Last updated: March 24, 2026
TDEE Calculator
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It is an estimate of your maintenance calories based on body stats, activity, and the energy your body uses across a typical day.
Use this tdee calculator to estimate your maintenance calories and daily calorie needs based on your body stats and activity level.
This calculator is for general fitness and nutrition planning.
Best use
Maintenance calorie estimate
Planning goals
Fat loss or muscle gain
Method
Mifflin-St Jeor
Estimate your daily calorie needs
Enter your details to estimate BMR, TDEE, and a suggested calorie target based on your current goal.
Results
Your numbers are intended as a practical starting point for maintenance calories and daily calorie needs.
Estimated BMR
1,720
Calories burned at complete rest.
Estimated TDEE
2,666
Estimated calorie maintenance.
Suggested calorie target
2,416
Maintain or adjust based on goal.
Protein
152 g
Set at roughly 1.8 g per kg body weight.
Carbs
283 g
Remaining calories after protein and fats.
Fats
67 g
Set at roughly 25% of the calorie target.
These estimates are starting points and may need adjustment based on real-world progress.
Calorie target comparison
A quick view of the most common calorie targets built from your maintenance estimate.
Maintenance
2,666 kcal
Mild fat loss
2,416 kcal
Fat loss
2,166 kcal
Muscle gain
3,016 kcal
What does this mean?
Your current target is a practical estimate based on the goal selected above.
If your goal is fat loss, eat below maintenance. If your goal is maintenance, stay near your estimated TDEE. If your goal is muscle gain, move above maintenance gradually.
Use the estimate consistently for a few weeks, then adjust based on your weight trend, training, and adherence.
Fat loss plan
2,166-2,416 kcal
Focus: consistency, adequate protein, and manageable activity.
Maintenance plan
2,566-2,766 kcal
Focus: stability, routine consistency, and trend tracking.
Muscle gain plan
2,866-3,016 kcal
Focus: training quality, protein, recovery, and a gradual surplus.
TDEE is your best estimate of calorie maintenance in real life.
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure combines resting calorie use with movement, training, and the basic energy cost of getting through a normal day. For most people, it is a more useful planning number than BMR alone because it better reflects maintenance calories in a practical setting.
If your goal is weight maintenance, TDEE is often the first number to understand. If your goal is fat loss or muscle gain, TDEE gives you the base from which you can create a more targeted calorie intake.
How this TDEE calculator estimates results
- Basal metabolic rate is estimated using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.
- TDEE is estimated by multiplying BMR by the selected activity factor.
- Goal calories are adjusted from estimated maintenance rather than treated as a guaranteed outcome.
- Macro cards are simplified planning estimates, not individualized nutrition prescriptions.
Example input and output
For a 30-year-old male at 175 cm and 78 kg with a moderately active routine, the calculator starts with a BMR estimate, applies the moderate activity multiplier, and then adjusts the final calorie target depending on whether the goal is maintenance, fat loss, or gain.
This example is useful because it shows how the tool should be interpreted: as a practical baseline to test, not as an exact maintenance calorie guarantee.
Step 1: estimate BMR with Mifflin-St Jeor
This page uses the Mifflin-St Jeor formula, which estimates basal metabolic rate from sex, age, height, and weight. That gives you a baseline for calories burned at rest.
Step 2: apply an activity factor
Your BMR is multiplied by an activity factor to estimate daily calorie needs. That is how the tool moves from resting energy use to a more complete calorie maintenance estimate.
Use the estimate based on your current goal
For maintenance, start close to your estimated TDEE. For fat loss, many people begin with a modest calorie deficit. For muscle gain, a small surplus often makes it easier to support training while limiting unnecessary overshooting.
The best calorie target is the one you can follow consistently and then adjust based on your weekly trend, not a perfect number on day one.
Choose the activity factor that matches your full week, not your best day.
Sedentary: minimal intentional exercise and a mostly seated routine.
Lightly active: some walking or light training a few times per week.
Moderately active: regular exercise or an active daily rhythm.
Very active: hard training, high step counts, or physically demanding days.
Extra active: very high output from training volume, work demands, or both.
What’s the difference?
BMR is your resting baseline. TDEE layers in movement and activity. If you want a useful calorie maintenance estimate, TDEE is usually the more actionable number.
Avoid the most common calorie-estimation errors.
- Choosing an activity level based only on workouts while ignoring the rest of the week.
- Assuming calorie maintenance never changes as body weight or routine changes.
- Cutting calories too hard too early instead of starting with a manageable deficit.
- Judging progress from a few days rather than using weekly averages.
- Forgetting that logging errors can make daily calorie needs look lower or higher than they are.
Recalculate when the inputs that matter actually change.
Update your TDEE estimate after meaningful changes in body weight, training frequency, step count, job activity, or recovery needs. Small recalculations over time tend to work better than chasing a single static number for months.
If your weight trend and intake logs disagree with the estimate for two to four weeks, that is usually a good reason to reassess.
Want help turning your calorie estimate into a real plan?
Use this block for a coaching enquiry, consultation form, or onboarding lead magnet. It fits naturally after the calculator because visitors already have a practical estimate and a clear next step.
Pair your calorie target with a simple nutrition resource.
This block is ready for a meal plan affiliate offer, beginner nutrition guide, or calorie budgeting template. Keep the copy practical and aligned with the user’s next decision.
TDEE calculator FAQ
These answers help clarify calorie maintenance, daily calorie needs, and how to use a starting estimate sensibly.
What is TDEE?
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It is an estimate of how many calories you burn in a full day after factoring in your basal needs and typical activity.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
A TDEE calculator is best used as a practical starting estimate. Real-world calorie maintenance can vary, so it is smart to compare the estimate against your body weight, performance, and appetite over a few weeks.
Is TDEE the same as BMR?
No. BMR estimates the calories your body uses at rest, while TDEE includes movement, exercise, and normal daily activity on top of BMR.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
Many people start with a modest calorie deficit rather than cutting too aggressively. This page provides example targets for mild fat loss and fat loss, but you should adjust based on progress and how sustainable the plan feels.
How often should I recalculate my TDEE?
Recalculate when your body weight changes meaningfully, your training volume changes, or your routine becomes more or less active than before.
What if my weight is not changing?
Treat the estimate as a baseline, then review your average intake, step count, training consistency, and weekly weight trend. Small changes in calories or activity can make the estimate line up better with real-world results.