How to Use Our TDEE Calculator

To get your personalized TDEE estimate, simply enter the following details. The more accurate your inputs, the more precise your results will be.

• Age: Enter your age in years. Your metabolic rate naturally slows as you get older, so age is a key factor.

• Gender: Select Male or Female. Men generally have more muscle mass and a higher metabolic rate than women of the same weight and height, which affects calorie needs.

• Weight: Input your current body weight. You can use pounds (lb) or kilograms (kg). For the most accurate calculation, weigh yourself in the morning before eating or drinking.

• Height: Enter your current height in feet and inches (ft/in) or centimeters (cm).

• Activity Level: This is the most critical input for an accurate result. Be honest about your daily activity, not including optional workouts.

  • Sedentary: Desk job with little to no physical activity.

  • Lightly Active: Light exercise or sports 1-3 days a week, or a job with some walking.

  • Moderately Active: Moderate exercise or sports 3-5 days a week.

  • Very Active: Hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week, or a physically demanding job.

  • Extremely Active: Very hard daily exercise or a physically strenuous job (e.g., construction worker, professional athlete).

• Body Fat % (Optional): If you know your body fat percentage from a DEXA scan, hydrostatic weighing, or a smart scale, entering it will provide a more accurate TDEE. This allows the calculator to use a formula that differentiates between fat mass and lean mass, the latter of which is more metabolically active. If you don’t know it, leave this field blank, and the calculator will use a standard formula.

Understanding Your Results

Your TDEE result is an estimate of the total calories your body burns in a 24-hour period. This number isn’t just about exercise; it’s the sum of all the energy you expend to live and move. Below is a breakdown of what makes up your TDEE.

The Components of Your TDEE

Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is comprised of four main parts:

1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): This is the largest component, typically accounting for 60-70% of your TDEE. It’s the number of calories your body burns at complete rest to perform essential life-sustaining functions like breathing, circulating blood, regulating body temperature, and cell production. Our calculator shows your BMR as a separate result.

2. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): This is the energy your body uses to digest, absorb, and metabolize the food you eat. It accounts for about 10% of your TDEE. Protein has the highest TEF, meaning your body burns more calories breaking it down compared to fats and carbohydrates.

3. Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT): These are the calories you burn during planned, intentional exercise like running, weightlifting, or playing sports. This is the component most people think of when they consider “burning calories.”

4. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): This is the energy you expend for everything else you do that isn’t sleeping, eating, or dedicated exercise. It includes walking to your car, typing, fidgeting, doing chores, and even maintaining posture. NEAT can vary dramatically between individuals and plays a surprisingly significant role in your total TDEE.

How to Use Your TDEE for Your Goals

Your TDEE is your maintenance level. If you eat this many calories, your weight should remain stable. To change your weight, you must adjust your calorie intake relative to your TDEE.

Example: If your calculated TDEE is 2,500 calories:

• For fat loss: You might aim for $2,500-500=2,000$ calories per day.

• For muscle gain: You might aim for $2,500+300=2,800$ calories per day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?

This is a common point of confusion. Think of it this way:

• BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the energy your body burns in a comatose state. It’s the absolute minimum energy required to keep you alive. You should never eat below your BMR for an extended period.

• TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is your BMR plus all the calories you burn from daily activities, including eating, walking, working, and exercising.

TDEE is the more practical number for setting your calorie goals because it accounts for your actual lifestyle. Your BMR is simply one component of your TDEE.

How do I pick the right activity level multiplier?

This is the most subjective part of the calculation, and getting it right is crucial. The biggest mistake people make is overestimating their activity level. Here’s a more detailed guide:

• Sedentary: You have a desk job and you don’t schedule workouts. Your only movement is walking to the car, the breakroom, etc.

• Lightly Active: You meet the “Sedentary” criteria, but you also incorporate 1-3 dedicated workouts per week (e.g., 30-minute jog, a weightlifting session). Or, you don’t work out but have a job that requires you to be on your feet for a few hours (e.g., a teacher, a retail cashier).

• Moderately Active: You have intentional, moderate-to-intense workouts 3-5 days per week. This is someone who is consistently hitting the gym.

• Very Active: You train hard most days of the week, or you have a physically active job (e.g., landscaper, server in a busy restaurant) and also work out.

• Extremely Active: This level is reserved for people like professional athletes who train multiple times a day or individuals with highly strenuous jobs like construction or logging.

When in doubt, choose the lower activity level. You can always adjust your calorie intake after a couple of weeks based on your results.

Why does body fat percentage make the TDEE calculation more accurate?

Standard TDEE formulas (like the Mifflin-St Jeor equation) estimate your BMR based on total body weight. However, two people with the same weight can have very different body compositions. Muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat tissue, meaning it burns more calories at rest.

