TDEE Calculator

Formula

BMR (Men) = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) - 5 × age (years) + 5 BMR (Women) = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) - 5 × age (years) - 161 TDEE = BMR × Activity Factor

weight: Body mass measured in kilograms (kg). height: Stature measured in centimeters (cm). age: Current age in completed years. BMR: Basal Metabolic Rate, representing energy burned at complete rest. Activity Factor: Physical activity multiplier ranging from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (athlete / heavy physical labor).

Worked example

Sex

m

Age

30

Weight

75

Height

178

Activity

1.55

• TDEE: 2,662 kcal/day
• BMR: 1,718 kcal/day
• Weight loss (−500): 2,162 kcal/day
• Weight gain (+300): 2,962 kcal/day

What Total Daily Energy Expenditure Calculates and Who It Is For

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) measures the total volume of energy, expressed in kilocalories (kcal), that your body expends across a standard 24-hour period. Whether you are aiming to reduce body fat, support athletic performance, or build lean muscle mass, your TDEE serves as the central anchor for all nutritional planning.

Your total energy burn consists of four core components:

1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): The energy expended merely staying alive while completely motionless. This accounts for roughly 60% to 75% of total expenditure.
2. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): The energy required to chew, digest, absorb, and store nutrients, representing about 10% of total intake.
3. Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT): Calories burned during deliberate athletic training or structured cardiovascular exercise.
4. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): Calories consumed by spontaneous movements throughout the day, such as standing, pacing, typing, and chores.

This calculator utilizes the validated Mifflin-St Jeor equation to derive your BMR and pairs it with standard physical activity multipliers (1.2 to 1.9) to estimate your baseline maintenance calories.

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Step-by-Step Worked Example

To see how the formula works in practice, consider a 30-year-old male with the following physical parameters:

• Sex: Male (s = m)
• Age: 30 years
• Weight: 75 kg
• Height: 178 cm
• Activity Multiplier: 1.55 (Moderate activity, 3–5 days per week)

Step 1: Calculate BMR Using the Mifflin-St Jeor Formula

For men, the formula evaluates as: $$\text{BMR} = (10 \times \text{weight}) + (6.25 \times \text{height}) - (5 \times \text{age}) + 5$$

Substituting the exact figures: $$\text{BMR} = (10 \times 75) + (6.25 \times 178) - (5 \times 30) + 5$$ $$\text{BMR} = 750 + 1,112.5 - 150 + 5$$ $$\text{BMR} = 1,717.5 \text{ kcal/day}$$

Rounding to the nearest whole integer yields a basal rate of 1,718 kcal/day.

Step 2: Multiply by the Activity Factor

To establish maintenance TDEE, apply the activity factor for moderate exercise: $$\text{TDEE} = 1,717.5 \times 1.55 = 2,662.125 \text{ kcal/day}$$

Rounded, the baseline maintenance is 2,662 kcal/day.

Step 3: Determine Calorie Targets for Goals

• Weight Loss Target (−500 kcal): $2,662 - 500 = \mathbf{2,162 \text{ kcal/day}}$
• Weight Gain Target (+300 kcal): $2,662 + 300 = \mathbf{2,962 \text{ kcal/day}}$

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How to Read and Apply Your Results

• Maintenance (TDEE): Consuming this daily caloric amount keeps your body weight stable under your current activity regimen. If your scale weight stays flat across 14 to 21 days, this figure accurately matches your real-world expenditure.
• Weight Loss (−500 kcal/day): A continuous daily reduction of 500 kcal equates to an approximate 3,500 kcal weekly deficit. Historically, this corresponds to roughly 1 pound (0.45 kg) of fat loss per week, an established rate for preserving lean muscle tissue.
• Weight Gain (+300 kcal/day): A controlled caloric surplus of 200 to 300 kcal provides the surplus energy needed to support muscle protein synthesis while keeping unwanted adipose tissue accumulation low.

Comparing Age Variations

Metabolism shifts as you age due to natural shifts in lean tissue mass and hormonal profiles. Holding weight (75 kg), height (178 cm), and activity (1.55) constant across different ages demonstrates this trajectory:

• Age 24: BMR of 1,748 kcal $\rightarrow$ TDEE: 2,709 kcal/day
• Age 30 (Base Example): BMR of 1,718 kcal $\rightarrow$ TDEE: 2,662 kcal/day
• Age 36: BMR of 1,688 kcal $\rightarrow$ TDEE: 2,616 kcal/day

Every six-year interval lowers daily baseline requirements by roughly 46 kcal under identical movement conditions.

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Practical Tips for Better Dietary Calibration

• Track Before Altering: Log your typical food intake for 7 days without changing your habits to discover whether your actual consumption matches your estimated maintenance.
• Default to Lower Activity: If you are caught between two activity tiers (e.g., Light vs. Moderate), pick the lower setting. Modern lifestyles contain long stretches of sedentary desk time that diminish overall daily NEAT.
• Prioritize Protein During Deficits: When consuming 500 calories below maintenance, maintain adequate dietary protein (1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight) along with resistance training to shield lean muscle.

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When Not to Rely Exclusively on This Calculator

While the Mifflin-St Jeor formula is clinically validated for the general public, it does not factor in specific body composition percentages (fat mass versus fat-free mass). Therefore, it should be adjusted or verified through metabolic testing in the following cases:

• Competitive Bodybuilders or Athletes: Those carrying exceptional amounts of lean muscle will burn substantially more calories at rest than standard height-weight formulas predict.
• Severe Obesity (BMI $\ge$ 35): Predictive formulas can overstate BMR if inactive adipose tissue is treated with the same metabolic weight as lean mass.
• Endocrine or Thyroid Conditions: Individuals diagnosed with hypothyroidism or severe metabolic dysregulation will exhibit resting rates that diverge from population-level models.

Comparison

Scenario	Input	Result
Lower input	Age: 24	TDEE: 2,709 kcal/day
Base example	Age: 30	TDEE: 2,662 kcal/day
Higher input	Age: 36	TDEE: 2,616 kcal/day

Common mistakes

• Overestimating physical activity by selecting 'Very active' based on high-effort desk jobs or brief, non-strenuous daily walks.
• Confusing BMR with TDEE and accidentally consuming at or below your basal rate for extended periods.
• Failing to recalculate TDEE after losing or gaining substantial body weight, causing caloric plateaus.
• Using raw body weight rather than lean body mass if you carry significantly above-average muscularity or body fat.
• Assuming the calculation is an exact measurement rather than a statistical estimate that requires real-world calibration.

Checklist

• Weigh yourself in the morning before eating or drinking for the most consistent body mass figure.
• Convert pounds to kilograms by dividing by 2.205 if you typically use imperial units.
• Convert feet and inches to centimeters (1 inch = 2.54 cm) to ensure accurate height inputs.
• Assess your weekly workout frequency honestly to select the correct activity multiplier.
• Use your calculated maintenance calories as a baseline and track body weight changes over 2 to 3 weeks.
• Adjust caloric intake gradually by 250 to 500 kcal per day depending on your weight goals.

Calculators Percentage Editorial Team

Calculator guides from the Calculators Percentage team. These introductory examples are educational, not professional advice.

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026

This tool provides an estimate of daily caloric requirements based on standard mathematical formulas. It is intended for educational purposes and should not be used as medical advice or as a substitute for professional dietary evaluation.