Complete guide
Reviewed July 2026Your TDEE - Total Daily Energy Expenditure - is the total number of calories your body burns in a day, across everything from breathing to your evening run. It is the single most important number for weight management: eat at your TDEE and weight holds; eat below it and you lose; eat above it and you gain. Get this number right and a diet becomes arithmetic instead of guesswork.
This calculator estimates TDEE by taking your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) - the calories you'd burn at rest - and multiplying by an activity factor that reflects how much you move. Below you'll find the four components that make up TDEE, the activity multipliers, worked examples, and how to use TDEE to cut fat or build muscle.
Unlike a fitness-tracker estimate, a formula-based TDEE gives you a stable starting point you can then calibrate against real weight data - which is the only way to find your true maintenance level.
The four components of TDEE
TDEE isn't one thing - it's the sum of four kinds of energy use. Understanding them shows why activity level matters so much and why two people of the same weight can have very different needs.
What each part is
- BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate): energy to stay alive at rest - about 60-70% of TDEE, the biggest slice.
- TEF (Thermic Effect of Food): energy to digest and process food - roughly 10%, higher for protein.
- NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis): everyday movement - walking, fidgeting, chores - which varies hugely between people.
- EAT (Exercise Activity Thermogenesis): deliberate workouts - often smaller than people assume.
The formula
TDEE = BMR x activity factor BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor): Men: 10 x weight(kg) + 6.25 x height(cm) - 5 x age + 5 Women: same, but - 161
| Level | Description | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | Desk job, little exercise | x 1.2 |
| Lightly active | Light exercise 1-3 days/week | x 1.375 |
| Moderately active | Moderate exercise 3-5 days/week | x 1.55 |
| Very active | Hard exercise 6-7 days/week | x 1.725 |
| Extra active | Physical job + hard training | x 1.9 |
Worked example
- Man, 30, 80 kg, 178 cm: BMR = 10x80 + 6.25x178 - 5x30 + 5 = 1,767 kcal.
- Moderately active: TDEE = 1,767 x 1.55 = 2,739 kcal (maintenance).
- To lose fat: eat 300-500 below TDEE, about 2,239-2,439 kcal.
- To build muscle: eat 250-500 above TDEE, about 2,989-3,239 kcal.
Using TDEE to cut or bulk
| Goal | Adjustment | Daily calories | Expected weekly change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggressive cut | -750 | ~1,989 | -0.68 kg |
| Standard cut | -500 | ~2,239 | -0.45 kg |
| Maintain | 0 | 2,739 | 0 |
| Lean bulk | +300 | ~3,039 | +0.27 kg |
Using this calculator
- Enter weight, height, age and sex to compute your BMR.
- Select the activity level that honestly reflects your week - most people overestimate; when unsure, go lower.
- Read your TDEE (maintenance calories).
- Set a deficit or surplus from TDEE for your goal, keeping intake at or above BMR, and track weekly to calibrate.
Common mistakes
- Overstating activity level - the most common cause of a too-high TDEE and a stalled diet.
- Double-counting exercise: if your activity factor already includes workouts, don't add exercise calories on top.
- Trusting fitness-tracker calorie burns, which often overestimate exercise expenditure.
- Forgetting TDEE drops as you lose weight - a target that worked at the start stops working later.
- Cutting below BMR, which risks muscle loss and metabolic adaptation.
Frequently asked questions
Glossary
- TDEE
- Total Daily Energy Expenditure - total calories burned per day.
- BMR
- Basal Metabolic Rate - calories burned at complete rest.
- TEF
- Thermic Effect of Food - energy used to digest and process food.
- NEAT
- Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis - calories from everyday movement.
- EAT
- Exercise Activity Thermogenesis - calories from deliberate workouts.
- Activity factor
- The 1.2-1.9 multiplier converting BMR to TDEE.
- Maintenance calories
- The intake that holds weight steady - equal to TDEE.
- Calorie deficit/surplus
- Eating below/above TDEE to lose or gain weight.
Key takeaways
TDEE is your total daily calorie burn - BMR x activity factor - and the master number for weight management: maintain at TDEE, cut 300-500 below it, bulk 250-500 above it. It's built from BMR, TEF, NEAT and exercise, with activity level and NEAT driving most of the variation between people. Estimate it from the formula, then calibrate against 2-3 weeks of weight data, and recalculate as your weight changes.
Enter your stats and activity level above for your TDEE; then set a deficit or surplus from it and let two to three weeks of weight data fine-tune the number.