Painless TDEE Calculator
Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure instantly
TDEE Calculator
Be honest! Most people overestimate activity. If unsure, choose 'Sedentary'.
Your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the Holy Grail of weight management. It reveals exactly how many calories you burn every single day based on your unique body composition and lifestyle.
How to Use This TDEE Calculator
- 1Input your age, gender, height, and weight.
- 2Select your activity level honestly.
- 3Click Calculate to find your maintenance calories.
- 4Use the provided targets to create a custom diet plan.
Understanding Your Results
The result is your maintenance calories. To lose weight, subtract 500 calories (Safe Loss). To gain muscle, add 250-500 calories (Lean Bulking). Your TDEE changes as your weight changes, so recalculate often.
Frequently Asked Questions
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It represents the total number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period, accounting for your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), activity level, exercise, and the thermic effect of food.
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the energy required for basic life functions like breathing and circulation while at complete rest. TDEE is your BMR plus all the calories you burn from movement and daily life. TDEE is always higher than BMR.
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is widely considered the most accurate for the general population. The Katch-McArdle formula is even more precise for athletes who know their exact body fat percentage. Our calculator uses Mifflin-St Jeor as the standard.
No. Your TDEE is your 'maintenance calories'—the amount you need to eat to stay the same weight. To lose weight, you must eat *below* your TDEE (a calorie deficit). To gain weight, you eat *above* your TDEE.
Yes. Your actual energy expenditure fluctuates daily based on how much you move (NEAT). However, for diet planning, it is best to use an *average* TDEE based on your general activity level rather than recalculating it every single day.
Most people overestimate their activity. If you have a desk job and lift weights 3x a week, choose 'Lightly Active' or 'Moderately Active', not 'Very Active'. 'Very Active' is typically reserved for construction workers or athletes training twice a day.
A smaller body requires less energy to move. Additionally, your body undergoes 'metabolic adaptation' to conserve energy when food is scarce. This is why you must periodically recalculate your TDEE and adjust your intake as you get lighter.
TEF is the energy your body uses to digest, absorb, and store nutrients. It accounts for about 10% of your TDEE. Protein has a high TEF (up to 30%), meaning eating more protein can slightly increase your daily calorie burn.
Yes! The most effective way to increase your TDEE is to increase your movement (NEAT) by walking more and to build muscle mass. Muscle tissue burns slightly more calories at rest than fat tissue, raising your BMR.
Generally, men have a higher TDEE than women of the same weight because men tend to have more muscle mass and less body fat. The TDEE formula includes a gender variable to account for these physiological differences.