Use the TDEE calculator to learn your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, a measure of how many calories you burn per day. This calorie calculator will also display your BMI, BMR, Macros and many other useful statistics.
Free daily calorie calculator
Total Daily Energy Expenditure, usually shortened to TDEE, is an estimate of how many calories your body burns in a full day. It includes the energy used to keep you alive at rest, plus the calories used through normal movement, work, walking, training, digestion and daily activity. For most people, TDEE is the best starting point for planning maintenance calories, fat loss calories or muscle gain calories.
A TDEE calculator is useful because it turns basic body data into a practical daily calorie estimate. The number is not perfect, but it gives you a clear starting target. After using it for two to four weeks, you can compare your real weight trend with your goal and adjust calories if needed.
This calculator first estimates your Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR. BMR is the amount of energy your body would use at rest for essential functions such as breathing, circulation, body temperature regulation and normal cellular activity. The calculator then multiplies BMR by your selected activity level to estimate TDEE.
When body fat percentage is not entered, the calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor formula. This is a commonly used BMR equation based on sex, age, weight and height. It works well as a general starting estimate for many adults because most people know these inputs.
When body fat percentage is entered, the calculator can use a lean-mass-based estimate. This can be helpful for people whose body composition is very different from average, such as highly trained athletes or people with unusually high or low body fat. If you do not know your body fat percentage, leaving it blank is acceptable.
The activity multiplier is one of the most important parts of a TDEE result. A sedentary setting is appropriate for mostly desk-based work and little planned exercise. Light exercise usually means some weekly movement or training. Moderate exercise suits people who train several times per week or have more active routines. Heavy exercise and athlete settings should be used carefully because choosing too high an activity level can overestimate maintenance calories.
If your goal is to maintain weight, your TDEE is the calorie target to start with. For fat loss, a moderate deficit below maintenance is usually more sustainable than an aggressive cut. For muscle gain, a small surplus with strength training is usually more practical than a large surplus.
Maintenance calories are the calories you eat when you want body weight to remain broadly stable. Maintenance is useful for people who are happy with their current weight, people taking a diet break, and people who want to improve training performance without intentionally gaining or losing weight.
For fat loss, the result page gives a cutting target below estimated maintenance. A moderate deficit is usually easier to follow than an aggressive one. Very low calorie targets may increase hunger, fatigue and poor adherence, so the result should be used with judgment.
For muscle gain, the result page gives a bulking target above estimated maintenance. A small surplus is often enough for steady progress when combined with strength training. Larger surpluses may increase body weight faster, but not all of that gain will be muscle.
BMR estimates calories used at rest. TDEE estimates calories used across the entire day after activity is included. BMI is a height-to-weight ratio used as a broad screening number. These numbers answer different questions. BMR helps build the calorie estimate, TDEE helps plan calorie intake, and BMI gives a general body-weight category.
Every TDEE result is an estimate. Real calorie needs can vary because of genetics, non-exercise movement, job demands, sleep, stress, health status, medication, training volume and food-tracking accuracy. The best way to use the number is to treat it as a starting point and adjust based on your real progress.
This website is for educational planning only. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. People with medical conditions, pregnancy, eating-disorder risk, very low body weight, or major diet concerns should speak with a qualified professional before making significant calorie or exercise changes.
TDEE is the estimated number of calories your body burns in a full day after normal activity is included.
No. BMR estimates calories burned at rest. TDEE includes BMR plus activity and daily movement.
Only enter body fat percentage if you have a reasonable estimate. If you are not sure, leave it blank.
Yes, you can use it as a starting point for a moderate calorie deficit, but it is not medical advice.