TDEE Calculator
Estimate your daily calorie needs, BMR, goal-based targets, and macros with a clean, transparent, evidence-aware calculator.
Fill in the form and press "Calculate TDEE" to see your estimated results here.
What Is TDEE?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is an estimate of the calories your body uses across a full day. It is commonly described as the sum of resting energy expenditure, thermic effect of food, and physical activity energy expenditure.
A TDEE calculator is useful because most people do not need a lab measurement to start making better nutrition decisions. The result is still an approximation: activity, body composition, sleep, stress, medication, hormones, food tracking error, and normal day-to-day variation can all move your real-world needs.
How This TDEE Calculator Works
Inputs
Age, gender, height, weight
BMR/RMR
Formula estimate
Activity
Lifestyle multiplier
TDEE
Maintenance calories
Goal
Calories and macros
The calculator first estimates resting energy needs, multiplies that value by your selected activity factor, then applies your goal setting. All calculations run locally in your browser.
Formula Options
Mifflin-St Jeor
- Inputs
- Age, gender coefficient, height, weight
- Best use
- Default for most adults
A population equation for resting energy expenditure. It is often preferred over older equations, but individual error can still be meaningful.
Revised Harris-Benedict
- Inputs
- Age, gender coefficient, height, weight
- Best use
- Alternative comparison
A revised version of the classic Harris-Benedict equation. Useful as a cross-check, not a guarantee of precision.
Katch-McArdle
- Inputs
- Weight and body fat percentage
- Best use
- When body fat estimate is reliable
Uses lean body mass and does not use age or gender directly. Poor body-fat estimates can make it less useful.
Predictive equations estimate resting energy expenditure from research populations. A comparison of common equations found Mifflin-St Jeor performed well against measured resting metabolic rate, but no equation is exact for every person.
Activity Level Matters More Than It Looks
Activity multipliers are broad shortcuts. They include your job, walking, chores, training, and general movement. If you are between two levels, choose the lower one first and adjust from observed progress.
| Level | Factor | Practical cue |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Mostly sitting, minimal purposeful exercise |
| Lightly Active | 1.375 | Light exercise or regular walking 1-3 days/week |
| Moderately Active | 1.55 | Moderate training 3-5 days/week plus normal movement |
| Very Active | 1.725 | Hard training most days or an active job |
| Extra Active | 1.9 | Physical job plus high training load |
How Accurate Is the Estimate?
The calculator gives a practical starting range, not an exact measurement. Indirect calorimetry and doubly labeled water can measure energy expenditure more directly, but they are not practical for everyday use.
Start with the estimate, track body-weight averages and training performance for 2-4 weeks, then adjust by about 100-200 kcal/day if the trend is clearly different from expectations.
Using Calories and Macros Safely
For fat loss, this calculator offers 10%, 15%, and 20% deficits below estimated maintenance. Structured programs often use calorie reductions in that general spirit, but very low targets should be handled with professional support.
For muscle gain, small surpluses are usually easier to control than large ones. A larger surplus can increase scale weight faster, but it does not guarantee faster muscle gain.
Macro presets are educational estimates. Protein is set by body weight, fat is set as a percentage of calories, and carbohydrates fill the remaining calories. The ISSN protein position stand supports higher protein ranges for many healthy exercising adults; the National Academies AMDR table provides broader adult macro distribution context.
Common Mistakes
- Choosing an activity level that reflects workouts but ignores a mostly sedentary day.
- Treating TDEE as a fixed prescription instead of an estimate range.
- Changing calories every few days before a real trend is visible.
- Using Katch-McArdle with a guessed body fat percentage.
- Ignoring food tracking error, weekends, alcohol, snacks, and cooking oils.
- Expecting body weight to change linearly every week.
Safety and Limitations
TDEE.page is for educational use only. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a personalized nutrition plan.
Ask a qualified professional for guidance if you are under 18, pregnant or lactating, managing diabetes, thyroid disease, metabolic disease, an eating disorder history, a medical weight-management plan, or unusually high training loads.
References
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — Factors Affecting Energy Expenditure and Requirements. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy — NCBI Bookshelf, 2023.Used for TDEE components, REE variability, thermic effect of food, and equation limitations.
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO — A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241-247, 1990.Used for the Mifflin-St Jeor resting energy expenditure equation and its study population.
- Roza AM, Shizgal HM — The Harris Benedict equation reevaluated: resting energy requirements and the body cell mass. Am J Clin Nutr. 1984;40(1):168-182, 1984.Used for the revised Harris-Benedict coefficients implemented in the calculator.
- McArdle WD, Katch FI, Katch VL — Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 7th edition, 2010.Used only for formula provenance of the lean-body-mass-based Katch-McArdle estimate.
- Frankenfield D, Roth-Yousey L, Compher C — Comparison of Predictive Equations for Resting Metabolic Rate in Healthy Nonobese and Obese Adults. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005;105(5):775-789, 2005.Used for cautious comparison of predictive equation error against measured resting metabolic rate.
- Chao AM, Tronieri JS, Alamuddin N, Wadden TA — Behavioral Approaches to Obesity Management. Endotext — NCBI Bookshelf, 2026.Used for evidence-aware wording around typical calorie deficits in structured behavioral weight-management programs.
- Institute of Medicine — Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges. Dietary Reference Intakes: Guiding Principles for Nutrition Labeling and Fortification, 2003.Used for adult AMDR context for fat, carbohydrate, and protein percentages.
- Jager R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. — International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Protein and Exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:20, 2017.Used for protein intake context in healthy exercising adults.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about TDEE estimation and how this calculator works.