About the TDEE Calculator
Your total daily energy expenditure, or TDEE, is the number of calories you burn in a day including everything: resting metabolism, walking around, exercise and digesting food. This calculator finds your resting rate with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation and multiplies it by an activity factor you choose, from sedentary to extra active. It then lists rough daily targets for steady weight, slow or faster loss, and slow or faster gain, with the weekly weight change each one suggests. The results are estimates, not medical advice.
Updated October 2026
How to use the TDEE Calculator
- 1Choose your sex and units, then enter age, weight and height.
- 2Pick the activity level that matches a typical week.
- 3Read your maintenance calories in the highlighted box.
- 4Look at the targets below for losing or gaining weight.
- 5Press Copy result to save the number.
From BMR to TDEE
Resting metabolism is only part of the story. Walking, chores, standing and exercise add to it, and so does the energy needed to digest food. The activity multiplier is a simple way to include them. It is an average across many people, which is why two people of the same size can have different real needs.
Using the targets
- Maintain: eat close to the maintenance figure and keep your weight stable
- Lose slowly: about 250 calories below maintenance
- Lose: about 500 calories below maintenance
- Gain slowly or gain: 250 or 500 calories above maintenance
- Re-check every few weeks as your weight and activity change
Making the estimate better
Track your weight and average calories for two to three weeks. If your weight is steady, that average is your real maintenance. If it drifts, adjust the target by 100 to 200 calories and watch again. Weight moves with water, salt and digestion from day to day, so look at weekly averages, not single mornings.
Related tools
See the resting number on its own with the BMR Calculator. The Calorie Calculator gives a similar overview, the Macro Calculator divides calories into protein, carbohydrate and fat, and the Protein Calculator suggests a daily protein range. The Calories Burned Calculator estimates the cost of a specific activity, and the Water Intake Calculator completes the picture.
Features
- Mifflin–St Jeor resting rate multiplied by five activity levels
- Maintenance calories at a glance
- Targets for losing, maintaining and gaining weight
- Estimated weekly weight change for each target
- Warning when a target is below commonly advised minimums
- Metric and imperial units
- Runs in your browser
Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
TDEE stands for total daily energy expenditure: all the calories you burn in 24 hours. Eating about this many calories keeps your weight steady, eating less leads to gradual loss, and eating more leads to gradual gain.
How is TDEE calculated?
The calculator estimates your basal metabolic rate and multiplies it by an activity factor: 1.2 for sedentary, 1.375 for light, 1.55 for moderate, 1.725 for very active and 1.9 for extra active. For example, a resting rate of 1,780 with a moderate factor of 1.55 gives about 2,759 calories a day.
Which activity level should I choose?
Be honest about a normal week and lean towards the lower option if unsure. Most people overestimate exercise. A desk job plus three workouts a week is usually light to moderate, not very active. You can compare two levels to see the range.
How many calories do I cut to lose weight?
A common starting point is 250 to 500 calories below maintenance, which suggests roughly 0.25 to 0.5 kg (about half to one pound) a week. The page shows both. Larger cuts are harder to keep up and may not suit everyone, so speak to a health professional for personal advice.
Why are my results different from my fitness watch?
Watches estimate activity with motion sensors and heart rate, and may differ by 10 to 30 percent. This tool uses a formula with a simple activity multiplier. Treat both as estimates, then adjust based on how your weight actually changes over two or three weeks.
Is TDEE safe to use for everyone?
It suits healthy adults. It is not designed for children, pregnancy, breastfeeding or medical conditions that affect metabolism. Targets below about 1,200 calories for women or 1,500 for men are flagged because they are generally not advised without supervision.