TDEE Calculator

What makes up TDEE

Energy use has four parts:

• Basal/resting metabolism (BMR), roughly 60–70% — keeping organs running.
• Thermic effect of food, about 10% — digesting and storing food; higher for protein.
• Non-exercise activity (NEAT) — walking, standing, fidgeting, chores. It varies hugely between people and is often the biggest difference between two people of the same size.
• Exercise — planned workouts.

How this calculator estimates TDEE

We estimate BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiply by an activity factor (1.2 sedentary to 1.9 extra active) that bundles food, NEAT and exercise together:

TDEE = BMR × activity factor

Unlike the Calorie Calculator, which focuses on goals, this page is about understanding your maintenance number. Weight-change targets shown below are still limited to safe minimums.

Checking your TDEE in real life

The best test is your own data. Eat a consistent, tracked amount for 2–3 weeks and weigh yourself several times a week. If your average weight is stable, your intake is close to your true TDEE; if it moves, adjust by about 100–200 calories and repeat. Wearables also estimate burn, but their calorie numbers can be off by a wide margin.

Choosing your activity level honestly

Most people overestimate. If you work at a desk and exercise three times a week, "lightly active" is often more realistic than "moderately active." Picking one level too high can add 200–300 calories a day.

Reading your TDEE breakdown

The result splits your total into three parts. BMR is fixed for a given body. The thermic effect of food is estimated at about 10% of intake; diets higher in protein have a slightly larger effect. Activity is everything else — the part you have the most control over. For a sedentary person, activity may be only 10% of the total; for someone very active, 35–45%.

Raising TDEE through NEAT

Non-exercise activity thermogenesis — walking, standing, housework, fidgeting — can differ by several hundred calories a day between people of similar size. Small habits add up: walking during phone calls, taking stairs, a short walk after meals, or a standing desk for part of the day. Our Steps to Calories Calculator shows what extra steps are worth.

TDEE for different goals

• Maintain: eat close to your TDEE and watch your weekly average weight.
• Lose: eat 250–500 kcal below TDEE, never below safe minimums — see the Calorie Calculator.
• Gain muscle: eat 250–500 kcal above TDEE alongside progressive strength training.

Why TDEE differs between two people of the same size

Genetics, muscle mass, hormones, sleep and especially everyday movement mean two people with identical stats can differ by 300 kcal/day or more. The calculator gives the average for your inputs; your weight trend shows where you sit relative to it.

When to recalculate

Update your TDEE after a change of about 5 kg (10 lb), a new job with different activity, or a change in training volume.

Worked examples

Example 1: Woman, 28, 140 lb, 5′5″, lightly active

BMR ≈ 1,366 kcal; TDEE = 1,366 × 1.375 ≈ 1,878 kcal/day.

Example 2: Man, 30, 80 kg, 180 cm, moderately active

BMR = 1,780 kcal; TDEE = 1,780 × 1.55 ≈ 2,759 kcal/day.

Example 3: Woman, 45, 120 lb, 5′2″, sedentary

BMR ≈ 1,143; TDEE ≈ 1,371 kcal. Deficit targets would fall under 1,200, so they are raised to 1,200 with a warning; more activity is the safer lever.

Limitations

• Activity factors are rough categories; NEAT varies by hundreds of calories between people.
• Equation error (~10%) carries into TDEE.
• TDEE changes as your weight and habits change; recalculate after significant change.

Who should not rely on this calculator

Not for children, pregnancy or breastfeeding, athletes in heavy training (needs may be far higher), or people with medical conditions affecting metabolism. Seek individual advice from a professional.