TDEE Calculator
Find your Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the calories you burn in an average day. Enter your age, sex, height, and weight, pick an activity level, and get your maintenance calories instantly, plus ready-made fat-loss and muscle-gain targets. No sign-up — your details never leave your browser.
What is the TDEE Calculator?
The TDEE Calculator estimates your Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories your body burns in a typical day. That total combines your resting metabolism with the energy you spend moving, working, and exercising. Because it is the calorie level at which your weight holds steady, your TDEE is also called your maintenance calories, and it is the single most useful number for planning fat loss, muscle gain, or simply staying where you are. Enter four details and pick an activity level, and the tool returns your TDEE, your resting BMR, and three calorie targets you can act on right away.
How to use it
- Choose Metric (kg, cm) or Imperial (lb, ft/in) — the tool converts your input internally so the formula is always applied in metric.
- Enter your age and select your sex. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation treats these differently, so both matter.
- Enter your height and weight in the unit boxes shown.
- Pick the activity level that best matches a normal week — most people who train a few times a week sit at Moderate.
- Read your results: maintenance calories and fat-loss and muscle-gain targets recalculate the moment you change a value, so you can compare scenarios in seconds and close the tab when you are done.
The formula and activity factors
The calculator starts from your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, widely regarded as one of the most accurate prediction formulas for the general population:
Men: BMR = 10 x weight(kg) + 6.25 x height(cm) - 5 x age + 5
Women: BMR = 10 x weight(kg) + 6.25 x height(cm) - 5 x age - 161
Your BMR is then multiplied by an activity factor to get your TDEE. The factor scales your resting burn up to account for movement and exercise:
| Activity level | Description | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | Little or no exercise, desk job | 1.20 |
| Light | Light exercise 1-3 days/week | 1.375 |
| Moderate | Moderate exercise 3-5 days/week | 1.55 |
| Active | Hard exercise 6-7 days/week | 1.725 |
| Very active | Physical job or twice-daily training | 1.90 |
So TDEE = BMR x activity factor. From there, the fat-loss target
subtracts 500 kcal (a moderate deficit aimed at roughly one pound per week)
and the muscle-gain target adds 300 kcal (a controlled lean surplus).
Using it for fat loss or muscle gain
To lose fat, eat below your TDEE so your body draws on stored energy. The −500 kcal figure is a common, sustainable starting point; a smaller deficit loses fat more slowly but is easier to keep, while a larger one is faster but harder to sustain and can cost more muscle. To build muscle, eat slightly above your TDEE — the +300 kcal surplus gives your body material to grow while limiting fat gain. To maintain, eat at your TDEE. Whichever goal you choose, your TDEE is the anchor every target is measured from.
Worked example
Take a 30-year-old man, 175 cm, 75 kg. His BMR is 10×75 + 6.25×175 − 5×30 + 5 = 1,699 kcal. At a Moderate activity level (×1.55) his TDEE is about 2,633 kcal — his maintenance calories. To lose fat he would aim for roughly 2,133 kcal (−500), and to gain muscle about 2,933 kcal (+300). A 30-year-old woman, 165 cm, 62 kg at the same activity level has a BMR near 1,350 kcal and a TDEE around 2,093 kcal, showing how sex, height, and weight shift the numbers.
Common use cases
- Setting a daily calorie target before starting a cut or a bulk.
- Sanity-checking the calorie goal a fitness app assigned you.
- Estimating maintenance calories after a weight change so your plan stays accurate.
- Comparing how a more or less active week changes how much you can eat.
- Planning meal prep around a concrete daily number rather than guesswork.
Why use this one
Many TDEE calculators stop at a single maintenance figure or bury the result behind a sign-up. This one shows your BMR and TDEE plus fat-loss, maintenance, and muscle-gain targets together, supports metric and imperial with on-page conversion, and updates instantly as you type. It is fully private: every calculation runs in your browser, so your age, weight, and other details are never uploaded, stored, or shared. Want body composition instead of calories? Pair it with our companion Body Fat Calculator, which estimates your body fat percentage.
Results are estimates for general informational and educational purposes only and are not medical, nutritional, or fitness advice. Calorie prediction formulas are population averages and individual needs vary. Consult a qualified doctor or registered dietitian before changing your diet, especially if you have a health condition, are pregnant, or are under 18.
Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure: the total number of calories your body burns in an average day, including your resting metabolism plus everything from walking and chores to exercise. It is the calorie level at which your weight stays the same, which is why it is also called your maintenance calories.
How is TDEE calculated?
This tool first estimates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which uses your weight, height, age, and sex. It then multiplies that BMR by an activity factor between 1.2 (sedentary) and 1.9 (very active) to get your TDEE. The activity factor accounts for movement and exercise on top of your resting metabolism.
How many calories should I eat to lose fat?
Fat loss requires eating below your TDEE. A moderate deficit of about 500 calories per day below maintenance is a common starting point and roughly targets one pound of fat loss per week. This tool shows that fat-loss number automatically once it knows your TDEE, alongside a smaller and a larger deficit so you can pick a sustainable pace.
How many calories to build muscle?
To gain muscle you generally eat slightly above your TDEE so your body has surplus energy to build tissue. A lean bulk of about 250 to 350 calories per day above maintenance limits fat gain while supporting growth. The calculator shows a suggested surplus target so you can aim for a controlled gain rather than a sharp one.
Is this TDEE calculator accurate?
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is one of the most accurate prediction formulas for the general population, but every estimate is an average. Real energy needs vary with body composition, genetics, and daily activity, so treat the result as a starting point. Track your weight for two to three weeks and adjust your intake up or down based on the actual trend.