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Fitness & Weight
TDEE Calculator — Daily Calorie Needs (Maintenance, Cut & Bulk)
How many calories you actually burn in a day — and what to eat to lose, gain, or hold weight
Your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour day — everything from keeping your heart beating to walking the dog and hitting the gym. It's the single most useful number in any nutrition plan: eat below it and you lose weight, eat above it and you gain, eat right at it and you hold steady.
TDEE starts with your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) — the calories you'd burn lying in bed all day doing nothing. This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the formula most dietitians and the American Council on Exercise consider the most accurate for the general population. It needs your sex, age, height and weight.
Because your height comes in feet and inches and your weight in pounds, the calculator converts them to metric under the hood:
• Men: BMR = 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age + 5 • Women: BMR = 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age − 161
Then it multiplies BMR by an activity factor to get TDEE: sedentary 1.2, lightly active 1.375, moderately active 1.55, very active 1.725, and extra active 1.9.
Worked example. A 30-year-old man, 5 ft 10 in (178 cm), 180 lb (81.6 kg), moderately active. BMR = 10 × 81.6 + 6.25 × 178 − 5 × 30 + 5 = 816 + 1,112.5 − 150 + 5 = 1,783.5 calories/day. TDEE = 1,783.5 × 1.55 ≈ 2,765 calories/day. To cut, he'd eat about 2,265 (−500); to bulk, about 3,265 (+500).
The common mistake: overstating your activity level. Most people who "work out a few times a week" but sit at a desk are lightly active (1.375), not very active. Pick the highest multiplier and you'll set maintenance calories too high and stall your fat-loss diet. When in doubt, round down.
The −500 / +500 calorie swing follows the classic rule of thumb that a roughly 3,500-calorie weekly deficit equals about one pound of fat — so a 500-calorie daily deficit targets about 1 lb of weight loss per week.
⚕️ Informational, not medical advice. TDEE formulas are population estimates and can be off by 10% or more for any individual. Use this as a starting point, track your real-world results for two to three weeks, and consult a doctor or registered dietitian before making big changes to your diet.
Calculator
Fill in the fields and click "Calculate" for instant results.
📰 Formula
• TDEE = BMR × activity factor • Activity multipliers: sedentary 1.2 · light 1.375 · moderate 1.55 · active 1.725 · very active 1.9 • BMR comes from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — see the BMR calculator for the full derivation • Cut target = TDEE − 500/day · Bulk target = TDEE + 500/day (≈ 1 lb per week)
📰 Formula
• TDEE = BMR × activity factor • Activity multipliers: sedentary 1.2 · light 1.375 · moderate 1.55 · active 1.725 · very active 1.9 • BMR comes from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — see the BMR calculator for the full derivation • Cut target = TDEE − 500/day · Bulk target = TDEE + 500/day (≈ 1 lb per week)
🧪 Worked examples
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Example 2
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Example 3
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Example 4
⚠️ Common mistakes
- Overstating activity level — desk job plus a few workouts is usually 'light' (1.375), not 'very active'.
- Entering weight in pounds where kilograms are expected, or vice versa.
- Forgetting that BMR is only part of TDEE — you must multiply by the activity factor.
- Treating the calorie number as exact instead of a ±10% estimate to refine with real results.
💡 Tips
- When unsure between two activity levels, pick the lower one and adjust after 2–3 weeks of tracking.
- Re-run the calculator as your weight changes — TDEE drops as you lose weight.
- A 500-calorie daily deficit targets roughly 1 lb of weight loss per week.
Embed this calculator on your site
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<iframe src="https://www.calcnimbus.com/embed/tdee-calculator" width="100%" height="500" frameborder="0" style="border:1px solid #eee;border-radius:12px"></iframe>
❓ Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE and how is it different from BMR?
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories you burn at complete rest. TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is BMR multiplied by an activity factor, so it includes movement, exercise and digestion — the total you burn in a full day.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
Eat below your TDEE. A common starting point is TDEE minus 500 calories a day, which targets about 1 pound of fat loss per week. Track your weight for 2–3 weeks and adjust.
Which formula does this calculator use?
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which most dietitians and the American Council on Exercise consider the most accurate BMR formula for the general population.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
It's a solid estimate, but it can be off by 10% or more for any individual because metabolism varies. Use it as a starting point, then fine-tune based on how your weight actually responds over a few weeks.
What activity level should I pick?
Sedentary (1.2) means little or no exercise and a desk job. Light (1.375) is 1–3 workouts a week. Moderate (1.55) is 3–5. Very active (1.725) is 6–7. Extra active (1.9) is a physical job plus daily training. Most people overestimate, so round down when in doubt.
How many calories should I eat to gain muscle?
Eat above your TDEE. A modest surplus of about TDEE plus 250–500 calories supports muscle gain while limiting fat gain. Pair it with resistance training and enough protein.
Does TDEE change as I lose weight?
Yes. A lighter body burns fewer calories, so your TDEE drops as you lose weight. Re-run the calculator every 10–15 pounds and update your target to keep progress steady.
Why do men and women have different formulas?
Men typically carry more lean muscle mass, which burns more calories at rest, so the Mifflin-St Jeor equation adds 5 for men and subtracts 161 for women to reflect that difference.
Should I eat back the calories I burn during exercise?
Usually no, if you chose an activity level that already accounts for your training — the activity factor builds exercise into your TDEE. Eating those calories back on top can erase your deficit.