting Metabolic Rate of Overweight or Obese Former Athletes?, de Jesus et al., 2020
TDEE Calculator
Use this TDEE calculator to calculate your total daily energy expenditure, or how many calories you burn each day.
Calculated instantly in your browser — nothing is sent to or stored on our servers.
Alyssa Northrop, MPH, RD
Alyssa Northrop, MPH, RD, is a registered dietitian who earned her MPH in Human Nutrition at the University of Michigan and completed her dietetic internship there.
Medical Disclaimer: This calculator provides a general estimate based on established research and is for educational purposes only, not a substitute for medical advice. Individual results can vary based on health conditions, so consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, exercise, or health routine. Read our full Medical Disclaimer.
How TDEE Is Calculated
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the full number: everything your body burns in a day, not just what it takes to stay alive at rest. This calculator builds that number in two layers, a resting metabolism estimate first, then an activity multiplier on top, and every other calorie-based calculator on this site uses your TDEE as its starting point.
What TDEE Measures
TDEE answers one specific question: how many calories would you burn today if nothing about your activity level changed. It’s a maintenance number, not a goal. Turning it into a target for losing or gaining weight is what the Calorie Calculator does next.
The Formula
By default, this calculator estimates your resting metabolism with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation¹, which systematic reviews have identified as one of the most accurate predictive equations for resting energy expenditure in both non-obese and obese individuals².
Men: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age in years) + 5
Women: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age in years) − 161
If you enter a body fat percentage, we switch to the Katch-McArdle equation instead, which estimates resting metabolism from lean body mass rather than total body weight. Lean-mass-based estimates may be more useful for people who are leaner or more muscular than average, since two people at the same weight can carry very different amounts of metabolically active tissue³.
Katch-McArdle: BMR = 370 + (21.6 × lean body mass in kg), where lean body mass = weight × (1 − body fat % ÷ 100)
How This Calculator Computes Your Result
Enter your stats using the toggle above. If you leave body fat percentage blank, we calculate your BMR with Mifflin-St Jeor using your age, sex, height, and weight. If you enter a body fat percentage, we switch to Katch-McArdle instead, using your lean body mass. Either way, we then multiply the result by your selected activity level to get your TDEE.
Applying Your Activity Multiplier
Once your BMR is established, it's multiplied by a commonly used activity factor based on your selected activity level to estimate your TDEE. Unlike the BMR equation itself, these multipliers reflect longstanding practice rather than a single validated study. This accounts for your non-exercise activity plus intentional exercise.
Activity Level | Multiplier | Lifestyle & Training Description |
Sedentary | x 1.2 | Desk job, little to no intentional exercise. |
Lightly Active | x 1.375 | Light exercise or sports 1 to 3 days per week. |
Moderately Active | x 1.55 | Moderate exercise or sports 3 to 5 days per week. |
Very Active | x 1.725 | Hard exercise or sports 6 to 7 days per week. |
Extremely Active | x 1.9 | Very hard daily exercise and a physical job (e.g., construction). |
A Note on Accuracy
No predictive formula matches your true metabolic rate exactly. Even Katch-McArdle, despite accounting for body composition, produced errors in the range of 70 to 300 calories per day against directly measured resting metabolism in one validation study comparing seven equations³. Use your calculated TDEE as a starting baseline, then adjust based on your real-world weight trend over 2 to 3 weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TDEE the same as maintenance calories?
Yes. Your TDEE is the exact caloric intake required to keep your body weight stable at your current activity level. Eating below it creates a deficit, eating above it creates a surplus.
How is TDEE different from BMR?
BMR is the energy your body burns at complete rest just to keep your organs functioning. TDEE takes that baseline and adds the calories you burn through physical activity and digestion, so TDEE is always the higher number.
Why does this calculator sometimes use a different formula?
If you enter a body fat percentage, we switch from Mifflin-St Jeor to Katch-McArdle, since a lean-mass-based estimate is generally more accurate for people whose muscle mass differs from average³. Leave body fat blank to use Mifflin-St Jeor directly.
How often should I recalculate my TDEE?
You should recalculate your TDEE after every 10 lbs (4 to 5 kg) of weight change, or whenever your activity level changes significantly. A lighter body needs fewer calories to move and maintain itself, so your TDEE naturally drops as you lose weight.
Sources
A New Predictive Equation for Resting Energy Expenditure in Healthy Individuals, Mifflin et al., 1990
Comparison of Predictive Equations for Resting Metabolic Rate in Healthy Nonobese and Obese Adults, Frankenfield et al., 2005
Are Predictive Equations a Valid Method of Assessing the Resting Metabolic Rate of Overweight or Obese Former Athletes?, de Jesus et al., 2020