TDEE Calculator
Total daily energy expenditure estimates a whole day’s maintenance needs, including resting energy and activity.
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What TDEE means
Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is an estimate of how much energy your body uses in a typical day, including resting needs and activity. This tool converts an estimated basal metabolic rate (BMR) into a maintenance-calorie estimate by applying the activity level you select.
Use this page when you want to understand the whole-day maintenance estimate and compare how the activity assumption changes it. Our Calorie Calculator uses the same underlying BMR × activity approach but presents different fixed illustrative intake comparisons. Both are estimates, not independent measurements or a reason to add their results together.
What the TDEE calculator calculates
Enter age, height in centimetres, weight in kilograms, the formula option and an activity category. The page estimates resting energy needs with the adult Mifflin–St Jeor equation and multiplies the result by the selected activity factor.
The main result is estimated maintenance calories in kcal per day. The panel also displays two arithmetic comparisons: 300 kcal below and 250 kcal above that estimated maintenance figure. Those comparison numbers are not personalised diet prescriptions; the appropriate intake varies with a person's circumstances.
The estimate covers an average day rather than the calories in a particular meal or workout. For meal-by-meal arithmetic, use the Meal Calorie Calculator.
TDEE formula and activity assumptions
TDEE (kcal/day) = estimated BMR (kcal/day) × selected activity factor. The adult Mifflin–St Jeor equations use kilograms, centimetres and years: 10 × weight + 6.25 × height − 5 × age + 5 (male formula) or − 161 (female formula).
The form offers activity multipliers of 1.2 (sedentary), 1.375 (light), 1.55 (moderate), 1.725 (very active) and 1.9 (extremely active). A single multiplier cannot capture everyone's real activity or medical circumstances. The sex selection is an equation input, not a complete description of physiology.
These equations predict rather than measure energy expenditure. The comparison figures shown beneath the result subtract 300 kcal or add 250 kcal to the maintenance estimate; they are illustrations only.
How to use it
- Enter adult age, height in cm, weight in kg and the equation option.
- Select an activity category representing your usual week.
- Calculate and compare the main maintenance estimate with the two fixed adjustments.
- When checking another calculator, compare its equation and activity assumption before judging the difference.
Worked TDEE example
For illustration, enter age 35, height 165 cm, weight 70 kg, the female equation and moderately active (1.55). Estimated BMR is 10 × 70 + 6.25 × 165 − 5 × 35 − 161 = 1,395.25 kcal/day. Multiplying by 1.55 gives an estimated TDEE of 2,163 kcal/day after rounding.
With the same age, height and weight but the lightly active multiplier (1.375), estimated maintenance falls to about 1,918 kcal/day. The 245-kcal difference comes from the multiplier selected; neither estimate is a direct measurement of daily energy use.
The displayed illustrative comparisons for the moderately active case are approximately 1,863 kcal/day (maintenance − 300) and 2,413 kcal/day (maintenance + 250). These are arithmetic examples rather than universally suitable intake targets.
How to read the result
This is an average-day estimate, not a direct measure of one day’s expenditure. A workout already represented by the activity multiplier should not automatically be added again. The Calorie Calculator shares the maintenance equation but has a different fixed deficit comparison.
Common mistakes
- Choosing a high activity category based only on a short workout.
- Adding the same exercise to an estimate that already includes it.
- Interpreting two tools using the same equation as independent confirmation of actual metabolism.
Method limitations
Activity multipliers are broad categories. Individual movement, body composition and adaptation are not measured. This adult equation does not validate an intake for growth, pregnancy or clinical nutrition needs.
Sources and method references
Supporting guides for this calculator
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TDEE Calculator FAQs
Does TDEE include activity?
Yes, through the selected multiplier. That is the main difference from the resting estimate.
Why does the Calorie Calculator show a different deficit example?
It uses the same maintenance approach but a different fixed illustrative subtraction. The maintenance estimate should be compared before the goal adjustments.
Is the surplus comparison personalised?
No. This page simply adds 250 kcal to estimated maintenance.
Can it measure my metabolism?
No. It predicts energy from an equation and an activity category; it does not measure expenditure.
Using the estimate
Use TDEE to understand the whole-day maintenance estimate and how the activity assumption changes it. Keep fixed intake comparisons separate from an individual eating plan.