TDEE Calculator

This calculator will estimate your total daily energy expenditure, which is a fancy term for “How many calories do I burn in a day?”. You can learn how to use this information by reading this article about how to calculate your daily calorie needs. If you aren’t familiar with calorie tracking, I also have an article about calorie tracking made simple.

TDEE Calculator

Calculator

This is based on how TDEE research models bodies, not gender identity. This calculator uses standard research equations, which only include ‘male’ and ‘female.’ We know not everyone fits those boxes perfectly. Feel free to choose the option that best reflects your current hormone profile/body composition. This is just an estimate.
The Mifflin-St Jeor Equation used for this calculation is most accurate for ages ranged 19-78. You can enter any age 18-100 in this calculator, but ages outside the reference range may get less accurate results.
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It's easy to overestimate activity, so I recommend that you pick one level below where you think you actually are here.

 

 

Your TDEE Results

Based on your inputs, here are your estimated daily energy needs and goal calorie targets.
Your Maintenance Calories
calories per day (estimated)

TDEE by Activity Level

These values show how your estimated daily calories change with different activity levels.

Activity Level TDEE (kcal/day)
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) kcal/day
Sedentary (little to no activity) kcal/day
Light (1–3 days/week) kcal/day
Moderate (3–5 days/week) kcal/day
Very active (6–7 days/week) kcal/day
Extra active (hard exercise & physical job) kcal/day

Goal Calories

Use these targets as a starting point for your current goal.

Goal Calories / day
Maintenance kcal/day
Mild weight loss (~10% deficit) kcal/day
Aggressive cut (~25% deficit) kcal/day
Lean bulk (~10% surplus) kcal/day

These numbers are estimates only and are not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making major changes to your diet or training.

Want to keep a note of the results?

Enter your email below and hit send, and I will send you a report of your results from the calculator.

Note: Sending results will clear the calculator on this page.

TDEE Accuracy

TDEE calculations are a rough estimate of your daily expenditure, and are best viewed as a starting point if you aren’t sure what your actual real-world expenditure is. As you try to control your weight using your TDEE, you will almost need to adjust for your personal real-world expenditure.

The most accurate way to adjust is to weigh yourself several times a week and adjust your calories based on the rate of change of the weekly average of your body weight. This will help smooth out daily fluctuations.

Deficit Clarification

Sometimes people say they’re eating in a “calorie deficit”, but they still aren’t losing weight. This often happens because they used a TDEE calculator like this one, picked a number below their “maintenace” calories, and assume that meant they’d lose weight automatically.

But real life isn’t always so predictable. Your body might burn a little fewer calories than the calculator predicts.

If your weight isn’t going down, you’re not in a deficit yet, no matter what the calculator estimated. To create a real deficit, you may need to eat a bit less or increase your activity level.