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Total daily energy (TDEE)

TDEE Calculator: Total Daily Energy Expenditure & Maintenance Calories

Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure.

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01

Demographics

18–80 yr

ftin
02

BMR formula

Mifflin-St Jeor: 1674 · Harris-Benedict: 1733 · Katch-McArdle: 1663 kcal

03

Activity & goal

Moderate: Exercise 4–5 times/week

04

Energy budget

Total daily energy expenditure about 2594 kilocalories. BMR about 1674. Target calories 2594. Maintenance intake matches TDEE. TDEE split: BMR 65 percent, activity 25 percent, thermic effect of food about 10 percent.

BMR
1674 kcal

Resting floor

Target
2594 kcal

Maintenance

Activity + NEAT661 kcal
TEF (~10%)259 kcal

TDEE split

BMR 65%

Activity 25%

TEF 10%

BMR & TDEE

BMR is energy at rest; TDEE scales it by activity. TEF (~10% of intake) is modeled in the split above. Mifflin-St Jeor is a common default; Harris-Benedict and Katch-McArdle suit some users better.

Activity multipliers

Sedentary through “extra active” map to standard PAL factors. Treat outputs as estimates, metabolism and logging error vary.

TDEE & Metabolic Intelligence

TDEE is how many calories a full day of living (work, chores, workouts, even fidgeting) adds up to. The short notes below mirror the fields in the panel: why each dial matters, and how to read the chart without treating any single number as fate.

Metabolic Intelligence

Why your BMR line matters

Every estimate starts from what you would burn at rest; that is your BMR floor.
The formula dropdown lets you compare Mifflin-St Jeor, Harris-Benedict, and Katch-McArdle without retyping stats. When body fat is believable, Katch leans on lean mass; when you would rather not guess, Mifflin is still the default most coaches trust for healthy adults.

Making activity feel honest

The activity field is usually where optimism sneaks in.
Pick the tier that matches last month, not your January resolution: “moderate” really means several real workouts across the week, not a desk job plus one yoga class. A maintenance number only helps if it reflects how you actually move.

Why digestion shows up as its own slice

Turning food into fuel is not free: about a tenth of intake ends up as heat and metabolic work (TEF).
Showing TEF beside resting burn and movement finishes the picture the donut chart draws: where your day’s calories go before they ever hit “steps taken.”

Cutting, maintenance, and bulking presets

Maintenance sits on your TDEE line. Rough cutting trims ~500 kcal for a pace many adults can sustain; rough bulking adds ~300 so weight gain does not sprint ahead of muscle.
Treat those targets as conversation starters. Tweak when the scale, gym log, or energy says the story changed.

TDEE Calculator: Total Daily Energy Expenditure & Maintenance Calories

Estimate maintenance calories from your stats and activity. Covers the expenditure formula, BMR vs TDEE for weight loss, trainer-style defaults. No sign-up; everything runs in your browser.

What is TDEE, and how is it estimated here?

Purpose & outputs

Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is what you burn across a full day. We start from BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor, Harris-Benedict, or Katch-McArdle), multiply by how active your week actually is, then layer in a rough thermic effect of food (~10%) so the donut chart shows where the kilocalories go, not just one headline total.

You walk away with resting burn, movement and NEAT, digestion (TEF), maintenance TDEE, and optional cutting or bulking targets. Swap formulas in the dropdown when you want to see how sensitive the math is, especially after you add body fat for Katch-McArdle. Nothing is uploaded; the math stays in your browser.

The bookkeeping line is straightforward: TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier. Read that TDEE as rough maintenance: the intake that tends to hold weight steady when nothing dramatic changes. Slide below it for fat loss, above it for intentional gain; the presets (−500 / +300) are coarse handles, not commandments.

Quick numbers so the multiplier clicks: Say BMR lands near 1,650 kcal. Sedentary (1.2) puts maintenance around 1,980 kcal; moderate (1.55) lifts the same person toward 2,560 kcal; same height and weight on the form, different real-life week.

Need every activity factor written out (1.2 through 2.0)? That table lives once in the FAQ so we are not duplicating it here.

Real people drift outside any equation: sleep, stress, meds, and training age all nudge metabolism. Treat the output as a starting point you test with food and movement, not a lab verdict. For clinical nutrition care, lean on a registered dietitian or physician. The FAQ covers typical accuracy bands if you want the detail without repeating it here.

  • Who this helps

    Most people land here because they want a maintenance calorie figure that is not borrowed from a generic chart. You enter your weight, height, age, sex, and how active your typical week actually is, then get a number you can road-test for a few weeks, adjusting later based on weight trend and how you feel, because no formula knows your hormones, medications, or training history.

