Sedentary
Little or no structured exercise; mostly seated daily routine.
Daily calorie needs estimator
Total Daily Energy Expenditure Calculator
Estimate your daily maintenance calories from a Mifflin–St Jeor resting-energy estimate plus a practical activity multiplier, then explore optional calorie ranges for common fitness goals.
Mifflin–St Jeor Browser-side calculation Maintenance + goal ranges
Free TDEE calculator
Estimate maintenance calories
Enter your age, equation sex, height, weight and usual activity level. Choose the activity tier that reflects an average week rather than your hardest training day.
Activity multiplier guide
Choose the level that matches a typical week
The activity multiplier can add more uncertainty than the resting-energy formula. Use your usual combination of work, walking and exercise rather than selecting a tier from training frequency alone.
Lightly active
Light exercise or sport about 1–3 days per week.
Moderately active
Moderate exercise or sport about 3–5 days per week.
Very active
Hard exercise or sport about 6–7 days per week.
Extra active
Very hard training, two-a-day sessions, or a physically demanding job.
Activity factors are broad estimates. Two people who train the same number of days can still have different daily energy expenditure because of job demands, step count, body composition, exercise intensity and non-exercise movement.
Calculation methodology
How this TDEE estimate is calculated
The calculator separates resting energy from daily activity so you can see where the estimate comes from.
Estimate resting energy
Male equation: 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age + 5.
Female equation: 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age − 161.
Apply an activity factor
Resting energy is multiplied by the selected factor from 1.2 to 1.9 to approximate total daily expenditure.
Treat maintenance as a starting estimate
Actual maintenance is best refined from body-weight and intake trends over multiple weeks under reasonably consistent conditions.
Using the estimate
Maintenance first, goals second
Use TDEE as a baseline for planning, then adjust from real progress. Energy needs can change with body weight, training volume, recovery, illness and lifestyle.
Maintain
Start near the estimated TDEE and watch average body-weight trends for several weeks before deciding whether the estimate needs adjustment.
Fat-loss planning
A modest percentage deficit can be a planning starting point, but the appropriate intake depends on body size, health, training demands and nutritional adequacy.
Muscle-gain planning
A small calorie surplus is often more practical than a large one when the goal is to support training without unnecessary weight gain.
Recalculate when context changes
Meaningful changes in body weight, training, daily steps or job activity can shift energy needs.
Accuracy & limitations
Why your real TDEE can differ
Mifflin–St Jeor predicts resting energy from population data; the activity multiplier adds another layer of approximation. Neither replaces indirect calorimetry or longitudinal tracking.
Activity is hard to classify
Exercise sessions are only part of daily expenditure. Walking, standing, physical work and spontaneous movement also matter.
Body composition differs
Two people with the same age, height and weight can have different lean mass and resting-energy needs.
Adaptation happens
Energy expenditure can change during prolonged calorie restriction, weight change and shifts in training load.
Tracking improves the estimate
If average weight is stable for several weeks at a consistent intake, that real-world intake can help refine maintenance more directly.
Tool guide
Understand and use the TDEE Calculator
Use these tool-specific notes to understand the method, enter better data, interpret the output, and apply the result appropriately.
Estimate Resting Needs
The calculator first predicts resting energy with a published equation such as Mifflin–St Jeor. That resting value is the base for the daily expenditure estimate.
Select Activity
An activity multiplier is applied to resting energy to approximate total daily expenditure. These factors are practical planning conventions, not individually measured energy expenditure.
Maintenance Range
The result is a starting estimate of calories that might maintain body weight on average. Real maintenance can differ because activity, tracking error, body composition, and adaptation vary.
Calibrate With Trends
Compare estimated intake with several weeks of body-weight and activity trends. Adjust the working maintenance number when real-world data consistently disagrees with the equation.
Frequently asked questions
TDEE Calculator FAQs
Practical answers about this tool's inputs, method, results, limitations, and common real-world use.
What is TDEE?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the approximate energy your body uses over a full day, including resting metabolism and physical activity. This calculator estimates it rather than measuring it directly.
Is BMR the same as TDEE?
No. BMR or resting-energy estimates represent energy needs at rest. TDEE attempts to include daily movement and exercise by applying an activity factor.
Which activity level should I choose?
Choose the tier that best reflects a normal week. Consider your job, average steps and exercise together. If you are unsure between two levels, the lower one can be a conservative starting estimate that you later refine from real data.
How accurate is the Mifflin–St Jeor equation?
It is a validated predictive equation for resting energy, but any individual prediction can differ from measured metabolism. Activity-factor selection increases uncertainty further.
Should I eat exactly my calculated TDEE?
Not necessarily. Treat the result as a starting estimate. Actual maintenance is better judged from consistent intake and body-weight trends over time, alongside performance, recovery and health context.
How often should I recalculate TDEE?
Recalculate after meaningful changes in body weight, training volume or daily activity. Small day-to-day changes do not require a new calculation.
How do I choose the right TDEE activity factor?
Choose the description that best reflects your average total lifestyle, not just gym sessions. A desk job plus several workouts can still differ from a physically demanding occupation with similar exercise time.
Does TDEE include the thermic effect of food?
Activity-factor methods are broad total-expenditure estimates and do not separately calculate every component. The multiplier is intended to approximate the overall daily total rather than itemize each process.
Should I change my activity factor on every workout day?
Usually not for a simple planning estimate. Pick a factor that represents your typical average routine, then use longer-term weight trends to refine the maintenance estimate.
Why can my true maintenance calories change over time?
Body weight, movement, training volume, occupation, recovery, and adaptive changes can all shift energy expenditure. Recalculate after meaningful lifestyle or body-weight changes and verify against real trends.
Method & references
Evidence behind the calculator
The resting-energy equation is from Mifflin and colleagues. The practical activity multipliers used here are common in university metabolic-testing guidance. Weight-goal examples are intentionally presented as non-prescriptive percentages.
- Mifflin MD et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990.
- NCBI Endotext: estimating resting metabolic rate with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation.
- Appalachian State University: metabolic testing and activity-factor examples.
- CDC: healthy weight loss emphasizes gradual change, nutrition, activity, sleep and stress management.
Content reviewed: .
Nutrition-use disclaimer
This calculator is an educational fitness estimate, not a medical or diet prescription. Energy needs can differ substantially during pregnancy, adolescence, illness, eating-disorder recovery, high-level sport or when medications and medical conditions affect metabolism. If your nutrition needs are medically complex, work with a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian.