Total Daily Energy Expenditure Calculator
Total daily energy expenditure — TDEE — is the total number of calories you burn in 24 hours. It is the number every diet, training plan and weight goal is built on: eat at it to stay the same weight, below it to lose weight, above it to gain. The total daily energy expenditure calculator above works it out from your sex, age, weight, height, BMR formula and activity level, and shows your calorie targets for every goal at once.
This page explains what TDEE is made of, how each part is calculated, and how to use the number once you have it.
What TDEE Is Made Of
TDEE has four parts. The biggest is your basal metabolic rate — the energy of staying alive at rest — which is 60 to 70 percent of the total for most people. Next is the thermic effect of food, the energy of digesting what you eat, at about 10 percent. Then comes exercise, which varies enormously: zero for a sedentary person, 500 calories or more for someone who trains hard. Last is non-exercise movement — walking, standing, fidgeting, housework — which can be anywhere from 200 to 800 calories a day and is the part most people underestimate.
| Component | Share of TDEE | Typical calories (TDEE 2,556) |
|---|---|---|
| Basal metabolic rate (BMR) | 60–70% | 1,649 kcal |
| Thermic effect of food | About 10% | About 250 kcal |
| Exercise | 0–20% | 0–500 kcal |
| Non-exercise movement | 10–30% | 250–750 kcal |
Notice that exercise is not the biggest part. For most people, BMR and everyday movement matter more than the gym. That is why two people with the same workout routine can have very different TDEEs: one walks 12,000 steps a day and the other sits at a desk.
How the Calculator Works
The calculator starts with your BMR, using the formula you choose — Mifflin-St Jeor is the default — then multiplies it by your activity factor. The default result is for a 30-year-old man, 70 kg, 175 cm, moderately active: BMR 1,649, TDEE 2,556 calories a day. The result shows the BMR, the activity burn of 907 calories, the weekly maintenance total of 17,892 calories, and a protein recommendation of 112 to 140 g a day (1.6 to 2.0 g per kg of body weight) if you train.
TDEE for Different People
The table below shows TDEE at moderate activity for a range of adults, so you can find the row closest to you.
| Person | BMR | TDEE (moderately active) |
|---|---|---|
| Woman, 25, 60 kg, 165 cm | 1,345 kcal | 2,085 kcal |
| Woman, 40, 65 kg, 165 cm | 1,320 kcal | 2,046 kcal |
| Man, 25, 75 kg, 178 cm | 1,743 kcal | 2,701 kcal |
| Man, 30, 70 kg, 175 cm | 1,649 kcal | 2,556 kcal |
| Man, 40, 80 kg, 178 cm | 1,718 kcal | 2,662 kcal |
| Man, 55, 80 kg, 178 cm | 1,643 kcal | 2,546 kcal |
Check the 40-year-old man: his BMR of 1,718 × 1.55 gives a TDEE of 2,662. The spread across the table is more than 600 calories — from 2,046 to 2,701 — which shows why personal calculation matters. A single “average” number would be wrong for almost everyone in the table.
Calorie Targets by Goal
Once you have your TDEE, your goal sets your target. The calculator shows all of them at once, and the table below shows them for the default man with a TDEE of 2,556, and for the 25-year-old woman with a TDEE of 1,850 at light activity.
| Goal | Man (TDEE 2,556) | Woman (TDEE 1,850) |
|---|---|---|
| Aggressive cut (−1,000) | 1,556 kcal | 1,200 kcal (floor) |
| Cut (−500) | 2,056 kcal | 1,350 kcal |
| Mild cut (−250) | 2,306 kcal | 1,600 kcal |
| Maintenance | 2,556 kcal | 1,850 kcal |
| Mild bulk (+250) | 2,806 kcal | 2,100 kcal |
| Bulk (+500) | 3,056 kcal | 2,350 kcal |
The woman’s aggressive-cut row shows the safety floor in action: 1,850 minus 1,000 is 850, but the calculator raises it to 1,200, the lowest intake that can cover basic nutrition for a woman. The floor for men is 1,500. Never eat below those floors without medical supervision.
TDEE and Weight Loss
For weight loss, the standard advice is a 500-calorie deficit — TDEE minus 500 — which loses about 0.5 kg a week. It works because a kilogram of body fat stores roughly 7,700 calories, and 500 × 7 = 3,500, about half a kilogram. The calculator shows the deficit targets alongside maintenance, so you can compare them before choosing. Start at 500, and if you feel very hungry or tired, drop to a 250 deficit — slower, but far easier to sustain for months. Find a full daily target with macros in the calorie calculator.
