Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) - the total number of calories you burn in a day across all activities. Pair it with your goal (cut, maintain, or bulk) to set a calorie target that actually works.
Total Daily Energy Expenditure
2,238 kcal
Calories you burn per day
BMR (at rest)
1,628 kcal
Mifflin-St Jeor
Suggested calorie targets
Extreme weight loss
-1000 kcal/day
1,238 kcal
Weight loss
-500 kcal/day
1,738 kcal
Mild weight loss
-250 kcal/day
1,988 kcal
Maintain weight
Maintain at TDEE
2,238 kcal
Mild weight gain
+250 kcal/day
2,488 kcal
Weight gain
+500 kcal/day
2,738 kcal
TDEE estimates are accurate within 5–15%. Track weight for 2 weeks at a fixed calorie target and adjust by 100–200 kcal/day if needed. Avoid eating below your BMR for long periods.
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Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the single most important number for anyone pursuing a body-composition goal - fat loss, muscle gain, or maintenance. It's the sum of your basal metabolic rate (60-75% of total), the energy used for daily physical activity (15-30%), and the thermic effect of digesting food (about 10%). Whatever your goal, calorie intake has to be planned relative to TDEE: below for fat loss, above for muscle gain, at TDEE for maintenance. Get this number wrong and even the best workout program produces disappointing results.
This calculator combines the Mifflin-St Jeor BMR equation (the most accurate predictive BMR formula) with standard activity multipliers from sports nutrition research. The result is a calorie target accurate to within ±10-15% for most adults. The biggest source of error is over-rating your activity level - most people who think they're 'moderately active' (1.55 multiplier) are actually 'lightly active' (1.375). Start conservatively, track your weight for 2-3 weeks at the calculated intake, and adjust based on actual progress.
Enter your age, gender, height, and weight.
Select an activity level that honestly reflects an average week - most people overestimate.
View your BMR and TDEE in kcal/day.
Use the suggested calorie targets for fat loss, maintenance, or muscle gain.
Pair TDEE with the macro calculator to plan your protein, carbs, and fat.
TDEE estimates how much energy your body uses each day. It starts with your BMR (calories burned at rest), then multiplies by an activity factor that accounts for movement during work, walking, and exercise. The thermic effect of food (~10%) is folded into the activity factor.
TDEE = BMR × Activity Factor
TDEE = BMR × Activity Factor, where BMR is computed using Mifflin-St Jeor and the activity factor reflects total weekly physical activity. The factors are: 1.2 (sedentary - desk job, no formal exercise), 1.375 (lightly active - light exercise 1-3 days/week or active job), 1.55 (moderately active - exercise 3-5 days/week or moderately active job), 1.725 (very active - exercise 6-7 days/week or physically demanding job), 1.9 (extremely active - competitive athlete with daily training, or hard physical labour + training).
For fat loss, subtract 500 kcal/day from TDEE for roughly 0.5 kg/week fat loss - sustainable for most adults. Larger deficits (750-1000 kcal/day) are appropriate only for obese individuals under supervision; smaller deficits (250-300 kcal/day) work for lean individuals trying to preserve muscle. Never eat below your BMR for more than a few days - the metabolic adaptation (lowered thyroid output, increased cortisol, decreased NEAT) makes fat loss progressively harder.
For muscle gain, add 200-500 kcal/day above TDEE - bigger surplus only if you're a true 'hardgainer' or competitive athlete. The optimal recomposition surplus is small (200-300 kcal) for trained lifters; larger surpluses (400-500 kcal) for beginner lifters who can recompose with both fat gain and muscle gain. Protein intake of 1.6-2.0 g/kg body weight is the other critical input for muscle gain.
BMR ≈ 1743 kcal. Activity factor 1.55. TDEE ≈ 2701 kcal/day. For 0.5 kg/week fat loss: target 2201 kcal/day. For maintenance: 2701 kcal/day. For lean muscle gain (+300): 3001 kcal/day. Protein target ~130-160 g/day; carbs and fat fill the remainder based on preference.
BMR ≈ 1349 kcal. Activity factor 1.375. TDEE ≈ 1855 kcal/day. For 0.5 kg/week fat loss: target 1355 kcal/day (right at BMR - be cautious). For maintenance: 1855 kcal/day. Better fat-loss strategy: smaller 250-300 deficit (target 1555 kcal/day) for slower but sustainable progress without metabolic suppression.
Within 5–15% for most people. The biggest source of error is overestimating activity level. Track your weight for 2 weeks at a fixed calorie target and adjust by 100–200 kcal/day if needed.
A 500 kcal/day deficit gives roughly 0.5 kg/week of fat loss. Avoid deficits larger than 1000 kcal/day or eating below your BMR - both can hurt long-term progress.
A small surplus of 200–500 kcal/day above TDEE is enough for most people. Combine with progressive resistance training and ~1.6–2.0 g/kg of protein per day.
Day-to-day weight is dominated by water, glycogen, and digestive contents. Trust the 7–14 day average instead of any single day, and recalculate TDEE every 3–4 kg of weight change.
Activity factors already include exercise on average. Don't double-count workout calories on top - that's a common cause of miscalculation.
TDEE formulas work off total body weight. People with very high body fat may have a slightly lower TDEE than predicted; very lean individuals may have slightly higher. Adjust based on real-world tracking.
Body composition, daily energy needs and pregnancy timelines all rest on formulas validated across millions of people, but no single number tells the whole story. The values from this calculator are point estimates with a known margin of error - body fat from skinfold or US Navy method has roughly a ±3% standard error compared to a DEXA scan, and BMR can vary ±10% person to person at the same height and weight. Use these numbers to track trends week over week, not to chase decimal precision day to day.
Pair this tool with the BMR, TDEE, calorie and macro calculators to turn a single measurement into an actionable plan. None of these tools are a substitute for a qualified doctor, registered dietitian or certified strength coach - but they remove the busywork so you spend more time on training and recovery, less on math.
The TDEE Calculator is part of the Health & Fitness suite on Online Calculator Tools, alongside 6 related calculators. All tools share the same UI patterns, the same privacy-first rendering (nothing is sent to a server), and the same commitment to showing the formula and assumptions behind every result.
