TDEE Calculator (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)
Estimate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE): the calories you burn in a day, which are also your maintenance calories. Then see estimates to lose fat or build muscle. The math runs in your browser: nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Your estimated TDEE and maintenance calories
Fill in the form and press Calculate to see your estimated TDEE, your maintenance calories and the estimates to lose fat or build muscle.
- Maintenance (TDEE)
- To lose fat
- To build muscle
- Resting energy (BMR)
These are estimates, not medical or dietary advice. How we estimate, with sources
How TDEE is calculated
TDEE is your resting energy (BMR) times an activity factor. BMR comes from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation; the factor depends on how many days a week you train: 1.3 for 0–1, 1.45 for 2–3, 1.6 for 4–5 and 1.75 for 6–7.
A worked example: a 30-year-old man, 175 cm and 70 kg, has a BMR of about 1,649 kcal a day. Training three days a week gives a factor of 1.45, so his TDEE is about 2,391 kcal a day.
TDEE for weight loss
To lose fat you eat less than your TDEE. This calculator aims at losing about 0.5% of your body weight a week, using the common approximation of 7,700 kcal per kg, and never goes below 1,200 kcal or 1.2 times your BMR, whichever is higher. For the man above, that is about 2,006 kcal a day.
Maintenance calories: how to find yours
Your maintenance calories are what keeps your weight steady, which is your TDEE. A formula gives a first estimate. To find your real number, eat close to that estimate for two or three weeks and watch your weight trend: if it drifts down, you are below maintenance; if it climbs, you are above.
Why a formula is only a starting point
Equations describe groups of people, and how much you move changes from week to week. The BodyMacros app starts from this same estimate, then compares what you logged with your weight trend each week and re-estimates your TDEE and targets, with the reason in plain words.
Mifflin-St Jeor vs other formulas
We use Mifflin-St Jeor because, in a systematic review of the common equations, it came within 10% of measured resting energy for more people than the others, including Harris-Benedict. Katch-McArdle works from lean mass instead and needs a body-fat percentage. Every source is listed on the sources page.
TDEE calculator vs calorie counter
This calculator estimates how many calories you burn and how many to eat; it does not count the calories in your food. To log meals and see how close you are to your target each day, use a calorie counter like the BodyMacros app.
FAQ
How can I estimate my daily energy expenditure?
Estimate your resting energy (BMR) with an equation such as Mifflin-St Jeor, then multiply it by an activity factor for how much you move and train. The calculator above does both and shows the result as your TDEE. For a closer number, compare what you eat with your weight trend over a few weeks.
How many calories should a 70 kg person eat?
It depends on height, age, sex and activity. As an estimate, a 30-year-old man at 175 cm and 70 kg who trains three days a week burns about 2,391 kcal a day. To lose about 0.5% of his weight a week, this calculator estimates about 2,006 kcal; for a woman at 165 cm, about 1,700.
How do I calculate TDEE from BMR?
Multiply your BMR by an activity factor. This calculator uses 1.3 if you train 0–1 days a week, 1.45 for 2–3, 1.6 for 4–5 and 1.75 for 6–7. For example, a BMR of 1,649 kcal times 1.45 gives a TDEE of about 2,391 kcal a day. The factors are starting estimates, not measurements.
What is the best TDEE formula?
For the resting part, Mifflin-St Jeor came within 10% of measured resting energy for more people than other common equations in a systematic review, so we use it. The activity factor matters as much, and no formula sees how much you really move. Your weight trend over a few weeks is the best check.
Is TDEE the same as maintenance calories?
Yes, in practice. Maintenance calories are what keeps your weight steady, and that is your total daily energy expenditure. The difference is that a TDEE calculator gives an estimate, while your true maintenance shows up in your weight trend when you eat about the same amount for a few weeks.
How many calories should I eat per day?
Start from your TDEE: eat about that much to keep your weight, less to lose fat and a little more to build muscle. This calculator shows all three as estimates. To lose fat it aims at about 0.5% of your body weight a week; to build muscle, about 0.25%. Your weekly trend tells you whether to adjust.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
Eat less than your TDEE. This calculator aims at losing about 0.5% of your body weight a week, a few hundred calories below TDEE for most people, and never goes below 1,200 kcal or 1.2 times your BMR. Treat it as a starting estimate and adjust it with your weekly weight trend.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is the energy your body uses at complete rest. TDEE adds everything else you do in a day: daily movement, training and digesting food. That is why TDEE is always higher than BMR, and why an eating plan should start from your TDEE rather than from your BMR.
Does this calculator count the calories in food?
No. It estimates how many calories you burn and how many to eat per day, not the calories in a meal or a food. To log what you eat and see how close you are to your daily target, use a calorie counter such as the BodyMacros app, which also scans barcodes.
Track this in the app
Log your food and your lifts in one place. Your estimates adjust each week to how you eat and train.
Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play
7 days free, then billed by the App Store or Google Play. Cancel any time in your store account.