Calculate your TDEE. Understand how many calories you burn daily from exercise and lifestyle.
Daily calories to maintain weight
This guide is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. See our Disclaimer and consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet or exercise routine.
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns over a full 24-hour day. It represents everything from the energy needed to keep your heart beating to the calories spent walking to work and finishing a workout. Because it captures your complete daily energy output, TDEE is the single most useful number for deciding how much to eat, whether your goal is to lose fat, maintain your weight, or build muscle.
TDEE is made up of four components, each contributing a different share of the total:
This calculator uses a two-step process that is widely used by nutrition professionals. First it estimates your BMR using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which research has found to be one of the most reliable formulas for the general population. Then it multiplies your BMR by an activity multiplier that reflects how much you move throughout the day:
| Activity Level | Multiplier | Who It Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Desk job, little or no exercise |
| Lightly Active | 1.375 | Light exercise 1-3 days per week |
| Moderately Active | 1.55 | Moderate exercise 3-5 days per week |
| Very Active | 1.725 | Hard exercise 6-7 days per week |
| Super Active | 1.9 | Physical job plus daily training |
The formula is simply TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier. Most people overestimate how active they are, so if you sit for work and train a few times a week, "Lightly Active" or "Moderately Active" is usually more honest than "Very Active."
Getting your number takes just a few seconds:
Your TDEE updates automatically in the Results panel. That figure is your estimated maintenance calories, the amount that keeps your weight stable.
Take a 30-year-old man who weighs 176 lbs (80 kg) and is 71 inches (180 cm) tall. Using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, his BMR works out to roughly 1,780 calories per day. Suppose he trains three to four times a week and is otherwise moderately active, so he selects the 1.55 multiplier:
From here he can set a goal. To lose about 1 lb of fat per week, he subtracts roughly 500 calories and eats around 2,260 calories. To gain weight gradually, he adds a modest surplus of 250-500 calories and eats around 3,000-3,260 calories, pairing that with resistance training to favor muscle over fat.
Your TDEE is your maintenance level, and your goal decides how you adjust from there:
Avoid extreme deficits. Cutting calories too aggressively can cost you muscle, leave you tired, and make the plan hard to sustain. Federal dietary guidance and weight-management resources generally recommend gradual, moderate changes. If you have a medical condition or take medication, talk to a healthcare professional before making big changes.
Every TDEE calculator produces an estimate built on population averages, and your personal number can differ by around 10% or more. Muscle mass, genetics, hormones, sleep, and day-to-day NEAT all move the figure up or down. Because of this, the smartest approach is to treat your result as a starting point and let real-world data fine-tune it.
Pick your target calories, stay consistent, and track your weight over 2 to 3 weeks, ideally as a weekly average to smooth out daily fluctuations from water and food. If you are trying to lose weight but the scale hasn't moved, your true TDEE is likely lower than estimated, so trim intake slightly. If you are losing faster than planned or feel drained, nudge calories back up. This feedback loop is far more accurate than any formula on its own.
TDEE builds directly on your BMR, which is the resting foundation the activity multiplier scales up. Once you know your maintenance number, the calorie calculator helps you set a specific deficit or surplus for your goal, and the macro calculator splits those calories into protein, carbohydrates, and fats so your diet supports energy, recovery, and muscle retention.
Now that you have your maintenance number, create a plan.
TDEE calculators provide an estimate based on averages. Your actual TDEE can vary by +/- 10% due to genetics, N.E.A.T. (fidgeting), and hormonal status. Use the result as a starting point and adjust based on your real-world weight changes.
No. Your TDEE is your maintenance level. To lose weight, you must eat *below* your TDEE (typically 500 calories less). To gain muscle, you eat *above* your TDEE.
Most people overestimate their activity. If you work a desk job and lift weights 3 times a week, you are likely 'Lightly Active' or 'Moderately Active', not 'Very Active'.
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the energy your body burns at complete rest just to keep organs working. TDEE is your BMR multiplied by an activity factor, so it also accounts for digestion, daily movement, and exercise. TDEE is always higher than BMR, and it is the number you use to plan how much to eat.
One pound of body fat is roughly 3,500 calories, so a deficit of about 500 calories per day averages close to one pound of loss per week. Subtract 500 from your TDEE for a steady, sustainable rate. Avoid deficits larger than about 20-25% of your TDEE, which can cause muscle loss, low energy, and rebound eating.
Recalculate whenever your weight changes by roughly 10 pounds or your activity level shifts, since both change how many calories you burn. As you lose weight your TDEE drops, which is why progress often slows and you may need to adjust your intake again.
No. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation adds 5 for men and subtracts 161 for women, reflecting average differences in body composition. Two people of the same height, weight, and age will get different TDEE values based on sex, and individual muscle mass shifts the real number further.
The information on this page is based on guidance from the following authoritative sources:
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