TDEE Calculator
Estimate your maintenance calories and practical calorie targets for fat loss, recomposition, or gradual weight gain.
How to Read Your Result
Your TDEE is every calorie you burn in a day, and it splits into four parts: resting metabolism (BMR, about 60-70%), the energy to digest food (roughly 10%), structured exercise, and - the part most people forget - everyday movement like walking, fidgeting, and chores. This calculator estimates your BMR, then multiplies it by an activity factor. If you enter a body fat percentage, BMR uses the Katch-McArdle formula; otherwise it uses Mifflin-St Jeor.
| Activity level | Multiplier | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | x1.2 | Desk job, little or no exercise |
| Lightly active | x1.375 | Light exercise 1-3 days/week |
| Moderately active | x1.55 | Moderate exercise 3-5 days/week |
| Very active | x1.725 | Hard exercise 6-7 days/week |
| Athlete | x1.9 | Physical job or twice-daily training |
TDEE calculator for weight loss
Start with the maintenance result, then use a 250 kcal deficit for slower loss or about 500 kcal for a common weekly target. The result panel shows both. For a goal based on kilograms and weeks, continue with the Calorie Deficit Calculator.
TDEE calculator for bodybuilding
A small surplus of about 200-350 kcal above TDEE is a practical starting point for lean gains. Pair it with sufficient protein using the Protein Calculator and adjust from your 2-3 week weight trend.
TDEE formula and accuracy
TDEE equals BMR multiplied by an activity factor. The calculator uses Mifflin-St Jeor by default or Katch-McArdle when body fat is entered. Activity selection is usually the largest source of error, so choose the level that matches an average week.