Tell us about yourself — your calorie targets update instantly as you type.
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It is the total number of calories your body burns every day — combining your resting metabolism with everything you do: walking, exercising, even digesting food.
Your TDEE is built from three components:
1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — calories burned at complete rest to keep basic life functions running. This is typically 60–70% of your total burn.
2. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) — energy used to digest and process what you eat. Roughly 10% of your intake.
3. Physical Activity — all movement, from structured exercise to daily walking. The most variable component.
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — widely regarded as the most accurate predictive formula for healthy adults — multiplied by your activity factor to estimate your TDEE.
A 30-year-old male, 180 cm, 80 kg, moderately active (3–5 days/week):
BMR = (10 × 80) + (6.25 × 180) − (5 × 30) + 5 = 1,780 kcal/day
TDEE = 1,780 × 1.55 = 2,759 kcal/day
Fat loss target = 2,759 − 500 = 2,259 kcal/day
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation (1990) is recommended by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as the most reliable formula for estimating BMR in healthy adults.
A deficit of 500 calories per day below your TDEE creates a weekly shortfall of 3,500 calories — roughly equivalent to 0.45 kg (1 lb) of fat loss per week. This is the most commonly recommended pace for sustainable fat loss.
A more aggressive deficit of 750 calories per day produces faster results (~0.68 kg/week), but increases the risk of muscle loss, fatigue, and nutrient deficiencies. It is generally not advisable to drop below 1,200 kcal/day for women or 1,500 kcal/day for men without professional guidance.
For muscle gain, a surplus of 250–400 calories per day combined with resistance training supports approximately 0.25–0.5 kg of lean mass gain per week.