This TDEE calculator estimates total daily energy expenditure from weight, height, age, sex, and an activity factor. It builds a Mifflin St Jeor BMR, then multiplies by activity. Defaults for a 70 kg, 175 cm, 30 year old male at 1.55 return about 2,555.6 calories.
Use TDEE as a maintenance starting point before you cut or bulk. Size protein with the protein calculator, and shape a fuller split with the macro calculator.
How the formula works
BMR estimates resting burn from body size, age, and sex. Activity scales that baseline for daily movement and training. TDEE = BMR × activity in this implementation.
Worked example
Male, 70 kg, 175 cm, age 30. BMR = 10×70 + 6.25×175 – 5×30 + 5 = 1,648.75. Activity 1.55. TDEE = 1,648.75 × 1.55 = 2,555.5625 calories.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 70 kg |
| Height | 175 cm |
| Age | 30 |
| Sex | Male |
| Activity | 1.55 |
| TDEE | ~2,555.6 kcal |
How to use the fields
- Weight in kilograms and height in centimeters.
- Age in years and sex for the BMR branch.
- Activity as the multiplier that matches your lifestyle.
From TDEE to goals
Maintenance means eating near TDEE on average. Fat loss usually subtracts a moderate amount and watches weekly weight trend. Surplus goals add calories carefully so weight rises without unnecessary fat gain.
Common mistakes
- Mixing pounds and kilograms
- Choosing an athlete factor while sitting most of the day
- Changing targets daily based on one weigh in
- Ignoring protein once calories are set
Tracking reality check
If weight drifts up for two weeks while intake matches estimated TDEE, your true maintenance may be lower. Adjust intake or activity assumptions rather than blaming a single meal.
Training days versus rest days
Some people keep one average TDEE. Others eat a bit more on hard training days and less on rest days while holding the weekly average. Either approach works if the weekly energy total matches the goal.
Breaking down the default BMR
For the default male inputs, Mifflin St Jeor gives 1,648.75 calories at rest. Multiplying by 1.55 for moderate activity yields about 2,555.6 calories as TDEE. If you switch sex to female with the same size and age, BMR becomes 10×70 + 6.25×175 – 5×30 – 161 = 1,482.75, and TDEE at 1.55 becomes about 2,298 calories.
That gap shows why sex, size, and activity all belong in the form. Skipping one field and guessing usually drifts more than people expect.
Picking activity without wishful thinking
Desk jobs with light walking a few times a week often sit below athletic multipliers. Daily manual labor or high training volume sits higher. If weight trends up while you eat at estimated TDEE, your factor may be too high or portions may be undercounted.
Prefer weekly average intake and weekly average weight over single day drama. TDEE is a maintenance estimate for averages, not a verdict on one meal out.
Setting a cut or surplus
A common educational approach is to eat somewhat below TDEE for fat loss or somewhat above for gain, then adjust from trend data. Pair that calorie budget with a protein target from the protein calculator so muscle retention and satiety get intentional grams, not leftovers.
Very aggressive deficits can backfire through adherence collapse. Steady, monitorable changes beat extreme swings that only last a week.
Recalculating after body change
When weight or training volume changes for lasting reasons, recompute TDEE. An estimate built for 70 kg will not stay perfect at 80 kg or after a move from sedentary work to a standing job. Schedule a monthly check during active goal phases.
Logging quality
Underestimated oils, drinks, and weekend meals explain many “I eat at TDEE but gain” stories. Weighing calorie dense foods for two weeks calibrates your eye. After that, you can loosen the logging style while keeping the same TDEE target as a weekly average budget.
Sleep and stress also change hunger and training quality. If lifestyle chaos is high, fix routines before you declare the calorie estimate wrong.
Weekly averaging
Compare seven day calorie averages to TDEE rather than judging a single day. Social meals and training swings cancel better across a week, which is how maintenance estimates earn trust.
Limitations
Equations estimate populations, not lab calorimetry for one person. Medications, illness, and adaptive changes can shift needs. Recalculate after meaningful weight change and confirm with real world trend data.