TDEE Calculator — Total Daily Energy Expenditure

Mifflin-St Jeor BMR:
Male:   10×kg + 6.25×cm − 5×age + 5
Female: 10×kg + 6.25×cm − 5×age − 161

TDEE = BMR × Activity Multiplier
(1.2 sedentary → 1.9 extremely active)

BMR is the calories your body burns at complete rest. TDEE multiplies BMR by an activity factor to estimate total daily calorie burn including all movement and exercise.

BMR male (kg A1, cm B1, age C1)

=10*A1+6.25*B1-5*C1+5

TDEE at moderate activity

=D1*1.55

TDEE and BMR ExplainedSearch YouTube tutorials →

BMR vs TDEE: What Each Measures

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories your body needs at complete rest — the energy required to keep organs functioning, circulate blood, regulate temperature, and maintain cellular activity. Think of it as the energy cost of simply being alive, doing absolutely nothing.

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is your actual daily calorie burn including all physical activity — exercise, walking, your job, fidgeting (NEAT: Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), and digestion. TDEE is the number that matters for weight management: eating at TDEE maintains weight, eating below loses weight, eating above gains weight.

The activity multipliers in this calculator are population averages. Individual metabolism varies — some people burn significantly more or less than the formula predicts. The most reliable approach: use the calculator to get an estimate, eat at that level consistently for 2-3 weeks, and adjust based on actual weight changes.

Using TDEE for Weight Goals

For fat loss: a deficit of 300-500 calories below TDEE produces approximately 0.5-1 pound of loss per week. This rate is generally considered the sustainable sweet spot — fast enough to see results, slow enough to preserve muscle mass and maintain energy levels.

For muscle gain: a modest surplus of 200-300 calories above TDEE provides fuel for muscle protein synthesis without excessive fat gain. Larger surpluses ("dirty bulking") tend to accumulate more fat than muscle and require a subsequent cutting phase.

As you lose weight, TDEE decreases because there's less mass to maintain. Recalculate every 10-15 pounds of weight change to keep your targets accurate. Metabolic adaptation — the body's tendency to reduce energy expenditure in response to sustained deficit — also means actual TDEE can be slightly lower than calculated after extended dieting.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Mifflin-St Jeor equation has been validated against measured metabolic rates across multiple studies and is the most accurate simple formula for most adults. However, individual variation is ±10-20%. Use it as a starting point and calibrate based on real results over 2-3 weeks of consistent tracking.

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is measured in a post-absorptive state after 12+ hours fasting in a temperature-controlled environment. RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) is measured after only 4 hours fasting and is typically 10-20% higher. Most online calculators estimate RMR despite calling it BMR. The practical difference is small.

Primarily because of differences in body composition. Men typically have more muscle mass and less fat than women at the same body weight. Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation captures this through the sex-specific constant (+5 for males, -161 for females).

If your activity level setting already accounts for your exercise (e.g., you selected "moderately active" because you exercise 4x/week), those calories are built into your TDEE — don't add them back. If you're using "sedentary" as your base and tracking exercise separately, then adding back some exercise calories is appropriate.