TDEE calculator
The TDEE calculator estimates your Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total calories your body burns in 24 hours, including everything from breathing to walking to training. It computes BMR via Mifflin-St Jeor and multiplies by an activity multiplier from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extremely active). The result is your daily maintenance calorie level: the intake at which your body weight is expected to stay roughly stable.
Formula
BMR = Mifflin-St Jeor (sex-specific — see /docs/tools/bmr-calculator)
TDEE = BMR × activity_multiplier
For reference, the Mifflin-St Jeor BMR formulas:
Male: BMR = (10 × weight_kg) + (6.25 × height_cm) − (5 × age) + 5
Female: BMR = (10 × weight_kg) + (6.25 × height_cm) − (5 × age) − 161
Source: Mifflin et al. 1990; activity multipliers are standard fitness-industry values used across the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, ACE, ACSM, and most commercial calculators.
Activity multipliers
| Activity level | Multiplier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Desk job, no structured exercise |
| Lightly active | 1.375 | Light exercise 1–3 days/week or active job with mostly desk work |
| Moderately active | 1.55 | Moderate exercise 3–5 days/week |
| Very active | 1.725 | Hard exercise 6–7 days/week |
| Extremely active | 1.9 | Hard daily training + physical job, or training twice daily |
The multipliers cover the broad spectrum of human activity. Most people overestimate by one tier — go with "moderate" if you're a desk worker who trains 3–5 times a week, not "very active".
Inputs
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Sex (male / female) | Required for BMR formula |
| Weight | kg or lb |
| Height | cm or ft/in |
| Age | Years (13–100) |
| Activity level | One of the 5 tiers |
Output
The page returns:
- BMR in kcal/day (informational).
- TDEE in kcal/day (the main result).
- Macro suggestion — a balanced 30/40/30 split (protein/carbs/fat) of your TDEE, with grams per macro (using 4 kcal/g for protein and carbs, 9 kcal/g for fat).
The macro suggestion is a starting reference. For deeper macro tuning, use the macro calculator where you can pick a preset (balanced / high-protein / Mediterranean / low-carb / keto / custom) or set your own percentages.
Worked example
A 30-year-old, 70-kg, 175-cm male, moderately active:
BMR = (10 × 70) + (6.25 × 175) − (5 × 30) + 5 = 1648.75 kcal
TDEE = 1648.75 × 1.55 ≈ 2555.56 kcal/day
So maintenance ≈ 2556 kcal/day.
Balanced macros at maintenance:
Protein: 2556 × 0.30 = 766.8 kcal → 192 g (at 4 kcal/g)
Carbs: 2556 × 0.40 = 1022.4 kcal → 256 g (at 4 kcal/g)
Fat: 2556 × 0.30 = 766.8 kcal → 85 g (at 9 kcal/g)
How accurate is the estimate?
Modern reviews of predictive equations (e.g. Frankenfield et al., Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2005) found Mifflin-St Jeor accurate within ±10% of indirect calorimetry in about 70% of healthy adults, with the activity multiplier introducing another ±10% of variance in real-world TDEE.
That means: take the TDEE number, eat at it for 2–3 weeks, and let the scale tell you whether your real maintenance is above or below. Adjust ±100–200 kcal and re-test.
What TDEE doesn't capture
- NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) is the wild card. Studies (notably Levine, Science, 1999) show NEAT can vary by 2000+ kcal/day between people of similar size and exercise habits.
- Thermic effect of food is approximated (proteins burn ~25% of their calories in digestion, carbs ~10%, fats ~3%) but lumped into the multiplier rather than separated.
- Adaptive thermogenesis — extended caloric restriction lowers TDEE below the formula prediction; resuming higher intake takes weeks to restore.
- Hormonal status — thyroid disorders, perimenopause / menopause, insulin resistance, all of which affect TDEE meaningfully.
When to use TDEE vs the calorie calculator
- TDEE calculator = maintenance. Use when you want to maintain weight or when you want the raw number to feed into your own custom planning.
- Calorie calculator = TDEE + goal adjustment (deficit or surplus). Use when you have a specific fat-loss or muscle-gain target.
Frequently asked
Why is my TDEE different from what my smartwatch shows? Smartwatches estimate calories via accelerometer + heart rate; they have their own error bars (typically ±20–30% of true expenditure). The TDEE formula is a separate estimate. Neither is "right" — use both as cross-references.
My multiplier should be higher because I train hard. Possibly. The published activity multipliers were calibrated against doubly-labelled-water studies in mixed populations. Athletes often track higher; chronic dieters often track lower because of adaptive thermogenesis. Eat at the formula's TDEE for a few weeks and let the scale arbitrate.
Can I see my TDEE over time? Not in this calculator — it's stateless. The activity dashboard tracks active minutes; combine that with regular weigh-ins to estimate real maintenance over weeks.
Should I include the calories I burn during exercise? The activity multiplier already includes them. "Moderately active" already factors in 3–5 sessions per week. Don't double-count by adding workout-calorie estimates on top of TDEE.
Why are female multipliers the same as male? The multipliers represent activity overhead, which is roughly proportional regardless of sex. The sex difference lives in BMR (the -161 vs +5 in Mifflin-St Jeor), which propagates into the TDEE through multiplication.
Where to read next
- BMR calculator — the basal piece that drives TDEE.
- Calorie calculator — TDEE adjusted for goal.
- Macro calculator — split TDEE into macronutrients.
- Protein calculator — protein-specific target.
Last updated: 2026-05-11 Author: Ahsan Mahmood
:::note Health information — not medical advice LifeWell and this documentation are provided for general wellness and educational purposes only. They are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional with questions about your health, and never disregard or delay professional advice because of something you read here. In an emergency, contact your local emergency services. :::