Find your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) — the calories you burn each day — using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. Get instant calorie targets for cutting, maintenance and bulking, plus protein, carb and fat macros.
Your TDEE (maintenance calories)
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BMR: —
🔥 Cutting
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TDEE − 500 kcal/day ≈ 0.5 kg fat loss / week
⚖️ Maintenance
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Eat at TDEE weight stays stable
💪 Bulking
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TDEE + 300 kcal/day lean muscle gain
Daily macros (at maintenance)
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Uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the most validated BMR formula. TDEE is an estimate — real burn varies with genetics, sleep and daily movement. Macros: protein 2 g per kg body weight, fat 25% of calories, remaining calories from carbs. This is general information, not medical advice.
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is every calorie your body burns in 24 hours: your basal metabolic rate (BMR — the energy to keep you alive at rest), plus the thermic effect of food, plus all movement from workouts to walking to fidgeting. Your TDEE is the single number that decides whether you lose, maintain or gain weight.
How the calculation works
First the calculator estimates your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which uses your weight, height, age and sex. Then it multiplies BMR by an activity factor (1.2 for sedentary up to 1.9 for very active) to get your TDEE. The cutting target subtracts 500 kcal for roughly half a kilo of fat loss per week; the bulking target adds 300 kcal for lean muscle gain with minimal fat.
How to use your TDEE
To lose fat: eat at the cutting target, keep protein high (about 2 g per kg), and track your weight for 2–3 weeks before adjusting.
To maintain: eat near your TDEE; small day-to-day swings are normal.
To build muscle: eat at the bulking target with progressive strength training.
Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total number of calories you burn in a day, including your basal metabolic rate plus all activity — exercise, walking, work and digestion. It decides whether you gain, lose or maintain weight.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
A safe guideline is to eat about 300–500 calories below your TDEE, which leads to roughly 0.25–0.5 kg of fat loss per week. Use this calculator, pick the Cutting target, and stay consistent.
What is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation?
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is the most widely used and validated formula for estimating BMR from weight, height, age and sex. This calculator uses it and then multiplies by your activity level to get TDEE.
Is this TDEE calculator free?
Yes. It is 100% free with no signup required.
What activity factor should I choose?
Be honest about your whole week, not your best day: 1.2 for a desk job with no exercise, 1.375 for 1–3 light sessions, 1.55 for 3–5 moderate sessions, 1.725 for hard training 6–7 days, 1.9 for physical labour plus training. When between two levels, pick the lower one — most people overestimate.
How fast can I safely lose weight?
About 0.5–1% of body weight per week — for most people that is 0.5 kg/week via a ~500 kcal daily deficit (3,500 kcal/week ÷ 7,700 kcal per kg of fat). Faster deficits cost disproportionately more muscle and are harder to sustain.
Does TDEE already include my exercise calories?
Yes — that is exactly what the activity multiplier covers. BMR is your at-rest burn; the multiplier adds all movement including workouts. Do not add workout calories on top of your TDEE, or you will double-count and erase your deficit.
How TDEE is calculated
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the number of calories your body burns in 24 hours — everything from keeping your heart beating to your evening walk. It is built in two stages: first estimate your BMR (basal metabolic rate: calories burned at complete rest), then multiply by an activity factor that accounts for movement and exercise.
The formulas, with every variable defined
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation (the most validated BMR formula): 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: 1.2 sedentary (desk job, no exercise), 1.375 light (1–3 days/week), 1.55 moderate (3–5 days/week), 1.725 very active (6–7 days/week), 1.9 extra active (physical job + training).
Worked example
A 30-year-old man, 80 kg, 178 cm: BMR = 10 × 80 + 6.25 × 178 − 5 × 30 + 5 = 800 + 1,112.5 − 150 + 5 = 1,768 kcal. Moderately active (1.55): TDEE = 1,768 × 1.55 ≈ 2,740 kcal/day. To lose about 0.5 kg per week, eat ~500 kcal less (2,240 kcal), since 1 kg of body fat stores roughly 7,700 kcal. To gain, add 300–500 kcal.
Practical tips and limits
The activity factor is where most people go wrong — be honest: a desk job with three gym sessions is “light,” not “very active.” Recalculate every 5 kg of weight change, because a lighter body burns less. And treat TDEE as a starting estimate: track weight for 2–3 weeks at the calculated intake and adjust ±200 kcal based on the real trend. It is a compass, not a scale.
Why weight loss stalls: metabolic adaptation
Eat at a deficit long enough and the body pushes back — adaptive thermogenesis: BMR drifts down beyond what the smaller body alone explains, spontaneous movement (fidgeting, posture) quietly drops, and hunger hormones rise. This is the plateau almost every dieter meets at 8–12 weeks. The evidence-backed responses: take a diet break (1–2 weeks at maintenance calories, which partially restores hormone levels), keep protein high (~1.6–2.2 g per kg) and keep lifting to defend muscle, and add steps rather than slashing food further — you cannot cut your way out of adaptation, but you can move your way through it. Then re-run this calculator at your new weight and set the next deficit from there.