Free TDEE Calculator
What is TDEE?
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total energy your body uses in 24 hours. It's the sum of four parts: your Basal Metabolic Rate (the biggest chunk), the calories burned digesting food, planned exercise, and all your everyday movement (NEAT). Because eating at your TDEE keeps your weight steady, it's often called yourmaintenance calories.
The four components of TDEE
| Component | Share of TDEE | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| BMR | 60–70% | Resting metabolism — organs, circulation, cell repair |
| NEAT | 15% or more | Walking, standing, chores, fidgeting — everything unplanned |
| TEF | ~10% | Digesting and processing food; highest for protein |
| EAT | 0–15% | Deliberate exercise — usually smaller than people assume |
NEAT is the component you can change most easily and the one that varies most between two people of the same size. It is also the one that quietly falls when you diet, which is part of why weight loss slows down.
How TDEE is calculated
We estimate your BMR with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, then multiply by an activity factor. The table below applies each multiplier to two reference bodies so you can see the real spread. Reference man: 35-year-old man, 5'10" (178 cm), 82 kg (BMR 1763 kcal). Reference woman: 35-year-old woman, 5'5" (164 cm), 68 kg (BMR 1369 kcal).
| Activity level | Multiplier | Man | Woman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedentary — Little or no exercise, desk job | × 1.2 | 2115 kcal | 1643 kcal |
| Lightly active — Light exercise 1–3 days/week | × 1.375 | 2423 kcal | 1882 kcal |
| Moderately active — Moderate exercise 3–5 days/week | × 1.55 | 2732 kcal | 2122 kcal |
| Very active — Hard exercise 6–7 days/week | × 1.725 | 3040 kcal | 2362 kcal |
| Extra active — Physical job or 2×/day training | × 1.9 | 3349 kcal | 2601 kcal |
Sedentary to extra active is a 1234 kcal/day difference for the same man — larger than any plausible deficit. Choosing your activity level honestly matters far more than which BMR equation you use.
How to use your TDEE
- Maintain weight: eat around your TDEE.
- Lose weight: eat 300–500 calories below it (see thecalorie deficit calculator).
- Gain muscle: eat 250–500 calories above it, with enough protein.
What each size of deficit is actually worth, using the standard 7,700 kcal ≈ 1 kg of body fat approximation:
| Below TDEE | Loss per week | Reality check |
|---|---|---|
| −250 kcal/day | 0.2 kg (0.5 lb) | Slow and easy to sustain; barely noticeable day to day |
| −500 kcal/day | 0.5 kg (1 lb) | The usual recommendation — about 0.45 kg (1 lb) a week |
| −750 kcal/day | 0.7 kg (1.5 lb) | Faster, but needs deliberate planning and enough protein |
| −1000 kcal/day | 0.9 kg (2 lb) | Aggressive; hard to sustain and risks losing lean mass |
Deficits are also easier to hold when they are a sensible share of your TDEE. A 500 kcal cut is about 24% of the reference woman's moderately-active TDEE but only 18% of the man's — the same absolute deficit is a bigger ask for a smaller person, which is why percentage-based targets tend to work better than one-size-fits-all advice.
Adjusting TDEE from real data
Any predicted TDEE is a hypothesis. Test it like one:
- Eat at your estimated TDEE for 14 days and log everything in the calorie tracker. Weigh yourself each morning under the same conditions.
- Compare the average of days 1–3 with the average of days 12–14. Single weigh-ins move several pounds on water alone, so only averages are informative.
- If your weight held steady, your real TDEE is your intake. If you gained 0.5 kg (1 lb) over two weeks, your TDEE is roughly 250 kcal lower than estimated; if you lost that much, it is about 250 kcal higher.
- Recheck after every 5 kg (10 lb) of weight change — TDEE moves with body mass, so the number you started with stops being true.
TDEE vs. BMR
BMR is the floor — what you'd burn lying in bed all day. TDEE adds everything else you do. If you only know your BMR, you'll underestimate how much you can eat, so always plan around TDEE. Use ourcalorie calculator to turn your TDEE into a goal-based target with macros.
Accuracy and limitations
Activity multipliers are averages, so two people with the same TDEE estimate can differ in reality. Treat the number as a starting point: track your intake and weight for a few weeks, then adjust. This tool provides general information and is not medical advice.
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TDEE calculator FAQ
Is this TDEE calculator free?
Yes — 100% free, with no account and no ads. Your TDEE and BMR appear instantly, and you can track those calories in our free calorie tracker.
What is TDEE?
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories your body burns in a day, including rest, digestion, and movement. Eating at your TDEE keeps your weight stable, which is why it is also called your "maintenance calories".
How is TDEE calculated?
TDEE = BMR × an activity multiplier. We estimate your BMR with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, then multiply by a factor from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extra active) based on how much you move.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is what you burn at complete rest. TDEE adds the energy you spend moving, exercising, and digesting food, so it is always higher than BMR. See our BMR calculator for the resting number alone.
How accurate is the TDEE estimate?
It is a solid estimate for the average person at your size and activity, but real expenditure varies. Use it as a starting point, then adjust based on how your weight changes over 2–3 weeks.
What is a normal TDEE?
For a 35-year-old man, 5'10" (178 cm), 82 kg, Mifflin–St Jeor gives a BMR of 1763 kcal, which becomes about 2115 kcal/day when sedentary and 2732 kcal/day when moderately active. For a 35-year-old woman, 5'5" (164 cm), 68 kg the same range runs from about 1643 to 2122 kcal/day. Bigger bodies and more activity push both numbers up.
Which activity level should I pick?
Pick based on your whole week, not your best week, and count everyday movement rather than just gym sessions. If you have a desk job and train three or four times a week, "lightly active" is usually closer to the truth than "moderately active" — most people overestimate here, which is the single largest source of error in a TDEE estimate.
Should I add my exercise calories on top of TDEE?
No. The activity multiplier already includes your training, so adding a workout on top double-counts it. Only log exercise separately if you selected "sedentary" and treat training as a one-off addition.
Why did my weight stop changing at the same calories?
As you lose weight there is less of you to carry, so TDEE falls — a smaller body burns less at rest and less in motion. Adaptive changes in NEAT contribute too. Recalculate your TDEE after every 5 kg (10 lb) of change rather than keeping the original number all the way down.
Do fitness trackers measure TDEE accurately?
They estimate rather than measure, and calorie-burn readings are the least reliable output on most devices. A tracker is most useful for step counts and trends over time; for a calorie target, a prediction equation plus 2–3 weeks of your own weight data beats either one alone.