What Changes Your TDEE
- Body weight. The biggest factor. A 90 kg person burns roughly 200 calories a day more than a 70 kg person at rest alone.
- Muscle mass. Muscle burns about 13 calories per kg a day at rest, against 4.5 for fat. More muscle means a higher BMR and a higher TDEE.
- Daily steps. The difference between 3,000 and 12,000 steps is roughly 300 to 400 calories a day — often more than a gym session.
- Exercise. A 30-minute run burns about 300 calories; an hour of weight training about 200 to 300.
- Age. TDEE falls about 5 calories a year through BMR, plus whatever activity you lose with age.
- Food itself. Digesting protein burns about 20 to 30 percent of its calories, against 5 to 10 percent for carbohydrate and 0 to 3 percent for fat. A high-protein diet raises TDEE slightly.
Using Your TDEE in Real Life
- Enter your details in the calculator above and note your TDEE and your goal target.
- Follow the target for two weeks, weighing yourself twice a week.
- Compare weekly averages, not single weigh-ins — water swings 1 to 2 kg day to day.
- If your weight is not moving as expected, adjust by 100 to 200 calories, not 500.
- Recalculate every 5 kg of weight change, or once a month.
- Do not add exercise calories on top — the activity multiplier already includes them.
Related tools: your resting burn from the BMR calculator, a daily target with macros from the calorie calculator, and your weight category from the BMI calculator. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute explains how daily energy needs relate to healthy weight.
Summary
Use the tdee calculator above with your own numbers, and keep the reference figures below handy while you plan.
| Activity level | Multiplier | TDEE (BMR 1,649) |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | × 1.2 | 1,979 kcal |
| Lightly active | × 1.375 | 2,267 kcal |
| Moderately active | × 1.55 | 2,556 kcal |
| Very active | × 1.725 | 2,844 kcal |
| Extra active | × 1.9 | 3,133 kcal |
What to remember
- TDEE is your BMR times your activity factor — it is your maintenance calorie level.
- A 500-calorie deficit loses about 0.5 kg a week; a 250 deficit loses about 0.25 kg.
- Never eat below 1,200 calories a day (women) or 1,500 (men) without medical supervision.
- Protein should be 1.6 to 2.0 g per kg of body weight a day when you train.
- TDEE falls as you lose weight — recalculate every 5 kg lost.
Your checklist
- Enter your details and activity level in the calculator above.
- Note your TDEE and your target for your goal.
- Follow the target for two weeks, weighing yourself twice a week.
- Compare weekly averages, not single weigh-ins.
- Adjust by 100 to 200 calories if your weight is not moving as expected.
Mistakes to avoid
- Choosing too high an activity level — the most common error.
- Adding exercise calories on top of the activity multiplier, which counts them twice.
- Using pounds as kilograms — divide pounds by 2.205 first.
- Judging progress by one weigh-in instead of the four-week trend.
- Treating TDEE as exact — it is an estimate, accurate to about 10 percent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is total daily energy expenditure?
TDEE is the total calories you burn in 24 hours: your basal metabolic rate plus all activity, exercise and digestion. For a 30-year-old man at 70 kg and 175 cm, moderately active, TDEE is 2,556 calories a day. It is your maintenance calorie level.
How is TDEE different from BMR?
BMR is rest only — 60 to 70 percent of TDEE. TDEE adds everything else: walking, working, exercising and digesting food. BMR for our example man is 1,649; his TDEE is 2,556. The 907-calorie difference is activity.
What should my TDEE be?
It depends on your size and activity. A moderately active 25-year-old woman at 60 kg has a TDEE of about 2,085; a moderately active 30-year-old man at 70 kg about 2,556; a very active man the same size about 2,844. Use the calculator above for your own number.
How do I use TDEE to lose weight?
Eat 500 calories a day below your TDEE for about 0.5 kg of loss a week, or 250 below for about 0.25 kg. A man with a TDEE of 2,556 would eat 2,056 a day. Never go below 1,200 calories (women) or 1,500 (men) without medical supervision.
Why is my TDEE different from my fitness watch?
Watches estimate burn from heart rate and movement, and they commonly overestimate by 10 to 30 percent. The calculator uses a validated formula and your activity level. Use the calculator number as your target and the scale over two weeks as your judge.
Does TDEE include exercise calories?
Yes. The activity multiplier already includes your workouts, so do not add the calories your watch reports on top — that counts them twice. If you use the sedentary multiplier and add exercise separately, that is the one case where adding them back makes sense.
Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates for general information only and is not medical advice. TDEE equations are population averages and can be off by 10 percent or more for individuals. Consult a doctor or registered dietitian before using TDEE to plan a diet, especially if you have a medical condition.