What this calculator does
Total daily energy expenditure is what your body actually uses across a full day: your resting metabolism plus everything you do on top of it: moving, working, exercising, and digesting food. It is the number that matters for anyone trying to eat at maintenance or change weight gradually.
The activity multiplier is the least precise part of the calculation and the part people most often overestimate. A desk job with three gym sessions a week is usually moderate, not active. When in doubt, choosing the lower multiplier gives a more reliable starting point that you can adjust based on what actually happens over a few weeks.
The formula
Resting metabolic rate is calculated first from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiplied by an activity factor between 1.2 and 1.9. The gain and loss targets shift maintenance by the daily energy gap that corresponds to a gradual weekly change, using roughly 7,700 kcal per kilogram of body tissue.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| TDEE | Total daily energy expenditure, in kilocalories. |
| BMR | Basal metabolic rate: the resting component. |
| Activity factor | A multiplier from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (very active). |
| Maintenance | The intake at which weight stays roughly stable. |
The inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Weight (kg) | Body weight in kilograms. |
| Height (cm) | Height in centimetres. |
| Age (years) | Age in years. |
| Sex | Biological sex, which changes the constants in the underlying equation. |
| Activity level | Your typical activity across a whole week, including work. Most people who exercise a few times a week but sit for work fall in the moderate band. |
When to use it
Finding your maintenance intake
The maintenance figure is a starting estimate, not a measurement. Eat around it for two or three weeks and track weekly average weight: if it holds steady, the estimate was good; if not, adjust by a couple of hundred kilocalories.
Planning a gradual change
The mild and steady targets correspond to roughly a quarter and a half kilogram a week. Slower changes are generally easier to sustain and better at preserving muscle than aggressive deficits.
Adjusting as your weight changes
A smaller body uses less energy, so maintenance falls as weight falls. Recalculating every few kilograms keeps the target honest and explains why progress often slows.
Working out why an estimate was wrong
If weight is not moving as predicted, the activity multiplier is the usual culprit. Underreporting of intake is the other common cause: both are extremely well documented and neither is a personal failing.
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.
Daily calories at different activity levels
The same person at each activity multiplier, showing how much the choice matters.
| Activity level | Maintenance calories | BMR | Steady loss (−0.5 kg/week) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 2,039 kcal/day | 1,699 kcal/day | 1,489 kcal/day |
| Light | 2,336 kcal/day | 1,699 kcal/day | 1,786 kcal/day |
| Moderate | 2,633 kcal/day | 1,699 kcal/day | 2,083 kcal/day |
| Active | 2,930 kcal/day | 1,699 kcal/day | 2,380 kcal/day |
| Very active | 3,228 kcal/day | 1,699 kcal/day | 2,678 kcal/day |
How body weight changes daily requirements
Maintenance at a range of body weights, with everything else held constant.
| Weight | Maintenance calories | BMR | Mild loss (−0.25 kg/week) | Lean gain (+0.25 kg/week) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 kg | 2,401 kcal/day | 1,549 kcal/day | 2,126 kcal/day | 2,676 kcal/day |
| 70 kg | 2,556 kcal/day | 1,649 kcal/day | 2,281 kcal/day | 2,831 kcal/day |
| 80 kg | 2,711 kcal/day | 1,749 kcal/day | 2,436 kcal/day | 2,986 kcal/day |
| 90 kg | 2,866 kcal/day | 1,849 kcal/day | 2,591 kcal/day | 3,141 kcal/day |
| 100 kg | 3,021 kcal/day | 1,949 kcal/day | 2,746 kcal/day | 3,296 kcal/day |
| 120 kg | 3,331 kcal/day | 2,149 kcal/day | 3,056 kcal/day | 3,606 kcal/day |
Questions
How accurate is a TDEE estimate?
It is a starting point with meaningful uncertainty: individuals commonly sit 10 to 15 per cent either side of the estimate. The right approach is to use it as an initial figure and adjust based on what actually happens to your weight over several weeks.
Which activity level should I choose?
Consider your whole week including work. Sedentary suits a desk job with little structured exercise; moderate suits three to five sessions a week; active and very active generally require physical work or daily training. Most people overestimate, so the lower option is usually the safer starting point.
Does exercise get counted twice?
It shouldn’t. The activity multiplier is meant to cover all your movement including workouts. Adding separately-calculated exercise calories on top will overstate your needs.
How large a deficit is sensible?
The targets shown here correspond to gradual change of a quarter to half a kilogram a week. Larger deficits become progressively harder to sustain and more likely to cost muscle. Very low intakes should only be undertaken with medical supervision: a doctor or accredited dietitian can advise on what suits your circumstances.
Why has my weight loss stalled?
Usually because maintenance has fallen as your body has become smaller, so the original intake is now close to the new maintenance. Recalculating at your current weight generally explains it. If you have concerns, a doctor or dietitian is the right person to talk to.
For the resting component alone, see the BMR calculator. To split the target into protein, carbs and fat, use the macronutrient calculator.