TDEE Calculator: Find Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) represents every calorie your body uses in a 24-hour period. It combines your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — the energy required just to keep you alive — with the calories burned through physical activity, digestion, and non-exercise movement. TDEE is the single most important number in nutrition planning because it determines whether you gain, lose, or maintain weight. Eat above your TDEE and you gain weight. Eat below it and you lose weight. Understanding your TDEE removes the guesswork from dieting and lets you make precise adjustments to hit your goals.

The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is considered the most accurate BMR estimation method for the general population, validated in numerous clinical studies. It calculates your BMR first, then multiplies by an activity factor to determine TDEE.

• Men: BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age in years) + 5
• Women: BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age in years) - 161
• TDEE = BMR x Activity Multiplier

Your activity multiplier accounts for all movement beyond your basal metabolic functions. Selecting the right level is critical — overestimating activity is the most common reason people fail to lose weight even when "counting calories." Be honest with yourself. Most people with desk jobs who exercise three to four times per week fall into the "lightly active" or "moderately active" range, not "very active."

• Sedentary (1.2): Desk job, minimal walking, no structured exercise
• Lightly Active (1.375): Light exercise or walking 1-3 days per week
• Moderately Active (1.55): Moderate exercise 3-5 days per week
• Active (1.725): Hard exercise 6-7 days per week or physically demanding job
• Very Active (1.9): Intense training twice daily or extremely physical occupation (construction, military)

Two often-overlooked factors significantly influence your TDEE. The Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) accounts for roughly 10% of your total calorie burn and represents the energy required to digest, absorb, and process the food you eat. Protein has the highest thermic effect at 20-30% of its calories, followed by carbohydrates at 5-10%, and fat at 0-3%. This is one reason high-protein diets are effective for fat loss — you literally burn more calories digesting protein. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy expended through all movement that is not deliberate exercise: fidgeting, walking to the kitchen, gesturing while talking, maintaining posture, and even typing. NEAT varies enormously between individuals — by as much as 2,000 calories per day — and is a major reason why some people seem to eat freely without gaining weight. During a calorie deficit, NEAT tends to decrease unconsciously as your body conserves energy, which can stall weight loss if you are not tracking your daily step count.

Once you know your TDEE, you can set calorie targets aligned to your goal. For fat loss, subtract 250-750 calories per day from your TDEE depending on how aggressively you want to lose weight. For muscle gain, add 200-400 calories above your TDEE to support growth while minimizing fat gain. For body recomposition, eat roughly at your TDEE while prioritizing protein intake and progressive resistance training. Track your weight over two to three weeks and adjust by 100-200 calories if progress stalls. Your TDEE is a starting estimate, not a fixed number — metabolism adapts, and real-world data always trumps formulas.