What this calculator does
A TDEE calculator answers one question: how many calories does your body use in a typical day, including movement and exercise, not just lying still. That figure, total daily energy expenditure, is what you would need to eat to hold your current weight steady, day to day, on average.
This version keeps the activity side simple. Rather than picking between five closely worded activity descriptions, choose one of three: sedentary, lightly active or very active. The maths underneath is the same Mifflin-St Jeor equation used clinically, scaled by that activity factor.
The formula
BMR (basal metabolic rate, the calories burned at complete rest) comes from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, using weight, height, age and sex. TDEE multiplies BMR by an activity factor: 1.2 for sedentary, 1.375 for lightly active, or 1.9 for very active. The gap between TDEE and BMR is shown separately as the calories that activity itself adds on top of resting metabolism.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| BMR | Basal metabolic rate: calories burned at complete rest, before any movement is added. |
| TDEE | Total daily energy expenditure: BMR multiplied by an activity factor. |
| Activity factor | A multiplier from 1.2 to 1.9 reflecting how much of the day involves movement beyond resting. |
The inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Weight (kg) | Current body weight. |
| Height (cm) | Height without shoes. |
| Age (years) | Age in whole years. |
| Sex | Biological sex, since the BMR formula uses different constants for men and women. |
| Activity level | Pick the closest match: sedentary (desk job, little deliberate exercise), lightly active (some structured exercise most weeks), or very active (hard training most days, or a physically demanding job). |
When to use it
Working out a baseline before changing anything
TDEE is the number to know before deciding to eat more or less than that. Without it, any calorie target is a guess rather than a starting point.
Checking whether weight change matches the numbers
If weight is drifting up or down at a fairly stable intake, comparing actual intake against this TDEE estimate is a quick way to see how far the formula is from your own metabolism.
Comparing a quick estimate against a fuller one
This calculator is deliberately simplified to three activity levels; the fuller TDEE calculator breaks activity into five bands for a finer estimate.
Worked examples
Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.
How TDEE changes across the three activity levels
The same person at each of the three activity settings.
| Activity level | TDEE | Extra calories from activity |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 2,039 kcal/day | 340 kcal/day |
| Lightly active | 2,336 kcal/day | 637 kcal/day |
| Very active | 3,228 kcal/day | 1,529 kcal/day |
How TDEE changes with body weight at a fixed activity level
A range of body weights at the same height, age and activity setting.
| Weight | TDEE | BMR (calories at rest) |
|---|---|---|
| 60 kg | 2,130 kcal/day | 1,549 kcal/day |
| 75 kg | 2,336 kcal/day | 1,699 kcal/day |
| 90 kg | 2,542 kcal/day | 1,849 kcal/day |
| 105 kg | 2,748 kcal/day | 1,999 kcal/day |
Questions
What is a TDEE calculator actually estimating?
It estimates the calories your body uses across a full day, combining resting metabolism (BMR) with everything on top: digestion, incidental movement and deliberate exercise. It is an estimate, not a measured figure, and individual metabolisms vary around it by a meaningful margin.
Should I eat exactly my TDEE every day?
TDEE is a daily average, not a number your body needs hit precisely each day. Weekly intake matters more than any single day, and normal day-to-day eating naturally moves above and below the average.
Why does this calculator only have three activity levels instead of five?
Three levels are easier to pick between honestly, since the difference between "lightly active" and "moderately active" on a five-point scale is often just a guess. For a finer breakdown, the TDEE calculator uses five activity bands instead.
Is a TDEE calc free to use here?
Yes, there is no cost or sign-up: enter your details and the number updates immediately.
For a finer five-level activity breakdown and diet targets built on top of TDEE, see the TDEE calculator. To frame the same number specifically as the calories that keep your weight steady, see the maintenance calories calculator.