acalculator

What is my TDEE?

Enter your sex, age, height, weight and activity level. See how many calories you burn in a day, and how much comes from activity.

Your numbers

Units
Sex
Multiplies your BMR by 1.2, 1.375, 1.55, 1.725 or 1.9.
More options
BMR formula
Your TDEE
1,927

Your TDEE is about 1,927 calories a day: 1,401 at rest plus 526 from activity.

BMR (calories at complete rest) 1,401Added by activity 526
73% bmr (calories at complete rest)27% added by activity
BMR (calories at complete rest)
1,401
Added by activity
526
If sedentary (× 1.2)
1,682
If lightly active (× 1.375)
1,927
If moderately active (× 1.55)
2,172
If very active (× 1.725)
2,417
If extra active (× 1.9)
2,662

Your TDEE: 1,927. Your TDEE is about 1,927 calories a day: 1,401 at rest plus 526 from activity.

Where do your calories go?

This calculator gives general information only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a doctor or other health care provider. Talk with a professional about your results. Terms of use

How to calculate

Estimates total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), the calories an adult burns in a day, as basal metabolic rate times an activity factor, and shows it at every activity level.

Example with the default inputs (Sex Female, Age 30, Height 5 ft 5 in, Weight 150 lb, Activity Light: exercise 1 to 3 days, BMR formula Mifflin-St Jeor): Your TDEE is about 1,927 calories a day: 1,401 at rest plus 526 from activity.

Method: TDEE = BMR × activity factor, with BMR from Mifflin-St Jeor (10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age + 5, or − 161 for women) or the revised Harris-Benedict.

  • The formulas are for adults (Mifflin-St Jeor was fitted on people aged 19 to 78). They are not for children, pregnancy or breastfeeding.
  • Activity factors: sedentary 1.2, light 1.375, moderate 1.55, very active 1.725, extra active 1.9.
  • The activity part (rounded TDEE − rounded BMR) also holds the energy used to digest food.
  • This is an estimate for planning, not medical advice.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Sex Female, Age 30, Height 5 ft 5 in, Weight 150 lb, Activity Light: exercise 1 to 3 days, BMR formula Mifflin-St Jeor gives Your TDEE 1,926.737388, BMR (calories at complete rest) 1,401.263555, Activity 526, If sedentary (× 1.2) 1,681.516266, If moderately active (× 1.55) 2,171.95851, If very active (× 1.725) 2,417.179632, If extra active (× 1.9) 2,662.400755.Source: Mifflin et al. 1990 and the activity factors; hand calculation in content.mdx
  2. Sex Male, Age 25, Height 6 ft 0 in, Weight 176.4 lb, Activity Very active: exercise 6 to 7 days, BMR formula Mifflin-St Jeor gives BMR (calories at complete rest) 1,823.75, Your TDEE 3,145.96875, Activity 1,322.Source: Mifflin et al. 1990 and the 1.725 activity factor; hand calculation in content.mdx
  3. Sex Male, Age 50, Height 5 ft 8.9 in, Weight 198.4 lb, Activity Sedentary: little or no exercise, BMR formula Harris-Benedict gives BMR (calories at complete rest) 1,850.067, Your TDEE 2,220.0804, If extra active (× 1.9) 3,515.1273.Source: Roza and Shizgal 1984 (revised Harris-Benedict) and the activity factors; hand calculation in content.mdx

How it works

Basal metabolic rate (BMR), in calories a day, with weight in kilograms, height in centimetres and age in whole years.

Mifflin-St Jeor (1990), the default:

  • Men: BMR = 10 × weight + 6.25 × height − 5 × age + 5
  • Women: BMR = 10 × weight + 6.25 × height − 5 × age − 161

Revised Harris-Benedict (Roza and Shizgal, 1984), under "More options":

  • Men: BMR = 88.362 + 13.397 × weight + 4.799 × height − 5.677 × age
  • Women: BMR = 447.593 + 9.247 × weight + 3.098 × height − 4.330 × age

Total daily energy expenditure: TDEE = BMR × activity factor.

