TDEE Calculator
Total Daily Energy Expenditure
Enter your details and activity level to estimate the total calories your body burns in a typical day.
Parameters
Total Daily Energy Expenditure
Understanding Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)
TDEE is the total number of calories your body burns in a full day, combining your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) with the calories used for daily movement, exercise, and digestion. It's the number most people actually need to plan nutrition around.
BMR (60-75%)
The energy your body needs at complete rest — breathing, circulation, and cell repair — makes up the bulk of TDEE for most people.
Thermic Effect of Food
Digesting, absorbing, and processing food burns roughly 10% of daily calories — protein requires more energy to digest than fat or carbs.
Exercise Activity
Structured workouts are the most controllable and variable component of TDEE, ranging from near-zero to a large share of daily burn for athletes.
NEAT
Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis — fidgeting, walking, standing — can vary calorie burn by hundreds of calories per day between individuals.
The TDEE Formula
BMR is calculated using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then scaled by a multiplier ranging from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extra active) based on the Harris-Benedict activity scale.
Activity Multiplier Reference
| Level | Multiplier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Little or no exercise, desk job |
| Lightly Active | 1.375 | Light exercise 1-3 days/week |
| Moderately Active | 1.55 | Moderate exercise 3-5 days/week |
| Very Active | 1.725 | Hard exercise 6-7 days/week |
| Extra Active | 1.9 | Physical job or twice-daily training |
Important Limitations
- Estimate, not measurement: Real TDEE varies day to day and can only be measured precisely with metabolic tracking equipment.
- Activity levels are self-reported: People often overestimate how active they really are — start conservative and adjust based on real-world weight trends.
- No goal-seeking here: This tool shows maintenance calories only — see our Calorie Calculator for weight-loss or weight-gain targets.
Key Takeaways
- TDEE is your maintenance number. Eating close to your TDEE keeps your weight roughly stable over time.
- Activity level has the biggest swing. The same person can range from sedentary to extra-active TDEE by several hundred calories a day.
- Track and adjust. Use this as a starting point, then fine-tune based on how your actual weight trends over 2-3 weeks.
- Consult a professional. TDEE is an estimate that can drift over time — a registered dietitian or metabolic test can refine it for medical weight-management plans.