What TDEE is
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories you burn in a day — everything from keeping your heart beating to walking, training and even digesting your food. It's the single most useful number for managing your weight, because it's the level you eat around.
TDEE is built from four parts: your resting metabolism (BMR), the energy used moving through daily life, the calories burned in deliberate exercise, and the small cost of digesting food. This calculator rolls them into one figure for each activity level.
How it's calculated
We first estimate your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — the formula research finds most accurate for most adults — then multiply it by an activity factor:
| Activity level | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Sedentary | × 1.20 |
| Lightly active | × 1.375 |
| Moderately active | × 1.55 |
| Very active | × 1.725 |
| Extra active | × 1.90 |
The calculator shows all five so you can see how much your daily burn changes with activity.
Using your TDEE
Eat roughly at your TDEE to maintain weight, below it to lose, and above it to gain. A deficit or surplus of about 500 calories a day changes weight by roughly half a kilogram (one pound) a week. To turn your target into meals, send it to the macro calculator; for ready-made loss and gain targets, use the calorie calculator.
Getting an accurate number
Activity multipliers are estimates, so treat your TDEE as a starting point. Eat at the calculated level for two to three weeks, track your weight trend, and nudge the number up or down based on what actually happens on the scale.
Helpful tools
Measure your real daily activity instead of guessing.
View options →Weigh portions so your intake matches your TDEE target.
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Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is what you'd burn lying in bed all day. TDEE is BMR plus everything else — movement, exercise and digestion — so it's always higher and is the number you eat around.
Which activity level should I choose?
Be honest and slightly conservative. Count only consistent activity. A desk worker who trains three times a week is usually 'lightly' to 'moderately' active, not 'very active'.
How do I lose weight using my TDEE?
Eat below your TDEE. A deficit of about 500 calories a day produces roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) of loss per week for most people.
Does my TDEE change over time?
Yes. It falls as you lose weight or become less active, and rises as you gain muscle or move more. Recalculate every few weeks or after a notable weight change.