TDEE Calculator
Maintenance is BMR times an activity factor. The formula is the easy part; choosing the factor is where the error lives.
What TDEE means
TDEE — total daily energy expenditure — is everything you burn in 24 hours: breathing, digesting, walking, fidgeting, training. It is the number that decides whether you gain, lose or hold weight, and it is the number these calculators estimate.
It is built from BMR (the resting rate) multiplied by an activity factor. That is why two people of the same weight can differ by 600 kcal a day without either being wrong.
The formula behind the number
BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5For women the last term is −161 instead of +5. This is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, published in 1990 and still widely used in weight-management guidance; in validation studies it predicts measured resting energy within about 10% for most adults.
TDEE = BMR × activity factor| Activity level | Factor | What it assumes |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Desk job, little deliberate exercise |
| Lightly active | 1.375 | 1–3 days of exercise a week |
| Moderately active | 1.55 | 3–5 days a week |
| Very active | 1.725 | 6–7 days, or a physical job |
| Extra active | 1.9 | Physical job plus daily training |
Worked example
A 30-year-old man, 175 cm, 70 kg:
BMR = 10 × 70 + 6.25 × 175 − 5 × 30 + 5 = 1,649 kcal.
| Activity | TDEE |
|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1,979 |
| Lightly active | 2,267 |
| Moderately active | 2,556 |
| Very active | 2,844 |
| Extra active | 3,133 |
The same person at 60 kg and 165 cm (woman, 30) has a BMR of 1,320 and a TDEE of 1,584 sedentary or 2,046 moderately active. The 400–500 kcal gap between the two examples is body size and sex, not effort.
Where the estimate goes wrong
- The activity factor is a guess. Most people overestimate how active they are; "moderate" usually means 3–5 real sessions, not three walks.
- Exercise is already inside the multiplier. Adding a 300 kcal run on top of a 1.55 factor counts it twice.
- Formulas are population averages. Measured RMR varies by ±10% at the same height and weight, and equations tend to overestimate in obesity.
- TDEE falls as you lose weight — less mass to move, plus a small adaptive component. Recalculate every 5 kg rather than assuming the first number holds.
- Tracking underestimates intake. Studies of self-reported food records routinely find 20–30% of calories missing.
Use it as a starting point, then adjust. Eat at the calculated maintenance for two weeks and compare your weight trend. If weight is stable, the estimate was close; if it drifted, the scale is better evidence than the formula. This is arithmetic, not a medical assessment — pregnancy, illness and medication all change the picture.
Questions
Is TDEE the same as "maintenance calories"?
Yes in everyday use. Maintenance calories, TDEE and "energy expenditure" all mean the intake at which weight stays stable over time.
Should I eat my TDEE to lose weight?
No — TDEE is maintenance. Weight loss needs intake below it, typically 300–500 kcal lower, which is about 0.3–0.5 kg of fat a week. The deficit calculator on this site does that arithmetic and prints the weekly figure.
Why is my watch's number higher than this?
Wearables estimate energy from heart rate and step counts, and several validation studies find errors of 20–40%, usually upward for activity. A formula and a watch disagreeing by 400 kcal is normal; neither is a measurement.
Does muscle mass change TDEE?
Yes, but less than the fitness industry suggests: resting metabolism of muscle is about 13 kcal per kg per day, so 5 kg of extra muscle is roughly 65 kcal a day at rest. The larger effect of muscle is the activity it enables.