TDEE Calculator

Weight, kg

Height, cm

Age, years

Sex

Activity

Result

Daily expenditure, kcal2,633
Basal rate, kcal1,699
For losing weight, kcal2,133
For gaining, kcal2,933
Activity levelmoderately active, 3–5 sessions
Multiplier1.55

This result is informational only and is not professional advice.

Basal metabolism and everything else

Works out total daily energy expenditure with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and an activity multiplier.

Basal metabolic rate is what the body spends at complete rest: breathing, circulation, the brain and the kidneys. For an average adult that is 1,500 to 1,800 kilocalories, and it accounts for most of the daily total.

Everything else — movement, digestion and training — arrives through the activity multiplier. That is where the usual error lives: almost everyone overstates their activity by one level, and the resulting target comes out two or three hundred kilocalories too high.

What this calculator shows

Basal rate and total daily expenditure
The activity multiplier being applied
Reference figures for losing weight and for gaining

What to keep in mind

The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is used: it fits modern populations better than the older Harris-Benedict one.
It does not account for body composition: someone carrying a lot of muscle burns more than the equation says.

FAQs

How does TDEE differ from BMR?

BMR is expenditure at complete rest. TDEE adds movement, digestion and training, and normally runs one and a half to two times higher.

Which activity level should I pick?

The one below your own estimate. Most people overstate their activity, and the result comes out inflated.

How accurate is the equation?

About ten percent for an average person. The reliable check is practical: hold a fixed intake for two weeks and watch the weight trend.

Should I add calories for a workout separately?

Not if training is already in the multiplier. Double counting is the commonest reason a deficit on paper produces nothing.

Worked example

An average-build man

Input: 75 kg, 175 cm, 30 years old, 3–5 sessions a week

Output: 2,633 kcal a day on a basal rate of 1,699

Note: Nearly two thirds of the total is basal metabolism. Training adds less than people imagine — hence the rule that weight loss lives on the food side.

Useful links

All tools in Health calculators for weight, lab values and training

TDEE Calculator

Result

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Macro Calculator

Useful links