About this TDEE Calculator
Knowing your TDEE is the foundation of any diet plan. It combines your BMR (coma calories) with your activity level. To lose weight, you must eat below your TDEE (caloric deficit); to gain muscle, you must eat slightly above it (caloric surplus).
Who this calculator is for
- People estimating maintenance calories for cutting, maintaining, or bulking.
- Anyone turning personal stats and activity into a usable daily calorie target.
- Dieters who want a bridge between resting metabolism and practical food intake.
When to use it
- Use this calculator to estimate daily maintenance calories.
- Use it when setting first-pass calorie targets for fat loss or weight gain.
- Use it to compare how different activity levels change the calorie budget.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your personal stats (Age, Weight, etc) to estimate BMR.
- Select your Activity Level honestly (most people overestimate this).
- The result is the total calories you burn in 24 hours.
- Use the Weight Loss/Gain estimates to plan your diet.
Key assumptions
- TDEE is calculated from BMR multiplied by a broad activity factor rather than from direct energy-expenditure measurement.
- Activity categories are simplified averages and are easy to overestimate.
- Your true maintenance calories should be refined using body-weight trends over time.
Accuracy and testing
Review formula sources, default test cases, assumptions, unit handling, rounding rules, and changelog for this calculator.
How this calculator works
TDEE = BMR × Activity Factor.
* Sedentary: BMR × 1.2
* Lightly Active: BMR × 1.375
* Moderately Active: BMR × 1.55
* Very Active: BMR × 1.725
* Super Active: BMR × 1.9
Inputs explained
BMR
Basal Metabolic Rate. If you already know this, enter it. Otherwise, leave it as 0 to have it calculated from your stats.
Activity Level
Choose the category that best matches your typical week. Be honest; overestimating activity is the #1 reason diets fail.
Understanding your results
Your Maintenance Calories is the amount you can eat without gaining or losing weight. To lose 1 lb per week, subtract 500 calories. To gain 1 lb per week, add 500 calories.
Example scenarios
Office Worker
BMR 1,600. Sedentary (x1.2). TDEE = 1,920 kcal.
Construction Worker
BMR 1,800. Very Active (x1.725). TDEE = 3,105 kcal.
Key Features
- Activity Multipliers
- Bulking & Cutting Targets
- Custom BMR Input
Tips & Best Practices
- If you use a fitness tracker (like Apple Watch), do not add those 'active calories' on top of your TDEE calculation. TDEE already accounts for them.
- Recalculate your TDEE after every 5-10 lbs of weight loss, as your metabolic needs decrease with your size.
- Consistency is key. Track your intake for 2 weeks at the calculated TDEE. If weight doesn't change, the number is accurate.
Glossary of Terms
- Caloric Deficit
- Consuming fewer calories than your TDEE to induce weight loss.
- Maintenance
- Consuming calories equal to your TDEE to maintain current weight.
- Bulking
- Consuming a caloric surplus to gain muscle mass.