TDEE calculator
Your maintenance calories, worked out and explained.
- Resting energy (Mifflin-St Jeor)
- 1,650 kcal
- Physical activity level
- × 1.55
- If active or moderately active
- 3,050 kcal
- If vigorous
- 3,630 kcal
For adults 18 and over. An estimate, not a measurement or medical advice: check it against your weight over two to three weeks. Pregnancy, illness and some medicines change energy needs; ask your doctor.
This TDEE calculator estimates how many calories you burn in a day: your resting energy from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, or Katch-McArdle when you know your body fat, times a physical activity level from the FAO/WHO/UNU report. The formulas and sources are below.
- Free, no sign-up
- Kilograms or pounds
- Runs in your browser; nothing is saved
How the calculator works →Coaching clients? Try Trainaq free →
What is TDEE?
TDEE, total daily energy expenditure, is the energy your body uses in a day: resting energy to keep you alive, plus everything you do, plus digesting food. Eating that many calories keeps your weight steady, which is why it is also called maintenance calories. Any calculator gives an estimate until your scale confirms it.
- Resting energy by Mifflin-St Jeor, the most reliable equation in a 2005 systematic review
- Katch-McArdle instead when you enter your body fat
- Activity levels from the FAO/WHO/UNU report on human energy requirements
- Every level shown side by side, in kilograms or pounds
How it works
How does this TDEE calculator work?
It works in two steps. First it estimates your resting energy from your sex, age, weight and height, or from your lean mass when you give your body fat. Then it multiplies that by a physical activity level, the ratio of total to resting energy measured in people with lifestyles like yours.
Estimate resting energy
Resting energy is what your body burns lying still: breathing, circulation, keeping warm. The calculator uses Mifflin-St Jeor, which needs only sex, age, weight and height. Enter your body fat and it switches to Katch-McArdle, which works from lean mass instead.
- Mifflin-St Jeor was built from measurements of 498 healthy adults
- Katch-McArdle suits lean, muscular people, if the body fat figure is good
Pick your activity level
The physical activity level (PAL) is your total energy divided by your resting energy. The FAO/WHO/UNU report groups lifestyles into three bands from measured data; the calculator uses the middle of each band, or your own value.
- Sedentary or light: PAL 1.40 to 1.69
- Active or moderately active: 1.70 to 1.99
- Vigorous: 2.00 to 2.40
Multiply the two
Resting energy times PAL is your TDEE, rounded to the nearest 10 kcal. The result also shows what you would burn at the other activity levels, so you can see how much your day, not only your training, moves the number.
- Shown in kcal a day
- Every activity level side by side
Check it against your scale
Eat close to the number for two to three weeks and weigh yourself on several mornings each week. If the weekly average holds steady, the estimate fits you. If it drifts, your real maintenance is higher or lower, and the trend tells you by how much.
- Compare weekly averages, not single days
Formulas
Which formulas does the calculator use?
Mifflin-St Jeor for resting energy, with one constant for men and another for women, and Katch-McArdle when you enter your body fat. Total energy is resting energy times the physical activity level. Weight is in kilograms and height in centimetres; the calculator converts pounds, feet and inches first.
REE = 10 × W + 6.25 × H − 5 × A + 5REE = 10 × W + 6.25 × H − 5 × A − 161REE = 370 + 21.6 × LBM, where LBM = W × (1 − BF ÷ 100)TDEE = REE × PAL- REE: resting energy expenditure in kcal a day
- W: weight in kg; H: height in cm; A: age in years
- BF: body fat in percent; LBM: lean body mass in kg
- PAL: physical activity level, total energy ÷ resting energy
Activity levels
Which activity level should I choose?
Choose by your whole day, not only your workouts. A desk job with three or four gym sessions a week is usually sedentary or light. Work on your feet, or training most days with a lot of walking, is active. Heavy manual work or hard daily training is vigorous, and few people sustain it.
| Lifestyle (FAO/WHO/UNU 2004) | PAL range | Value used here | A typical day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedentary or light | 1.40–1.69 | 1.55 | Desk or home job, little walking, some exercise |
| Active or moderately active | 1.70–1.99 | 1.85 | On your feet at work, or training most days |
| Vigorous | 2.00–2.40 | 2.20 | Heavy physical work, or hard training every day |
Source: FAO/WHO/UNU (2004), Human energy requirements, Table 5.3. The report notes that PAL values above 2.40 are difficult to maintain for long.
Worked example
What does a worked example look like?
Take a 30-year-old man who weighs 80 kg, is 180 cm tall and has a desk job with three gym sessions a week. Mifflin-St Jeor gives 10 × 80 + 6.25 × 180 − 5 × 30 + 5, which is 1,780 kcal of resting energy. At PAL 1.55 his maintenance is about 2,760 kcal a day.
