TDEE Calculator
Two Numbers, Not One
Total Daily Energy Expenditure answers a different question than BMR does. BMR is what your body burns lying motionless in a bed all day; TDEE adds back everything else — walking to the kitchen, a workout, a desk job versus a construction job. It's the number that actually determines whether a given calorie intake leads to weight loss, maintenance, or gain, which is why nutrition plans are built around TDEE rather than BMR alone.
The Formula
Men: BMR = 10 × Weight(kg) + 6.25 × Height(cm) − 5 × Age + 5
Women: BMR = 10 × Weight(kg) + 6.25 × Height(cm) − 5 × Age − 161
TDEE = BMR × Activity Multiplier
Activity Multipliers
| Activity level | Multiplier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Little or no exercise |
| Lightly active | 1.375 | Light exercise 1–3 days/week |
| Moderately active | 1.55 | Moderate exercise 3–5 days/week |
| Very active | 1.725 | Hard exercise 6–7 days/week |
| Extra active | 1.9 | Very hard exercise plus a physical job |
Worked example: a 30-year-old man, 80 kg, 180 cm tall, has a Mifflin-St Jeor BMR of 1780 kcal/day. Applying each multiplier gives a TDEE ranging from about 2136 kcal/day (sedentary) to 3382 kcal/day (extra active) — the same body, wildly different energy needs depending on activity.
Why TDEE Drives Every Nutrition Decision
- Setting a calorie target — weight loss, maintenance, and surplus plans all start from TDEE, then add or subtract a calorie adjustment.
- Explaining plateaus — TDEE isn't fixed; it drops as body weight drops (less mass to move, lower BMR), which is why a fixed calorie target eventually stops producing loss.
- Comparing desk work to physical labor — two people with identical BMR can have TDEEs that differ by 800–1000 kcal/day purely from activity level.
How to Use This Calculator
- Choose Metric (kg/cm) or Imperial (lb/in) units.
- Select your sex.
- Enter your age in years.
- Enter your weight and height.
- Select your activity level from sedentary to extra active.
- Select Calculate to see your BMR and TDEE.
Related Calculations
Use the Caloric Deficit Calculator to turn your TDEE into a weight-loss target, or check the Macro Calculator to split that calorie number into protein, carbs, and fat.