TDEE & Daily Calorie Calculator
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the calories you burn in a full day, combining your Basal Metabolic Rate with physical activity. It is the practical maintenance number: eat around your TDEE to hold weight, below it to lose, above it to gain.
Enter your sex, age, height, weight and activity level. The calculator returns your BMR, maintenance calories, and mild loss and gain targets.
It is the practical number for weight management: eat around it to hold weight, below it to lose, above it to gain.
Enter your values to see the result.
How this is calculated
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the calories you burn in a full day, combining your Basal Metabolic Rate with physical activity. This calculator first estimates BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiplies it by an activity factor you choose: 1.2 for sedentary, 1.375 for lightly active, 1.55 for moderately active, 1.725 for very active, and 1.9 for extra active (a physical job plus training).
The result is your maintenance calorie target — the intake that holds your weight steady. A deficit of about 250 kcal/day yields roughly 0.25 kg per week of loss; a surplus of the same size drives a similar gain. The calculator shows mild loss and gain targets alongside maintenance.
The activity factor is the weakest link, because people routinely overestimate how active they are. Be honest: "moderately active" means structured exercise 3–5 days a week, not just a busy day. The model does not capture adaptive thermogenesis (metabolism slowing during a deficit), non-exercise activity thermogenesis precisely, body composition, or the thermic effect of food beyond the factor’s average. Real expenditure varies day to day, so treat the number as a starting point and adjust by your results over a few weeks.
Worked example
A 30-year-old man, 175 cm, 70 kg, moderately active (factor 1.55).
- 1BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor) ≈ 1,649 kcal.
- 2TDEE = 1,649 × 1.55 ≈ 2,556 kcal for maintenance.
- 3Mild loss target = 2,556 − 250 = 2,306 kcal/day.
Frequently asked questions
- Which activity level should I pick?
- Be honest rather than generous. Sedentary means a desk job with little exercise; moderately active means exercise 3–5 days a week. Overestimating activity is the most common reason people fail to lose weight.
- How big a deficit for weight loss?
- A deficit of about 250–500 kcal/day yields roughly 0.25–0.5 kg per week. Larger deficits can work but are harder to sustain and may lose muscle.
- Are these numbers exact?
- No — they are estimates from population formulas. Real expenditure varies with metabolism, body composition and accuracy of food logging. Use them as a starting point and adjust by results.
- Which activity level should I pick?
- Be honest rather than generous. Sedentary means a desk job with little exercise; moderately active means exercise 3–5 days a week. Overestimating activity is the most common reason people fail to lose weight on paper.
- How big a deficit for weight loss?
- A deficit of about 250–500 kcal/day yields roughly 0.25–0.5 kg per week. Larger deficits can work but are harder to sustain and may lose muscle, so adjust by your results over a few weeks.
Related calculators
Method: Mifflin-St Jeor BMR multiplied by standard activity factors. No external data source. Last updated: September 2026.
These results are general estimates from established formulas and are not medical advice. They depend on the accuracy of the values you enter and on individual factors the formulas cannot capture. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making decisions about your diet, training or treatment.