What is TDEE (and why it matters)

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It’s the number of calories your body likely burns in an average day — including everything: staying alive, walking around, workouts, digestion, fidgeting, and even the energy cost of thinking.

Here’s the key: if you want to change body weight, you typically need a calorie gap over time. That gap can come from eating less, moving more, or both — but the starting point is knowing what “maintenance” looks like. That maintenance estimate is your TDEE.

• Step 1 — BMR: We estimate how many calories your body burns at complete rest.
• Step 2 — Activity multiplier: We multiply BMR by an activity factor to estimate your daily burn.

• NEAT changes: Non-exercise activity (steps, fidgeting) can swing hundreds of calories.
• Tracking error: Most people undercount food intake unless they weigh food.
• Sleep & stress: These can change hunger, movement, and water retention.
• Body adaptation: During long cuts, metabolism can downshift slightly over time.

So think of this calculator as a smart starting estimate, not a perfect truth machine. If you track your weight trend for 10–14 days, you can calibrate the estimate and make it “you-accurate”.

BMR and TDEE formulas used

This TDEE calculator uses the popular Mifflin–St Jeor equation for BMR. It’s widely used in fitness apps and nutrition coaching because it tends to estimate reasonably for many adults.

• 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 factor
• Common activity factors: 1.2 (sedentary), 1.375 (light), 1.55 (moderate), 1.725 (very), 1.9 (athlete)

• Cut: Target = TDEE − (250 to 500)
• Bulk: Target = TDEE + (250 to 500)

The “±250 / ±350 / ±500” option is intentionally simple: it helps users avoid extreme, unsustainable changes. If you want a conservative approach, choose ±250.

Realistic examples (what the numbers look like)

These examples show how the same person’s calories change based on activity — and why activity level is the biggest lever in a basic TDEE estimate.

Female, 29 years old, 165 cm, 65 kg, lightly active (1.375). Her BMR might land around the mid-1300s, and her maintenance (TDEE) might land around the 1800–2000 range. A gentle cut target could be around 1550–1750 depending on the chosen deficit.

Same inputs, but moderately active (1.55). Now maintenance jumps because daily movement is higher. This is why two people with the same height and weight can have very different calorie needs.

If your maintenance is 2400 and you choose a +250 surplus, your target is 2650. That’s usually enough to support performance without “dirty bulk” overshooting.

Practical takeaway: if you’re not gaining/losing as expected after two weeks, adjust by 100–200 kcal/day and re-check. Small adjustments beat random extremes.

Macro split: a simple default

After calories, the next question is: “What should I eat?” Macros are one way to structure that. This tool shows an example macro split using: 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat.

• Protein: 4 kcal per gram
• Carbs: 4 kcal per gram
• Fat: 9 kcal per gram

• Higher protein supports fullness and muscle retention.
• Carbs support training performance and recovery.
• Fats support hormones and overall health.

Important: macros are not mandatory. If you prefer “protein-first + whole foods,” you can ignore macro math and still get excellent results. Calories and consistency drive most outcomes.

How to use your TDEE result (like a coach would)

Here’s the “Omni-level” way to use this: don’t treat it as a number to obey — treat it as a hypothesis to test. The best calorie target is the one that matches your real-world trend.

• Pick a goal: maintain, cut, or bulk.
• Use the target calories from this calculator.
• Track daily weigh-ins (same time each day), then look at the weekly average.
• If weight is flat but you want to lose, reduce by 100–200 kcal/day.
• If you’re losing too fast and energy is crashing, add 100–200 kcal/day.

• “I eat perfect” but don’t measure: weigh high-calorie foods (oils, nuts, sauces).
• Weekend swing: one “untracked” meal can erase a weekly deficit.
• Water retention panic: stress, salt, and hard workouts can mask fat loss for days.
• Activity overestimate: choose one level lower if you’re unsure.

If you apply this method, this calculator becomes a reliable launchpad — and your real trend becomes the truth.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What’s the difference between BMR and TDEE?

  BMR is your calories at complete rest. TDEE includes daily activity, exercise, and digestion. TDEE is the number most people mean when they ask “How many calories should I eat per day?”

• Which activity level should I pick?

  If you sit most of the day, pick sedentary or lightly active. If you train 3–5 days/week and walk a fair amount, moderately active is common. If unsure, pick “lightly active” and calibrate after 2 weeks.

• How big of a deficit should I use for fat loss?

  A gentle deficit (−250) is easier to sustain and protects training performance. (−500) is faster but can increase hunger. For most people, consistency beats aggression.

• Why did my scale not change even though I’m “in a deficit”?

  Water retention can hide fat loss. Hard workouts, salt, stress, poor sleep, and menstrual cycle shifts can change scale weight temporarily. Use weekly averages, not single-day weigh-ins.

• Is this calculator accurate?

  It’s a strong estimate, but bodies differ. The best approach is: use this result for 10–14 days, track the trend, then adjust by small steps (100–200 kcal/day) to match your real results.

• Do I need to follow the macro split?

  No. It’s a helpful default. If you prefer a simpler rule, prioritize protein, eat mostly whole foods, and keep calories consistent.