TDEE Calculator
Estimate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), the calories you burn in a normal day. Eat about this much and your weight stays about the same.
Your details
Your results
Enter your age, height and weight to see your TDEE.
Your TDEE (maintenance calories)
kcal a day
Estimated energy use on a typical day.
- Resting energy (BMR)
- kcal a day
- Above resting energy
- kcal a day
| Activity level | PAL | kcal a day |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.40 | |
| Lightly active | 1.60 | |
| Active | 1.85 | |
| Very active | 2.20 |
How to use it
- Choose metric or imperial units, then enter your sex, age, height and weight.
- Pick the activity level that matches a typical week, including your job and your training.
- Read your TDEE. The breakdown shows your BMR (calories at rest) and the calories from activity.
- Not sure about your activity level? The table shows your TDEE at every level.
How it's calculated
TDEE is your basal metabolic rate (BMR) multiplied by your physical activity level (PAL).
Step 1: BMR, with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (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
Imperial inputs are converted to kg and cm first. In a 2005 systematic review, Mifflin-St Jeor was the most accurate of the common equations for healthy adults, including older ones such as Harris-Benedict. The original study included adults aged 19 to 78.
Step 2: multiply by your activity level
The activity levels use physical activity level (PAL) values from the FAO/WHO/UNU report on human energy requirements. It puts lifestyles that adults can keep up long term between PAL 1.40 and 2.40:
| Activity level | PAL used | FAO/WHO/UNU range |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.40 | Sedentary or light activity: 1.40–1.69 |
| Lightly active | 1.60 | Sedentary or light activity: 1.40–1.69 |
| Active | 1.85 | Active or moderately active: 1.70–1.99 |
| Very active | 2.20 | Vigorous or vigorously active: 2.00–2.40 |
Example: a 30-year-old man, 180 cm and 80 kg, has a BMR of 1,780 kcal. Lightly active, his TDEE is 1,780 × 1.60 = 2,848, shown as 2,850 kcal a day. Results are rounded to 10 kcal, because the equations aren’t more precise than that.
Many calculators use a sedentary factor of 1.2. The FAO/WHO/UNU data puts even sedentary adults at 1.40 or higher, so this calculator starts there.
Sources
- Mifflin, M. D., St Jeor, S. T., Hill, L. A., Scott, B. J., Daugherty, S. A., & Koh, Y. O. (1990). A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 51(2), 241–247.
- FAO/WHO/UNU (2004). Human energy requirements: report of a Joint FAO/WHO/UNU Expert Consultation, Rome, 17–24 October 2001. FAO Food and Nutrition Technical Report Series 1. Table 5.3.
- Frankenfield, D., Roth-Yousey, L., & Compher, C. (2005). Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate in healthy nonobese and obese adults: a systematic review. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 105(5), 775–789.
Questions
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
It's an estimate. Even the best BMR equations are more than 10% off for some people, and activity is harder to pin down still. Use it as a starting point, track your weight for two to three weeks, and adjust if your weight moves when you don't want it to.
Which activity level should I pick?
Think of your whole week, not just your workouts. Training adds less than most people expect, so a desk job with three or four workouts a week is usually "Lightly active". If you're between two levels, pick the lower one and adjust later.
What's the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is what your body burns at complete rest. TDEE adds everything you do on top of that, from walking and work to training. TDEE is the number to use for eating.
Why does the calculator ask for my sex?
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation has a separate version for men and women, because on average they burn a different amount at the same height, weight and age.
Updated October 24, 2026.