BMR tells you what you burn lying in bed. TDEE — Total Daily Energy Expenditure — tells you what you actually burn living your real life: office work, commuting, training, chasing kids, everything. It’s the number every serious diet is built on, because it’s your maintenance level: eat this much and your weight stays put; eat less, you lose; eat more, you gain. Our free TDEE calculator combines the Mifflin-St Jeor BMR equation with your activity level to compute your real daily calorie budget — the foundation for any weight goal.
TDEE Calculator
How TDEE Works
TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier. The multipliers are the standard factors used in dietetics (popularised by researcher David Frankenfield’s activity classification):
- Sedentary (desk job, little exercise) — × 1.2
- Light (exercise 1–3 days/week) — × 1.375
- Moderate (exercise 3–5 days/week) — × 1.55
- Active (hard exercise 6–7 days/week) — × 1.725
- Very active (physical job + daily training) — × 1.9
Most people overestimate their activity. If you sit at a desk all day and train three evenings a week, that’s “light” — not moderate. Be honest here; TDEE errors of 200–300 kcal/day are the number one reason diets “mysteriously” stall.
How to Use
- Enter gender, age, weight (kg), and height (cm) — the same inputs as BMR.
- Pick the activity level that matches your typical week (when in doubt, pick the lower one).
- Click Calculate — you get your BMR and your TDEE (your daily maintenance calories).
- Set your goal: subtract 250–500 for fat loss, add 250–500 for muscle gain, or eat at TDEE to maintain.
Worked Example
Ali (30, 70 kg, 175 cm) has a BMR of 1,649 kcal. He trains four times a week and walks a lot at work — moderate, × 1.55. TDEE = 1,649 × 1.55 = 2,556 kcal/day. To lose ~0.4 kg/week he’d eat about 2,056 kcal; to gain lean mass, about 2,806 kcal. One number, three plans.
Tips & Limitations
- Re-calculate every 4–6 weeks or after every 4–5 kg of change — TDEE shrinks as you lose weight.
- Activity trackers (Fitbit, Apple Watch) are decent cross-checks but can overestimate exercise burn by 20–30%.
- NEAT (non-exercise activity: footsteps, fidgeting, housework) is the silent swing factor — a 3,000-step day vs 10,000-step day can differ by 300+ kcal.
- The scale is the judge: if two weeks at “maintenance” moved your weight, adjust TDEE by ±100 kcal and repeat.
FAQs
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
Within roughly ±10% for most people — a strong starting estimate, not a laboratory figure. True personalisation comes from tracking intake and weight for 2–3 weeks and adjusting.
Which activity level should I choose?
Match your whole week, not your best day. Desk job + 3 gym sessions = Light (1.375). Physical work like construction, delivery, or farming is Active/Very active even without a gym.
TDEE vs BMR — which do I eat at?
Neither exactly. BMR is your survival floor; TDEE is your maintenance. Diets are set relative to TDEE: minus 250–550 kcal to lose, plus 250–500 to gain.
Why did my weight stop moving at the same calories?
Because your TDEE moved: you weigh less, and your body quietly spends less (adaptive thermogenesis). Re-run the calculator with your new weight.
Does TDEE include exercise calories?
Yes — the activity multiplier already bundles typical exercise in. Don’t add gym calories on top, or you’ll double-count and stall.