Calculator Nutrition
TDEE calculator
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is roughly how many calories you burn in a day. This uses the Mifflin–St Jeor equation — the one dietitians reach for first — and runs entirely on your device.
Your estimated daily calorie burn
0kcal/day
Maintenance — eat around this to stay the same weight. Below it to lose, above to gain.
Turn this into protein, carb, and fat targets with the macro calculator →
By the numbers Context
What TDEE is and how it is calculated
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the sum of everything your body spends energy on: your basal metabolic rate (the calories you burn at complete rest, which is the majority), the energy used to digest food, and the calories burned through daily movement and exercise. It is the single most useful number for managing weight, because weight change is ultimately governed by how your intake compares with this figure.
This calculator estimates your resting burn with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation — the formula that consistently comes out most accurate in validation studies — and multiplies it by an activity factor. Because activity is self-reported and metabolism varies between people, treat the result as a well-informed starting point: set your intake from it, then watch the scale and your energy for two to three weeks and fine-tune.
Mifflin–St Jeor
the resting-metabolism equation most studies rank most accurate
1990
±10%
typical accuracy of a formula estimate versus a measured burn
Research
~500 kcal
daily deficit commonly used for steady weight loss
Dietetic guidance
Sources: Mifflin et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990; standard dietetic guidance.
Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories you burn in a day, including rest, digestion, and all activity. It is the calorie level at which your weight stays stable.
How is TDEE calculated?
It starts with your basal metabolic rate (BMR), estimated from your age, sex, height, and weight using the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, then multiplies that by an activity factor from sedentary to very active.
Should I eat my TDEE to lose weight?
To maintain weight, eat around your TDEE. To lose weight, eat below it — a deficit of about 500 calories a day is a common, sustainable pace. To gain, eat above it.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is what you burn at complete rest, just keeping your body running. TDEE is BMR plus the calories from digestion and all your daily movement, so TDEE is always the larger number.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
Formula estimates are usually within about 10% of your true expenditure, but individual metabolism varies. Use the number as a starting point and adjust based on how your weight actually responds over a few weeks.