TDEE Calculator
Calculate your total daily energy expenditure and see your BMR, activity burn and calories for cutting, maintaining or bulking.
TDEE Calculator — input your values
What does this health calculator do?
This TDEE calculator works out your total daily energy expenditure — the full number of calories you burn in a day — by estimating your basal metabolic rate with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and adding the energy used for activity.
It breaks your daily burn into two parts: BMR and the activity component, so you can see exactly how much movement adds. It then shows practical calorie targets for cutting (a 500-kcal deficit), maintaining and bulking (a 300-kcal surplus), plus a comparison across all five activity levels.
TDEE estimates come from population equations and can be off by 10% or more for individuals. Treat the number as a hypothesis, track your weight for two to three weeks, and adjust intake by 100–200 kcal as needed.
Formula and variables
Men: BMR = 10·kg + 6.25·cm − 5·age + 5 · Women: BMR = 10·kg + 6.25·cm − 5·age − 161.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| BMR | Basal metabolic rate (Mifflin-St Jeor), in kcal/day |
| activity | Factor from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extra active) |
Worked example
A 30-year-old man, 175 cm, 75 kg, moderately active (factor 1.55).
- BMR = 10 × 75 + 6.25 × 175 − 5 × 30 + 5 = 1,668.75 kcal.
- TDEE = 1,668.75 × 1.55 = 2,586.6 kcal/day.
- Cutting = 2,587 − 500 = 2,087 kcal/day.
- Bulking = 2,587 + 300 = 2,887 kcal/day.
Answer: TDEE ≈ 2,587 kcal/day; 2,087 kcal to cut, 2,887 kcal to bulk.
Tips and common mistakes
Tips
- Log your weight for a few weeks and compare the trend to your predicted TDEE to fine-tune the number.
- Adjust the activity level honestly — a desk job plus three workouts usually means 'lightly active'.
- Recompute after significant weight changes, since both BMR and TDEE scale with body size.
- Pair the calorie target with a macro split so your protein stays adequate.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Overestimating activity — this is the most common source of inflated TDEE predictions.
- Swinging between cutting and bulking without a maintenance phase in between.
- Using the same calories on rest and training days despite different energy needs.
TDEE Calculator — frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
Total daily energy expenditure is the sum of everything you burn in a day: basal metabolism, the thermic effect of food and all physical activity. Eating at your TDEE keeps your weight stable.
How is TDEE calculated?
It's your BMR from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation multiplied by an activity factor that ranges from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extra active).
How many calories should I eat to cut?
A deficit of about 500 kcal below your TDEE typically yields roughly 0.5 kg of weight loss per week, which is sustainable for most people.
How many calories should I eat to bulk?
A modest surplus of about 300 kcal above your TDEE supports gradual muscle gain while limiting fat gain. Bigger surpluses mostly add fat.
Why does my TDEE differ from a friend with the same stats?
Muscle mass, genetics, hormones and daily movement vary between individuals, so equations produce averages. Your personal trend is the real source of truth.
Should I eat more on training days?
Some people benefit from slightly more food on hard training days and less on rest days, but weekly totals matter more than daily precision.