Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) using four BMR formulas. Get personalized calorie targets for weight loss, maintenance, and muscle gain based on your activity level.
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period, including basal metabolism, physical activity, the thermic effect of food, and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). TDEE is the single most important number for any calorie-based nutrition plan — eat below it to lose weight, at it to maintain, or above it to gain.
This comprehensive TDEE calculator computes your Basal Metabolic Rate using up to four validated equations — Mifflin-St Jeor, Harris-Benedict (Revised), Katch-McArdle, and Cunningham — then multiplies by your activity level to give a complete picture of your daily calorie needs. By comparing multiple formulas, you can triangulate a more reliable estimate rather than relying on a single equation.
Whether you are planning a caloric deficit for fat loss, eating for athletic performance, or reverse dieting after a prolonged cut, knowing your TDEE is the foundation of evidence-based nutrition. Enter your details below to get started.
Estimating calorie needs by guesswork is one of the biggest reasons people fail to reach their body composition goals. A TDEE calculator provides a science-backed starting point that accounts for your unique physiology and activity level. This calculator goes further than most by showing results from multiple BMR formulas side by side, so you can see the range of estimates and choose the most appropriate one for your situation. The inclusion of goal-specific calorie targets makes it immediately actionable.
TDEE = BMR × Activity Factor BMR Formulas Used: 1. Mifflin-St Jeor (M): 10W + 6.25H − 5A + 5; (F): 10W + 6.25H − 5A − 161 2. Harris-Benedict Revised (M): 88.362 + 13.397W + 4.799H − 5.677A; (F): 447.593 + 9.247W + 3.098H − 4.330A 3. Katch-McArdle: 370 + 21.6 × LBM (requires body fat %) 4. Cunningham: 500 + 22 × LBM (requires body fat %) Activity Factors: Sedentary 1.2, Light 1.375, Moderate 1.55, Very Active 1.725, Extra Active 1.9
Result: 2,785 kcal/day (Mifflin-St Jeor)
For a 28-year-old, 180 cm, 82 kg male at moderate activity: Mifflin-St Jeor BMR = 10(82) + 6.25(180) − 5(28) + 5 = 1,795 kcal. TDEE = 1,795 × 1.55 = 2,782 kcal/day. With 16% body fat (LBM = 68.9 kg), Katch-McArdle TDEE = (370 + 21.6 × 68.9) × 1.55 = 2,882 kcal/day.
TDEE is the sum of four components: Basal Metabolic Rate (60-70% of TDEE), Thermic Effect of Food (approximately 10%), Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis or NEAT (15-30%), and Exercise Activity Thermogenesis or EAT (5-10% for sedentary people, up to 30% for athletes). Understanding these components helps explain why two people of similar size can have very different calorie needs.
No single BMR equation is perfect for everyone. Mifflin-St Jeor was validated on modern mixed populations and is the clinical default. Harris-Benedict has decades of usage but tends to overestimate. Katch-McArdle and Cunningham are superior for people who know their body composition. By presenting all four results, this calculator helps you bracket your true TDEE within a reasonable range — typically the correct value falls within 200 kcal of the formula average.
Start by eating at your calculated TDEE for two weeks while tracking weight daily. Compute a weekly average weight to smooth out daily fluctuations from water, sodium, and glycogen. If weight is stable, you have confirmed your maintenance level. Then apply your deficit or surplus. For every subsequent 5-10 kg of weight change, recalculate everything. This iterative approach is far more effective than setting a calorie level once and sticking to it indefinitely.
The most common mistake is overestimating activity level, which inflates TDEE and prevents fat loss. The second is not recalculating after significant weight changes. Third is ignoring liquid calories, cooking oils, and weekend eating, which can add 300-800 untracked calories per day. Finally, some people set their deficit too aggressively, leading to muscle loss, binge eating, and metabolic adaptation. A moderate, sustainable approach outperforms extreme restriction every time.
The gold standard is indirect calorimetry combined with a doubly-labeled water study, but these are expensive and impractical. For everyday use, the Mifflin-St Jeor equation produces the most accurate BMR for the general population (within 10% for most people). Multiply by an appropriate activity factor and validate by tracking weight changes over 2-4 weeks.
Use Mifflin-St Jeor if you don't know your body fat percentage — it's the most validated for general populations. If you know your body fat, Katch-McArdle is excellent for individuals with average body composition, while Cunningham is better for athletes. Harris-Benedict is provided for historical comparison and tends to estimate slightly higher.
A deficit of 500-750 kcal below TDEE is generally safe and sustainable, leading to about 0.5-0.7 kg (1-1.5 lb) of fat loss per week. Deficits exceeding 1,000 kcal/day should only be attempted under medical supervision. Never eat below your BMR on a sustained basis, as this increases muscle loss and metabolic adaptation.
Sedentary: office work, minimal exercise. Lightly active: 1-3 light exercise sessions per week or a job with some walking. Moderately active: 3-5 moderate workouts per week. Very active: intense daily training. Extra active: competitive athletes or very physically demanding jobs with additional exercise. If unsure, start lower and adjust upward.
Yes. As you lose weight, your TDEE decreases because there is less body mass to support. Additionally, metabolic adaptation (your body becoming more efficient) can reduce TDEE by another 5-15% beyond what weight change alone would predict. Recalculate every 5-10 kg of weight change.
Metabolic adaptation (sometimes called "metabolic slowdown") is a physiological response to sustained caloric restriction where your body reduces energy expenditure beyond what would be expected from weight loss alone. Mechanisms include reduced NEAT, lower thyroid hormone output, and improved metabolic efficiency. Diet breaks and reverse dieting can help mitigate this effect.
Yes, calorie cycling is a valid approach. Many people eat at TDEE or slightly above on training days and reduce intake on rest days, keeping the weekly average at their target. This can improve performance during workouts while maintaining the desired overall deficit or surplus.
TDEE tells you the total calories to consume; macronutrients determine how those calories are distributed. A common starting point is 1.6-2.2 g protein per kg body weight, 0.7-1.2 g fat per kg, with remaining calories from carbohydrates. Protein and carbs provide 4 kcal/g while fat provides 9 kcal/g.