TDEE Calculator
Learn exactly how many calories you burn in a day to plan your weight loss or muscle gain strategy effectively.
Complete Guide: TDEE Calculator
Everything you need to know about using this tool effectively
This calculator estimates your Total Daily Energy Expenditure based on your age, weight, height, sex, and activity level using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. It shows your maintenance calories along with targets for weight loss and weight gain. The results help you plan calorie intake for your specific fitness goals.
A metabolic rate calculator that combines your Basal Metabolic Rate with an activity multiplier to estimate how many calories you burn in a typical day. It uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which nutrition research has found to be one of the most accurate formulas for estimating BMR in most people. The output includes maintenance calories, a 500-calorie deficit target for weight loss, and a 500-calorie surplus target for lean muscle gain.
Weight loss planning
Find your daily calorie target for steady fat loss of about one pound per week based on a 500-calorie deficit.
Muscle gain planning
Determine your surplus calorie intake to support lean muscle growth when paired with resistance training.
Maintenance tracking
Learn your maintenance calories so you can eat at that level to keep your current weight stable over time.
Meal prep
Use your calorie target to plan weekly meals and grocery lists that align with your energy needs.
Fitness coaching
Coaches use TDEE calculations as a starting point for building nutrition plans for their clients.
Enter your biometrics
Type your age, weight, height, and select your sex from the provided fields.
Select activity level
Choose the option that best describes your typical weekly exercise routine from sedentary through very active.
Calculate TDEE
Press the calculate button to see your estimated daily calorie expenditure.
Review targets
Look at the maintenance, deficit, and surplus calorie values to decide which goal applies to you.
Adjust and recalculate
Change any input if your weight or activity level changes and recalculate to update your targets.
Recalculate your TDEE every 10 to 15 pounds of weight change since your metabolic needs shift with body weight.
Be honest about your activity level since overestimating leads to calorie targets that are too high for weight loss.
Use the deficit target as a starting point and adjust by 100 to 200 calories if progress stalls after two weeks.
Pair your calorie target with adequate protein intake of around 0.7 to 1 gram per pound of body weight for best results.
What is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation?
It is a formula that estimates Basal Metabolic Rate using body weight, height, age, and sex. Research has shown it to be more accurate than the older Harris-Benedict equation for most adults.
What does TDEE stand for?
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure, which is the total number of calories you burn in a day including basal metabolism, digestion, and physical activity.
How accurate is this calculator?
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is accurate within about 10 percent for most people. Individual variation in metabolism means your actual TDEE could be slightly higher or lower than the estimate.
Should I eat at my maintenance or deficit calories?
Eat at a deficit to lose weight, at maintenance to stay the same, or at a surplus to gain weight. Choose the target that matches your current fitness goal.
Does this calculator account for body composition?
No, it uses total body weight without distinguishing between muscle and fat. People with higher muscle mass may find their actual TDEE is somewhat higher than the estimate.