TDEE Calculator
Calculate total daily energy expenditure
What is TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period, accounting for all activities — from basic bodily functions (BMR) to exercise, digestion, and non-exercise movement like walking, fidgeting, and daily tasks. TDEE is your true maintenance calorie level — eating at TDEE means your body weight stays stable.
TDEE is calculated by multiplying your BMR by an activity multiplier (the Katch-McArdle or Harris-Benedict activity factors). It has four main components: BMR (60–70%), the Thermic Effect of Food or TEF (8–10%), Exercise Activity Thermogenesis or EAT (15–30%), and Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis or NEAT (15–50%). NEAT — spontaneous activity that isn't formal exercise — is highly variable between individuals and is a major reason why two people with identical BMRs and exercise routines can have very different maintenance calorie levels.
Knowing your TDEE is fundamental for any nutrition goal. Eating 300–500 kcal below TDEE creates a sustainable fat loss deficit. Eating 250–500 kcal above TDEE supports muscle gain (lean bulk). Eating at TDEE maintains your current body composition.
How to Use This Calculator
Calorie Adjustments from TDEE by Goal
- • Fat loss (moderate): −300 to −500 kcal/day — 0.3–0.5kg/week loss
- • Fat loss (aggressive): −500 to −750 kcal/day — max 0.75kg/week
- • Maintenance: TDEE ± 100 kcal — stable weight
- • Lean muscle gain: +200 to +300 kcal/day — minimal fat gain
- • Bulk: +400 to +500 kcal/day — faster gain, some fat
?Frequently Asked Questions
Why is TDEE more useful than BMR alone?
BMR only tells you how many calories you burn doing nothing. TDEE tells you how many you actually burn living your life. Setting a calorie target based on BMR alone would put almost everyone in a significant deficit — you'd lose weight even without trying to. TDEE is the number that reflects your actual daily reality, making it the correct baseline for setting nutrition targets.
How do I know if my TDEE estimate is accurate?
Track your calorie intake accurately for 2–3 weeks and monitor your weight daily (take the weekly average to smooth fluctuations). If your weight stays stable at your calculated TDEE — it's accurate. If you're losing weight, your true TDEE is higher. If you're gaining, it's lower. Real-world tracking is more reliable than any formula for finding your personal maintenance calories.
Does TDEE change when you lose weight?
Yes, and significantly. As you lose weight, your BMR decreases (less body mass to maintain), your exercise burns fewer calories (lighter body), and adaptive thermogenesis reduces your NEAT. This is why weight loss progress stalls — your TDEE drops as you lose weight. Recalculating TDEE every 4–6 weeks (or every 5kg of weight change) is essential to keep your deficit accurate.
What is NEAT and why does it matter?
NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) is all movement that isn't deliberate exercise — walking to your desk, gesturing while talking, shifting in your chair, cooking, cleaning. Research by Dr James Levine at the Mayo Clinic showed NEAT can vary by up to 2,000 kcal/day between individuals of similar size. This explains why some people seem to "eat anything and not gain weight" — they unconsciously move more throughout the day.