- The same man at PAL 1.85 (active): about 3,290 kcal a day
- A 30-year-old woman, 60 kg and 165 cm: 1,320 kcal resting, about 2,050 kcal at PAL 1.55
- If he knows he carries 20% body fat, Katch-McArdle gives 370 + 21.6 × 64 = 1,752 kcal resting
Equations compared
How do the resting energy equations compare?
They need different inputs and suit different people. Mifflin-St Jeor needs only sex, age, weight and height and was the most reliable in a systematic review. The revised Harris-Benedict is older and usually a little higher. Katch-McArdle uses lean mass, so it is only as good as your body fat figure.
| Equation | Needs | Best for | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mifflin-St Jeor (1990) | Sex, age, weight, height | Most adults, lean or carrying extra weight | Within 10% of measured for more people than other equations (2005 review) |
| Harris-Benedict, revised (1984) | Sex, age, weight, height | Comparing with older programs and charts | Often a little higher than Mifflin-St Jeor |
| Katch-McArdle | Weight and body fat | Lean, muscular people with a measured body fat | A rough body fat figure gives a rough answer |
The BMR calculator shows all three side by side for your numbers.
Accuracy
Why might my real TDEE differ from the estimate?
Equations predict the average person with your measurements, and real people vary. The 2005 review found Mifflin-St Jeor within 10% for most, with noteworthy errors for some individuals. Older adults and some ethnic groups were under-represented in the studies, and how much you move outside the gym varies more than most people think.
- Day-to-day movement, such as walking and standing, differs a lot between people
- Thyroid conditions, some medicines, pregnancy and illness change energy needs
- Very muscular people often burn more than Mifflin-St Jeor predicts
- Measured resting energy (indirect calorimetry) removes the guesswork
Using it
How do I use my TDEE to lose or gain weight?
Eat less than your TDEE to lose weight and more to gain it. Start with a small change you can keep, weigh yourself several mornings a week and compare two- to three-week averages. If the trend does not move as planned, change your intake by 100 to 200 kcal a day and check again.
- Keep protein up while eating less: see the protein calculator
- Strength training helps keep muscle while you lose fat
- Recalculate after a large change in weight
For coaches
How do coaches use TDEE with their clients?
Coaches use TDEE as a starting point for a client’s calorie and macro targets, then adjust from real data. In Trainaq you set those targets on the client’s profile, the client logs food in the free Trainaq app, and weekly check-ins with their weight show whether the targets need to change.
- Targets keep their history, so you see what changed and when
- Clients log by search, barcode or a photo of the meal
- Each day’s log shows against the targets in force that day
Sources
Sources
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241–247.
- Frankenfield D, Roth-Yousey L, Compher C. Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate in healthy nonobese and obese adults: a systematic review. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005;105(5):775–789.
- Roza AM, Shizgal HM. The Harris Benedict equation reevaluated: resting energy requirements and the body cell mass. Am J Clin Nutr. 1984;40(1):168–182.
- Cunningham JJ. Body composition as a determinant of energy expenditure: a synthetic review and a proposed general prediction equation. Am J Clin Nutr. 1991;54(6):963–969. (The lean-mass equation, 370 + 21.6 × lean mass, used as Katch-McArdle.)
- FAO, WHO, UNU. Human energy requirements: report of a joint FAO/WHO/UNU expert consultation. Rome, 2004. Table 5.3.
FAQ
TDEE calculator FAQ
Is TDEE the same as BMR?
No. BMR, or resting energy, is what your body burns at complete rest. TDEE adds everything else: walking, working, training and digesting food. For most people TDEE is roughly 1.4 to 2.4 times their resting energy, which is exactly what the physical activity level in this calculator expresses.
Why does this calculator give more calories than some others?
Many calculators multiply resting energy by 1.2 for a sedentary person. This one uses the FAO/WHO/UNU bands, which come from measured energy expenditure and start at 1.40 for sedentary or light lifestyles. If you want the older multipliers, choose “My own PAL” and enter the value you prefer.
Should I eat the same on training days and rest days?
TDEE is a daily average across your week, so eating close to it every day works for most people. Some prefer a little more on training days and a little less on rest days. Either way, keep the weekly total near your target and judge it by your weight trend over two to three weeks.
Does the calculator work for teenagers or during pregnancy?
No. The equations were built from adults, and growth, pregnancy and breastfeeding change energy needs in ways they do not capture. Teenagers, pregnant or breastfeeding women and anyone with a medical condition affecting weight should get advice from a doctor or registered dietitian instead of using this estimate.
How often should I recalculate my TDEE?
Recalculate after a real change in your weight, roughly every 4 to 5 kg, or when your daily routine changes, such as a new job or a different training plan. Between those points, your weekly weight averages are a better guide than any formula, so adjust your intake from the trend you see.
