TDEE Calculator
Find out exactly how many calories your body burns each day, then get your cutting, maintenance and bulking targets with a full macro breakdown. Free, instant, and no sign-up – everything runs in your browser.
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Your daily calories
Calories and macros by goal
Protein is set at 1 g per pound of body weight, fat at 25% of calories, carbs fill the rest.
What is TDEE?
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure – the total number of calories you burn in a day once you add movement on top of your resting metabolism. It is the single most useful number in nutrition: eat at your TDEE and your weight stays put, eat below it and you lose fat, eat above it and you gain.
How this calculator works
We first estimate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the formula the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics rates as the most accurate for healthy adults:
Men: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5Women: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161
Your BMR is then multiplied by an activity factor (1.2 for sedentary up to 1.9 for extra active) to get your TDEE. Cutting calories are set 500 kcal below maintenance (about 1 lb / 0.45 kg of fat loss per week) and bulking calories 300 kcal above, for lean gains with minimal fat.
How accurate is it?
Any formula gives a starting estimate, not a lab measurement – real-world accuracy is usually within 10%. Treat the result as week one of an experiment: eat at the target for two weeks, track your morning weight, and adjust by 100-200 kcal if the scale does not move the way you expect.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I recalculate my TDEE?
Every time your weight changes by about 10 lb (4-5 kg), or when your activity level changes. A smaller body burns fewer calories, so targets drift as you lose or gain.
Should I eat back the calories I burn exercising?
If you already counted your workouts in the activity level, no – that would double-count them. Pick the activity level that includes your training and eat the number the calculator gives you.
Why is my TDEE lower than my fitness watch says?
Wearables often overestimate active calorie burn by 20-50%. Trust the scale trend over two to three weeks more than any single number from a watch or a formula.
What is the minimum calorie intake I should not go below?
A common clinical floor is 1,200 kcal/day for women and 1,500 kcal/day for men without medical supervision. This calculator will not suggest targets below those floors.
Is Mifflin-St Jeor better than Harris-Benedict?
For modern populations, yes – studies show Mifflin-St Jeor predicts resting metabolism within about 10% for most people, and it is the equation recommended by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.