Find out how many calories you burn daily based on your activity level and get personalized calorie goals
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TDEE is the total number of calories you burn in a day, combining your basal metabolism with physical activity. Knowing your TDEE is essential for setting accurate calorie targets for weight loss, maintenance, or muscle gain. Our calculator provides personalized recommendations based on your body metrics and activity level.
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is your BMR multiplied by an activity factor. It represents all calories burned through basic body functions, exercise, and daily activities like walking and fidgeting. TDEE is the most important number for nutrition planning—eat less to lose weight, more to gain, or match it to maintain. This calculator estimates your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — the formula the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics rates most accurate for healthy adults — then multiplies it by your activity factor.
TDEE Calculation
Set accurate daily calorie targets to achieve sustainable weight loss without guesswork.
Calculate the calorie surplus needed to support muscle growth during bulking phases.
Plan your daily meals and macros based on your personalized calorie needs.
Understand how your activity level translates to calorie burn for better fitness planning.
TDEE anchors every plan: eat below it to lose, above it to gain, or match it to maintain — no more guessing a starting number.
The same body burns hundreds more calories a day when active vs. sedentary. The table and chart show all five levels side by side.
A 500 cal/day deficit is about 1 lb/week. We floor loss targets at a safe minimum so you don't under-eat.
Get a maintenance macro split (protein/carbs/fat in grams) so your daily target becomes an actual meal plan.
Enter your body fat and we switch to Katch-McArdle, which uses lean mass — better for leaner or more muscular bodies.
Be honest and consider your entire week. Sedentary = desk job, no exercise. Light = 1-2 light workouts/week. Moderate = 3-5 workouts/week. Active = 6-7 intense workouts. Very Active = athletes, physical laborers. Most people overestimate—when in doubt, choose lower.
TDEE is an estimate within 10-15% for most people. Use it as a starting point, then adjust based on real results. If you're not losing weight at your calculated deficit, reduce calories by 100-200.
BMR is calories burned at complete rest. TDEE includes BMR plus all activity. TDEE is what you should use for daily calorie goals—it's the total energy your body uses in a day.
A 500 calorie deficit (TDEE - 500) results in approximately 1 lb/week loss. This is a safe, sustainable rate. Aggressive deficits (1000+) can lead to muscle loss and metabolic adaptation.
Your activity level already accounts for regular exercise. If you do extra activity beyond your normal routine, you might eat back 50-75% of those calories. Don't eat back all of them—calorie burn estimates are often inflated.