TDEE Calculator
Find out how many calories your body burns in a day — your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) — and exactly how many to eat to lose, maintain, or gain weight. Enter your age, sex, height, weight, and activity level, and the calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate your BMR, scales it by your activity, and gives you a calorie target for each goal.
Maintenance calories (TDEE)
2,556kcal/day
How to Use
Choose metric or imperial units, select your sex, and enter your age, height, weight, and activity level. The calculator instantly shows your maintenance calories (TDEE), your BMR, and a table of daily calorie targets for losing or gaining weight at different rates. Pick the goal that matches your plan and use that number as your daily calorie budget.
Why This Tool Is Useful
Calorie targets you find online are usually generic; your real needs depend on your size, age, and how active you are. This calculator personalizes the number using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — the formula registered dietitians most often rely on — so you start from an accurate maintenance figure and adjust from there. It is the foundation of any cut, bulk, or maintenance plan. Note: results are general estimates for informational purposes, not medical or nutritional advice — consult a professional before making significant dietary changes.
What Are BMR and TDEE?
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the number of calories your body burns at complete rest just to keep you alive — breathing, circulation, cell repair. It is the largest part of your daily burn.
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is your BMR multiplied by an activity factor to account for movement, exercise, and digestion. Your TDEE is your maintenance level: eat that many calories and your weight stays roughly the same.
How TDEE Is Calculated (Mifflin-St Jeor)
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, widely regarded as the most accurate of the common BMR formulas. For men: BMR = 10 x weight(kg) + 6.25 x height(cm) − 5 x age + 5. For women: BMR = 10 x weight(kg) + 6.25 x height(cm) − 5 x age − 161.
Your TDEE is then BMR x an activity multiplier (from 1.2 for sedentary up to 1.9 for very active). The multiplier table is below.
How Many Calories to Lose or Gain Weight
Weight change comes down to energy balance. To lose weight, eat below your TDEE; to gain, eat above it. A deficit or surplus of about 500 calories a day corresponds to roughly one pound (about 0.45 kg) per week, since a pound of fat stores about 3,500 calories.
The results table gives you target calories for losing or gaining at ½ lb and 1 lb per week. A moderate 250–500 calorie change is sustainable for most people; very aggressive deficits are hard to maintain and can cost muscle.
Choosing the Right Activity Level
Most people overestimate their activity level, which inflates the calorie target. Be honest: 'exercise' means deliberate training, not a generally busy day. If you sit most of the day and work out a few times a week, 'Light' or 'Moderate' is usually more accurate than 'Active'.
How Accurate Is It?
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is an estimate based on population averages, so your true expenditure may differ by a few hundred calories depending on muscle mass, genetics, and how you actually move. Treat the result as a starting point: eat at the target for 2–3 weeks, track your weight trend, and adjust up or down by 100–200 calories if you are not moving in the direction you want.
Activity Multipliers Used for TDEE
| Activity level | Multiplier | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Little or no exercise, desk job |
| Light | 1.375 | Light exercise 1–3 days/week |
| Moderate | 1.55 | Moderate exercise 3–5 days/week |
| Active | 1.725 | Hard exercise 6–7 days/week |
| Very active | 1.9 | Daily hard training or physical job |