TDEE Calculator
Estimate maintenance calories from your current body data and activity level, then use the result as a starting point for cutting or gaining.
How to use this TDEE calculator
- Enter age and sex
Enter your age in years and select male or female.
- Enter height and weight
Enter your height and body weight in your preferred units.
- Select activity level
Choose the activity multiplier that best matches your daily routine (sedentary, light, moderate, active, or athlete).
- Review results
Check your total daily energy expenditure and the breakdown for maintenance, mild cut, and mild bulk targets.
How this TDEE calculator works
This TDEE calculator estimates total daily energy expenditure by first estimating basal metabolic rate and then multiplying that baseline by an activity factor. The result is meant to represent your approximate maintenance calorie level, which makes it a practical starting point for weight loss, maintenance, or gradual muscle gain planning.
TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier If two people have the same height and weight but very different routines, their maintenance calories can still diverge a lot. Someone with a desk job and minimal activity may need a very different intake than someone training hard five or six days per week.
A 40-year-old female office worker who weighs 62 kg and is 165 cm tall with a sedentary activity level has an estimated BMR of about 1,307 kcal/day, giving a TDEE of roughly 1,568 kcal/day at the 1.2 sedentary multiplier. That relatively low maintenance figure reflects limited daily movement beyond commuting and desk work, meaning even a modest surplus of a few hundred calories per day could lead to gradual weight gain over months.
A 25-year-old male who weighs 82 kg and is 183 cm tall and trains six days per week with additional manual labour has an estimated BMR of about 1,865 kcal/day. With the very-active multiplier of 1.725, his TDEE comes to roughly 3,217 kcal/day. At that expenditure level, under-eating is a more common problem than overeating, and maintaining adequate carbohydrate and protein intake becomes important for recovery and performance.
- ✓ The estimate starts with a standard BMR equation and then applies the activity level you choose.
- ✓ Activity multipliers are broad categories, so the output should be treated as a starting estimate rather than an exact calorie prescription.
- ✓ Short-term body weight changes, training volume, and daily movement can all make real maintenance calories differ from the estimate.
- The best way to use the result is to start with it, track body-weight trends for a few weeks, and then adjust intake based on real response.
- If your activity level changes a lot during the week or across seasons, rerun the estimate instead of treating one number as permanent.
- Mifflin, M.D. et al., 'A New Predictive Equation for Resting Energy Expenditure in Healthy Individuals,' American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990
- Harris, J.A. & Benedict, F.G., 'A Biometric Study of Human Basal Metabolism,' Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1918
- Schofield, W.N., 'Predicting Basal Metabolic Rate,' Human Nutrition: Clinical Nutrition, 1985 — basis for WHO/FAO activity multipliers
What is TDEE?
Total daily energy expenditure is the complete number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period. It is built from four main components. Basal metabolic rate accounts for the largest share, typically 60 to 70 percent of the total, and covers the energy cost of keeping organs functioning, maintaining body temperature, and supporting cellular processes while at rest. The thermic effect of food adds roughly 8 to 15 percent and represents the calories spent digesting, absorbing, and metabolising the food you eat. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis, often abbreviated NEAT, covers all the incidental movement throughout the day such as walking, fidgeting, standing, and household tasks. Finally, exercise activity thermogenesis covers deliberate workouts and training sessions. Together these four components determine how many calories you need to maintain your current weight, which is why TDEE is often called your maintenance calorie level.
Activity levels explained
The activity multiplier you choose has a significant impact on the TDEE estimate, so it is worth understanding what each level represents in practice. Sedentary (1.2) applies to someone who works a desk job and does little to no structured exercise — daily step counts under 5,000 are common at this level. Lightly active (1.375) fits a person who exercises one to three times per week or has a moderately active daily routine such as regular walking. Moderately active (1.55) suits someone training three to five days per week with a job or lifestyle that involves some physical movement. Very active (1.725) reflects hard training six or more days per week or a physically demanding occupation combined with regular exercise. The athlete multiplier (1.9) is reserved for competitive athletes or people doing very heavy training twice per day. Choosing too high a multiplier is the most common mistake and leads to overestimating calorie needs, so it is better to start conservatively and adjust based on real weight trends.
TDEE calculator FAQs
What does TDEE mean?
TDEE means total daily energy expenditure, which is an estimate of how many calories you burn in a typical day once normal activity is included.
Is TDEE the same as maintenance calories?
In practical use, yes. TDEE is usually treated as your estimated maintenance calorie intake.
How should I choose an activity level?
Pick the multiplier that best matches your overall routine, not just your hardest workout day.
What should I do if the estimate seems wrong?
Use it as a starting point, then compare it with your real weight trend and appetite over a few weeks before adjusting calories.
Can I use this to cut or bulk?
Yes. Once you have a maintenance estimate, you can set calorie targets slightly below it for fat loss or slightly above it for gradual gain.