Estimate your total daily energy expenditure, resting calorie needs and maintenance calories using your age, sex, height, weight and activity level. Add body fat percentage for an alternative Katch-McArdle estimate.
Your information
Enter your current measurements and typical activity level. Use the activity level that best represents your normal routine, not your most active week.
Your TDEE result
Your TDEE is an estimate of the calories your body uses across a typical day at your selected activity level.
Calorie targets
What does TDEE mean?
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It estimates the total amount of energy your body uses during a typical day. The estimate starts with your resting energy requirement and then accounts for activity through an activity multiplier.
BMR
Basal metabolic rate is an estimate of the energy your body needs at rest. It forms the starting point for the TDEE calculation.
TDEE
TDEE estimates your total daily calorie expenditure after applying your selected activity level to your resting calorie estimate.
Maintenance calories
Your estimated maintenance level is the TDEE figure. Eating around this level is intended to represent energy balance when your activity and intake stay similar.
BMR = 10 x weight(kg) + 6.25 x height(cm) - 5 x age + sex constant
Male constant = +5
Female constant = -161
TDEE = BMR x activity multiplier
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is widely used for estimating resting energy expenditure. Published references give the male and female equations using weight in kilograms and height in centimeters. 1
The activity multipliers used here are conventional planning factors. They are estimates rather than measurements of your personal energy expenditure. Your actual calorie needs can differ because daily movement, exercise intensity, body composition and other factors vary between people. 2
Activity levels used by this calculator
| Activity level | Multiplier | Typical description |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Little exercise and mostly seated daily activity |
| Lightly active | 1.375 | Light exercise or sport around 1 to 3 days per week |
| Moderately active | 1.55 | Moderate exercise or sport around 3 to 5 days per week |
| Very active | 1.725 | Hard exercise or sport most days of the week |
| Extra active | 1.9 | Hard daily training or physically demanding work |
How the Advanced TDEE Calculator works
Start by entering your age, sex, height and current body weight. The calculator converts Imperial measurements to metric units when required, then estimates BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.
If you provide body-fat percentage, the calculator also estimates BMR with the Katch-McArdle method. This method uses estimated lean body mass rather than total body weight. The Mifflin-St Jeor result remains the primary result unless body fat is supplied.
Your selected activity multiplier is then applied to the primary BMR result to estimate TDEE. The calculator also shows calorie levels above and below maintenance for planning purposes.
TDEE vs BMR
BMR represents resting energy needs. TDEE goes beyond resting needs by applying an activity adjustment. For calorie planning, TDEE is the more useful starting figure because it reflects your selected activity level.
How to use your TDEE result
Treat your TDEE as a starting estimate rather than a guaranteed calorie requirement. If your goal is weight loss, a moderate calorie reduction from maintenance is commonly used. For weight gain, a calorie surplus can be used instead.
Track your body-weight trend over several weeks and compare the real-world result with the estimate. If your weight changes differently from your target, your actual energy needs might differ from the calculator estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does TDEE stand for?
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It is an estimate of the calories your body uses during a typical day after accounting for your resting energy needs and activity level.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR estimates the energy required at rest. TDEE estimates daily energy expenditure after applying an activity factor. TDEE is therefore the more useful starting point for estimating maintenance calories.
Which TDEE formula does this calculator use?
The primary method uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate BMR and then multiplies BMR by an activity factor. This is a common approach used by modern TDEE calculators. 3
Why does the activity level matter so much?
The activity multiplier changes the TDEE result substantially. A person with a desk job and little exercise has different daily energy expenditure from someone who trains hard most days or performs physical work.
Should I use my current weight?
Yes. Enter your current body weight and current height. The result is an estimate based on your present measurements and selected activity level.
What happens when I enter body fat percentage?
The calculator adds a Katch-McArdle BMR estimate based on estimated lean body mass. Body-fat estimates themselves can contain significant measurement error, so the additional result should still be treated as an estimate.
Is TDEE the same as maintenance calories?
TDEE is commonly used as an estimate of maintenance calorie needs. In practice, your actual maintenance intake can differ from the calculated value because the activity multiplier and metabolic estimates are not direct measurements.
How accurate is an online TDEE calculator?
A TDEE calculator provides an estimate, not a laboratory measurement. The activity multiplier is one of the largest sources of uncertainty. Compare the estimate with your real weight trend and activity over time.
Can I use TDEE for weight loss?
TDEE can provide a starting maintenance estimate. A calorie target below maintenance is commonly used for weight loss, but the appropriate target depends on the individual and should not be treated as a medical prescription.