When you provide your body fat percentage, the calculator can use the Katch-McArdle formula, which calculates BMR based on your Lean Body Mass (LBM) instead of total weight. This provides a more precise estimate of your resting metabolism, leading to a more accurate final TDEE.

I’ve been in a calorie deficit but my weight loss has stopped. What’s wrong?

This is called a weight loss plateau, and it’s a normal part of the process. It happens due to a phenomenon called metabolic adaptation. As you lose weight, a few things happen:

1. Your TDEE decreases: A smaller body requires less energy to maintain and move around. Your BMR drops and you burn fewer calories during activity.

2. NEAT often decreases: Subconsciously, your body may try to conserve energy by reducing non-exercise activity (less fidgeting, etc.).

3. Hormonal changes: Hormones that regulate hunger and satiety (like leptin and ghrelin) shift to encourage you to eat more.

To break a plateau, you can either slightly decrease your calorie intake further, increase your activity level (add a walk, a workout, or increase intensity), or take a planned diet break where you eat at your new maintenance TDEE for 1-2 weeks to let your hormones and metabolism recover.

What is “reverse dieting”?

Reverse dieting is the process of slowly and intentionally increasing your calorie intake after a period of dieting. Instead of jumping right back to your old maintenance calories (which can lead to rapid fat regain), you incrementally add calories back (e.g., 50-100 calories per week). The goal is to gradually raise your metabolic rate back up to a “normal” level while minimizing fat gain. This can help restore hormonal balance and allow you to maintain your weight loss on a higher number of calories, making life much more sustainable.

Should I eat the same number of calories on workout days and rest days?

You have two main options, and both can be effective:

1. Keep Calories Constant: Eat the same number of calories every day. This is the simplest approach. Your TDEE is an average, so the weekly deficit or surplus is what truly matters.

2. Calorie Cycling: Eat more calories on your workout days and fewer on your rest days, while keeping the weekly average the same. For example, if your daily target is 2,000 calories (14,000 weekly), you might eat 2,300 on 4 workout days and 1,700 on 3 rest days. This can help fuel performance and recovery on training days. This method is more advanced and requires more tracking.

For most people, the first option is easier to stick to and just as effective.

How does TDEE change with age?

Your TDEE naturally declines as you age, primarily due to a loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia) and a general slowing of metabolic processes. This decline begins around age 30 and continues throughout life. This is why people often find it harder to lose weight or easier to gain weight as they get older, even if their diet and activity habits haven’t changed. The best way to combat this is through regular strength training to preserve metabolically active muscle mass.

How accurate is this calculator?

Any online calculator provides an estimate. Your true TDEE can be influenced by genetics, hormonal health, and other individual factors that no formula can perfectly capture. Think of this calculator’s result as an excellent starting point. The best way to find your true TDEE is to use this result, eat that number of calories consistently for 2-3 weeks, and track your weight.

• If your weight stays the same, the estimate was spot-on.

• If you lose weight, your true TDEE is slightly higher.

• If you gain weight, your true TDEE is slightly lower. Adjust your intake based on these real-world results.

Concrete Example: Putting TDEE into a Plan

Let’s take our previous example: a TDEE of 2,500 calories, with a fat loss goal of 2,000 calories. What does that look like?

• Goal: 2,000 calories per day.

• Meal 1 (Breakfast): Scrambled eggs with spinach and a side of whole-wheat toast. (~400 calories)

• Meal 2 (Lunch): Grilled chicken breast salad with a light vinaigrette dressing. (~500 calories)

• Snack: Greek yogurt with a handful of berries. (~200 calories)

• Meal 3 (Dinner): Baked salmon with a cup of quinoa and roasted broccoli. (~600 calories)

• Evening Snack: A protein shake or a small apple with peanut butter. (~300 calories)

• Total: 2,000 calories.

This is just one of infinite possibilities. The key is to use your TDEE-derived calorie target as a budget to spend on nutritious foods throughout the day.

Do I need to track macros too?

While calories determine whether you gain or lose weight, macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fat) determine your body composition (muscle vs. fat) and how you feel. For optimal results, especially if you have a fitness goal, tracking macros is highly recommended.

• Protein is crucial for building and repairing muscle.

• Carbohydrates are the body’s primary energy source, fueling workouts.

• Fats are essential for hormone production and overall health. After finding your TDEE, the next logical step is to determine your macronutrient split.

Now that you have your TDEE, the next step is to break down those calories into proteins, carbs, and fats. Use our Macro Calculator to get a personalized plan. You can also dive deeper into the first component of your TDEE with our BMR Calculator.