FinanceCalcs
TDEE Calculator
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the number of calories your body burns every day. Eat below it and you lose weight. Eat above it and you gain. Get your TDEE, BMR, and exact calorie targets for your goal — plus a full macro breakdown.
Uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — the most accurate standard formula for most adults.
Your TDEE Results
Lose weight
0 calories/day
Daily Macro Targets
| Macro | Grams/day | Calories | % of diet |
|---|
All Activity Levels
| Activity Level | TDEE | Goal Calories |
|---|
"Your TDEE changes as you lose weight — a 200lb person burns more calories per day than the same person at 170lb. This is why calorie targets need periodic recalculation, and why weight loss plateaus happen."
— Exercise Physiology Principle
How TDEE is calculated
Step 1 — BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate): The calories you burn at complete rest, just keeping your body alive. Calculated using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which is the most accurate standard formula for most people.
Men: BMR = (10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) − (5 × age) + 5
Women: BMR = (10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) − (5 × age) − 161
If you enter your body fat percentage, we use the Katch-McArdle formula instead: BMR = 370 + (21.6 × lean body mass in kg). This is more accurate for athletes and muscular individuals because it accounts for actual lean mass rather than total weight.
Step 2 — Activity multiplier: Your BMR is multiplied by a factor (1.2–1.9) based on how active you are. This accounts for exercise, daily movement, and the thermic effect of food (the energy cost of digesting what you eat, roughly 10% of calories).
Step 3 — Goal adjustment: A deficit or surplus is applied to the TDEE. 3,500 calories ≈ 1 lb of fat, so a 500 cal/day deficit = ~1 lb/week loss.
Common Questions
Why doesn’t my weight change match the prediction?
TDEE formulas are averages. Individual metabolic variation of ±15% is common. The most reliable approach is to track your actual calorie intake for 2–4 weeks alongside your weight. If you’re gaining 0.5 lb/week at your “maintenance” calories, your real TDEE is about 250 calories lower than calculated. Adjust accordingly — don’t just trust the formula.
What’s the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is what you’d burn lying in bed all day doing nothing. TDEE is your real-world daily burn including all movement, exercise, and digestion. Most people’s TDEE is 1.4–1.7× their BMR. BMR alone is useful for understanding your metabolic baseline; TDEE is the number that actually matters for eating decisions.
How often should I recalculate my TDEE?
Every 10–15 lbs of weight change, or every 3 months. As you lose weight, your TDEE drops because you’re carrying less mass. A 200lb person losing weight will reach plateaus if they don’t recalculate — what was a 500-calorie deficit at 200lb may be no deficit at all by 175lb.
What are macros and why do they matter?
Macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates, and fat — the three sources of calories. The ratio matters for body composition. High protein (0.8–1g per lb of bodyweight) preserves muscle during a calorie deficit. Without adequate protein, weight loss comes from both fat and muscle, which reduces your BMR further and makes the deficit less effective over time.
lightbulb TDEE Reference: Typical Values by Profile
| Profile | BMR | Sedentary TDEE | Moderate TDEE | Very Active TDEE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female, 25, 5’5”, 130 lbs | ~1,390 | ~1,670 | ~2,155 | ~2,398 |
| Female, 35, 5’6”, 155 lbs | ~1,510 | ~1,810 | ~2,340 | ~2,605 |
| Male, 25, 5’10”, 170 lbs | ~1,880 | ~2,255 | ~2,913 | ~3,242 |
| Male, 35, 6’0”, 200 lbs | ~2,010 | ~2,415 | ~3,120 | ~3,470 |
| Male, 45, 5’11”, 220 lbs | ~2,050 | ~2,460 | ~3,180 | ~3,540 |
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