TDEE Calculator: Your Maintenance Calories and BMR
Enter sex, age, height, weight and activity level to get your BMR and TDEE (maintenance calories), with a row for every activity level. Works in kg or lb.
Short answer
TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is an estimate of how many calories you burn in a day. Eat about that much and your weight should stay roughly where it is. The calculator works out your BMR (the energy you burn at rest) with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and multiplies it by an activity factor.
Example with made-up numbers: a 30-year-old man, 180 cm and 80 kg, has a BMR of 1,780 kcal. With moderate activity (× 1.55), his TDEE is about 2,760 kcal a day.
The formula
Mifflin-St Jeor comes from resting energy measured in 498 healthy adults aged 19 to 78, both normal weight and obese (Mifflin et al., 1990):
- Men: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5
- Women: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age − 161
Then TDEE = BMR × activity factor. If you enter pounds or feet and inches, the calculator converts them first.
Activity level | Typical week | Factor | Example TDEE |
|---|---|---|---|
Sedentary | desk job, little or no exercise | 1.2 | 2,140 kcal |
Light | exercise 1 to 3 days | 1.375 | 2,450 kcal |
Moderate | exercise 3 to 5 days | 1.55 | 2,760 kcal |
Very active | hard exercise 6 to 7 days | 1.725 | 3,070 kcal |
Extra active | hard training plus a physical job | 1.9 | 3,380 kcal |
The example column uses the 1,780 kcal BMR from above, rounded to the nearest 10. For a woman of 30, 165 cm and 60 kg, the BMR is 600 + 1,031 − 150 − 161 = about 1,320 kcal, and with light activity her TDEE comes to about 1,820 kcal.
How to use your TDEE
Under the result you also get two quick targets: about 20% below your TDEE if you want to lose weight and about 10% above if you want to gain. For the example man, that is roughly 2,210 and 3,030 kcal a day. The macro and calorie deficit calculators take it from there.
Treat the number as a first guess and let your scale correct it:
- Eat close to your TDEE for two to three weeks.
- Weigh yourself a few mornings a week, at the same time, and look at the weekly average rather than single days.
- If the average keeps dropping, your real maintenance is higher than the estimate. If it keeps rising, it is lower. Move your intake by 100 to 200 kcal and check again.
If you can't decide between two activity levels, start with the lower one. Your training sessions are only an hour or so of the day; the rest of the day, how much you walk and move counts as well.
Limits of the estimate
In a systematic review, Mifflin-St Jeor predicted resting metabolic rate within 10% of the measured value in more people than the other common equations, both in nonobese and obese adults. The same review warns that errors can still be large for some individuals and that older adults and some ethnic groups were underrepresented in the studies (Frankenfield et al., 2005). A 10% miss on a 1,780 kcal BMR is about 180 kcal, and the activity factor multiplies it.
The equation also ignores body composition. Two people with the same weight, height and age get the same BMR even if one carries much more muscle. And the activity levels are wide bands, so where you fall inside a band is a judgement call.
This page gives general information. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition or have had an eating disorder, talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian before you change how much you eat.
Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
TDEE stands for total daily energy expenditure: the calories you burn in a day, including rest, daily movement and exercise. Eating about your TDEE keeps your weight roughly stable.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is what you burn at complete rest. TDEE adds everything you do on top of that, so the calculator multiplies BMR by an activity factor between 1.2 and 1.9.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
It is a starting estimate. Mifflin-St Jeor is the equation most often within 10% of measured resting energy, but it can miss by more, so check the estimate against your weight trend over two to three weeks.
Which activity level should I choose?
Pick the one that matches your whole week, not only your workouts. If you are between two levels, start with the lower one and adjust after a few weeks.
Should I eat my TDEE to lose weight?
No. Eating your TDEE keeps your weight stable. To lose weight you eat below it; the calculator shows a target about 20% lower, and the calorie deficit calculator lets you choose a weekly pace.
This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to a professional about your own situation.