TDEE Calculator
Your TDEE — total daily energy expenditure — is the number of calories you burn each day. This free TDEE calculator estimates it with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then gives you simple cut, maintain, and bulk calorie targets plus starter macros, so you always know how many calories to eat.
Enter your numbers
Your results
Enter your numbers to see your TDEE.
How to use this calculator
Pick your sex, enter your age, height, and weight (switch between imperial and metric with the unit toggles), then choose the activity level that best matches a typical week and the goal you're working toward. Everything updates instantly as you type.
Your main result is your maintenance TDEE — the estimated calories you burn per day. Below it you'll see three simple targets: cut (TDEE minus 500, roughly one pound of fat loss per week), maintain (your TDEE), and bulk (TDEE plus 300, roughly half a pound of weight gain per week). The macro table shows suggested protein, fat, and carb grams for your selected goal.
How it works
BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the energy your body needs at complete rest — just to keep your organs running. TDEE is everything on top of that: moving around, exercising, and digesting food. So TDEE = BMR + activity + digestion.
This calculator estimates BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, using weight in kilograms and height in centimeters:
- Men: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5
- Women: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161
It then multiplies BMR by your activity factor (1.2–1.9) to estimate TDEE, rounded to the nearest 10 calories. Being honest here: the formula is a population average. It doesn't know your muscle mass, metabolism, or daily step count, so your true TDEE can be ±10% or more off. Treat the result as a starting point, track your weight for 2–3 weeks, and adjust your intake based on what actually happens.
The macro split is intentionally simple: protein ≈ 0.8 g per pound of bodyweight, fat ≈ 25% of calories (÷ 9 for grams), and carbs fill the rest (÷ 4 for grams). It works for a starting plan — fine-tune as you go.
Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories your body burns in a day. It is the sum of your basal metabolic rate (the calories you burn just staying alive), the calories burned through movement and exercise, and the energy used to digest food (the thermic effect of food).
How accurate is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation?
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is considered the most accurate of the widely used BMR formulas for the general population. That said, it is still an estimate: individual results can be off by 10% or more depending on body composition, since the formula does not account for muscle mass. If your weight is not moving as expected, adjust based on real-world results.
How many calories do I need to lose 1 pound per week?
About a 500-calorie daily deficit. One pound of body fat stores roughly 3,500 calories, so eating 500 fewer calories per day than your TDEE adds up to about one pound of loss per week. Use the "cut" target in this calculator — it is exactly TDEE minus 500.
Should I eat back my exercise calories?
Usually not fully. Your TDEE already includes your typical activity level, so the calories you burn in a workout are roughly accounted for. Eating back everything a fitness tracker says you burned often wipes out the deficit, because trackers tend to overestimate. If you are losing faster than planned, add some calories back instead.
Does my TDEE change as I lose weight?
Yes. A lighter body burns fewer calories — the Mifflin-St Jeor equation shows BMR drops as weight drops, and moving a lighter body costs less energy. Recalculate your TDEE every 5–10 pounds lost so your targets stay accurate.