    Use it when you are estimating a modest calorie deficit or surplus, comparing how much your numbers move between Mifflin-St Jeor, Harris-Benedict, and Katch-McArdle, or trying Katch-McArdle once you have a reasonable body-fat estimate. Think of it as planning and education rather than a prescription. For personalized medical nutrition guidance, check in with a registered dietitian or your clinician.

How to use the tool

Select your sex, then enter age, height, and weight in whichever units you prefer. Pick a BMR formula (Mifflin-St Jeor is the everyday default) and add body fat if you want Katch-McArdle. For activity, match the dropdown to your honest week; each option spells out what “sedentary” through “extra active” means so you are not guessing from memory. Set Cutting, Maintain, or Bulking to translate TDEE into a daily target, read the split chart, then revisit whenever weight or training changes enough to matter.

Which BMR Formula Is Most Accurate? Mifflin-St Jeor, Harris-Benedict, Katch-McArdle

Which BMR formula is most accurate? Mifflin-St Jeor ships as the default here and lands within about ±10% for most adults. Harris-Benedict (Revised) tracks closely. Katch-McArdle leans on lean body mass from body fat % and tends to suit very muscular builds. Muscle raises resting burn, so Katch-McArdle often reads higher for lean athletes. Swap among all three in the dropdown and compare live.

TDEE Calculator FAQ

Why is my TDEE different from my BMR?

BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the energy you burn at rest to maintain vital functions, the "floor" of your needs. TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is BMR multiplied by an activity factor (e.g. 1.2 for sedentary, 1.55 for moderate exercise). So TDEE is always higher than BMR unless you are completely bedbound. The breakdown below ties together BMR with activity and the thermic effect of food so you can see how they stack into TDEE.

Which BMR formula is most accurate?

Mifflin-St Jeor is the default and is accurate within ±10% for most people. Harris-Benedict (Revised) is similar. Katch-McArdle uses lean body mass (from body fat %) and can be more accurate for people with higher muscle mass. You can flip between Mifflin-St Jeor, Harris-Benedict, and Katch-McArdle (with optional body fat %) to compare and choose.

How does muscle mass affect TDEE?

Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat. Higher lean body mass raises BMR and therefore TDEE. The Katch-McArdle formula uses lean body mass instead of total weight, so it can give a higher (and often more accurate) BMR for muscular individuals. Turn on body fat % when you want to run Katch-McArdle.

How is TDEE calculated?

TDEE is calculated as BMR × activity multiplier. Once BMR is found (e.g. Mifflin-St Jeor: 10×weight(kg) + 6.25×height(cm) − 5×age + 5 for men, −161 for women), it is multiplied by a factor from 1.2 (sedentary) to 2.0 (extra active). The thermic effect of food is estimated at ~10% of total energy. Your results include BMR, activity component, TEF, and TDEE (maintenance), plus optional weight-goal shifts (cutting −500, bulking +300).

What is the total daily energy expenditure formula?

The total daily energy expenditure formula is TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier. BMR comes from Mifflin-St Jeor, Harris-Benedict, or Katch-McArdle. Activity multipliers: Sedentary 1.2, Light 1.375, Moderate 1.55, Active 1.725, Very Active 1.9, Extra Active 2.0. Those factors feed the model, which also layers on a ~10% thermic effect of food estimate.

How do I calculate maintenance calories?

Maintenance calories are your TDEE, the calories needed to maintain your current weight. Find your BMR with Mifflin-St Jeor, Harris-Benedict, or Katch-McArdle, then multiply by your activity level; that product is TDEE (maintenance). For weight loss, eat below TDEE; for gain, eat above.

BMR vs TDEE for weight loss?

BMR is the minimum your body needs at rest; TDEE is your total burn including activity. For weight loss, create a deficit below TDEE (e.g. 500 kcal/day for ~1 lb/week), not below BMR. Eating below BMR long-term can harm metabolism and energy. You will see both figures together, plus a "Cutting" preset that subtracts 500 kcal from TDEE.

Sources & citations

References used for the calculation method and definitions. Links open in a new tab when available.

[1]
Mifflin MD et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241-247

Mifflin-St Jeor equation for BMR, the default formula used to calculate TDEE in this tool.

[2]
Harris JA, Benedict FG. A Biometric Study of Human Basal Metabolism. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 1918;4(12):370-373

Original Harris-Benedict equation; revised 1984 version by Roza and Shizgal is the alternative BMR formula offered.

Fitness Reference Note

Informational Use: These calculations (BMI, Calories, etc.) are based on standard statistical formulas and are intended for general reference and goal-setting purposes only.

Consult Experts: This tool does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Results may not be accurate for athletes, pregnant individuals, or those with underlying health conditions.

Health Safety: Always consult with a healthcare professional or qualified trainer before beginning any new diet or intensive exercise program.

Privacy First: All calculations are performed locally in your browser. No health data is stored or transmitted to any server.

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