TDEE Calculator

Your TDEE is the total number of calories you burn in a day. This calculator works it out three different ways, shows where those calories actually go, and gives you your number for every activity level so you can see what an extra workout is worth.

Free3 formulaskg or lbs
Units
You are
yrs
kg
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Your TDEE

0 kcal / day

  • Resting (BMR)0
  • Movement and exercise0
  • Digesting food (about 10%)0

BMR by formula

0Mifflin–St Jeor
0Harris–Benedict
0Katch–McArdle

Your TDEE at every activity level

Same body, different weeks. This shows how much your daily burn changes depending on how much you move. Your current pick is highlighted.

Activity levelMultiplierTDEE per dayPer week

What is TDEE?

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It's every calorie your body uses in 24 hours, and it's made of a few parts:

  • BMR (basal metabolic rate). What you'd burn lying still all day: breathing, heartbeat, keeping warm, running your brain. For most people this is 60–70% of the total.
  • Everyday movement. Walking, standing, cooking, fidgeting, climbing stairs. This part varies the most from person to person.
  • Exercise. Gym sessions, sports, runs. It often matters less than people expect compared with daily movement.
  • Digesting food. Breaking down what you eat takes energy too, roughly 10% of your intake. Protein costs the most to digest.

Add them up and you get your TDEE: the number of calories that keeps your weight steady.

The three formulas, in plain words

  1. Mifflin–St Jeor

    From 1990 and the one most dietitians use today. It uses weight, height, age and sex, and studies have found it the most reliable for the general population.

  2. Harris–Benedict

    The classic from 1919, updated in 1984. Still widely used, but it usually lands a little higher than Mifflin, by roughly 5%.

  3. Katch–McArdle

    Works from lean body mass instead of total weight, so you need your body fat %. Good for lean or muscular people if your body fat estimate is decent.

TDEE questions

What is a good TDEE?

There isn't one good number. TDEE depends on your size, age, sex and how much you move. A small, mostly seated woman might burn around 1,700 calories a day, while a tall, active man can burn well over 3,000. The useful number is your own.

Which TDEE formula is the most accurate?

For most adults, Mifflin–St Jeor is the safest default. If you know your body fat percentage fairly well, Katch–McArdle can be closer, especially for lean or very muscular people. Harris–Benedict is older and tends to come out slightly higher.

Does TDEE change when I lose weight?

Yes. A smaller body burns fewer calories, so your TDEE drops as you lose weight. Recalculate after every 4 to 5 kg (about 10 lb) you lose so your target keeps up with you.

Should I eat back the calories I burn exercising?

Not if you picked an activity level that already includes your workouts. Your TDEE already counts them, so adding gym calories on top would count them twice.

How do I find my real TDEE?

Use the calculator as a starting point, then track what you eat and weigh yourself for two to three weeks. If your weight stays steady, your average daily intake is your real TDEE. If it moves, adjust by about 7,700 calories for every kilo gained or lost over that time.

Know your TDEE? Turn it into a daily target for losing or gaining weight, with protein, carbs and fat.

Open the calorie calculator