  • Sedentary (little or no exercise): × 1.2
  • Light (exercise 1 to 3 days a week): × 1.375
  • Moderate (exercise 3 to 5 days a week): × 1.55
  • Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week): × 1.725
  • Extra active (hard daily exercise and physical work): × 1.9

The factor is the physical activity level (PAL), defined by FAO/WHO/UNU as total daily energy expenditure divided by BMR. These five values are the multipliers most often used with the equations above. FAO/WHO/UNU puts most adults' lifestyles between PAL 1.40 and 2.40.

The calculator also shows:

  • Added by activity = TDEE rounded to a whole calorie − BMR rounded to a whole calorie (halves rounded up), so the two shown parts add up to the shown TDEE (1,401 + 526 = 1,927, not 525 from the unrounded 525.47). It includes the energy used to digest food (about 10% of the calories eaten; Westerterp, 2004) as well as movement.
  • TDEE at every activity level: BMR × 1.2, 1.375, 1.55, 1.725 and 1.9.

The chart splits your TDEE into BMR and the part activity adds.

Assumptions

  • The formulas are for adults. Mifflin-St Jeor was fitted on healthy people aged 19 to 78. They do not apply to children, or during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
  • Nothing is rounded until the result is shown, except Added by activity, which is the rounded TDEE minus the rounded BMR.
  • This calculator gives an estimate for planning. It is not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian before a large change in diet or exercise.

Worked examples by hand

A 30-year-old woman, 5 ft 5 in (165.1 cm), 150 lb (68.039 kg), lightly active. BMR = 10 × 68.039 + 6.25 × 165.1 − 5 × 30 − 161 = 1,401.26. TDEE = 1,401.26 × 1.375 = 1,926.74. Activity adds 1,927 − 1,401 = 526 (from the rounded totals; unrounded it is 525.47). At the other levels: sedentary 1,681.52, moderate 2,171.96, very active 2,417.18, extra active 2,662.40.

A 25-year-old man, 183 cm, 80 kg, very active. BMR = 800 + 1,143.75 − 125 + 5 = 1,823.75. TDEE = 1,823.75 × 1.725 = 3,145.97, of which activity adds 3,146 − 1,824 = 1,322 (from the rounded totals; unrounded it is 1,322.22).

Harris-Benedict: a 50-year-old man, 175 cm, 90 kg, sedentary. BMR = 88.362 + 13.397 × 90 + 4.799 × 175 − 5.677 × 50 = 88.362 + 1,205.73 + 839.825 − 283.85 = 1,850.07. TDEE = 1,850.07 × 1.2 = 2,220.08. If he were extra active: 1,850.07 × 1.9 = 3,515.13.

Other questions people ask

What is TDEE?

TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is the calories you burn in a day: the energy for your body at rest (basal metabolic rate, BMR), for digesting food, and for all movement and exercise. If you eat the same number of calories as your TDEE, your weight stays about the same, so TDEE is also called your maintenance calories.

How is TDEE calculated?

TDEE = BMR × activity factor. BMR comes from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (or the revised Harris-Benedict equation, under More options), and the factor goes from 1.2 for little or no exercise to 1.9 for hard daily exercise and a physical job. For example, a BMR of 1,401 calories with light activity (1.375) gives a TDEE of about 1,927 calories a day.

What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?

BMR is what your body burns at complete rest, lying still. TDEE adds everything else you do in a day. For most people TDEE is 20% to 90% above BMR, depending on activity.

Which activity level should I pick?

Count planned exercise and how much you move at work. A desk job with little exercise is sedentary; exercise on 1 to 3 days a week is light; 3 to 5 days is moderate; hard exercise on 6 or 7 days is very active. Choose extra active only if you also do physical work all day. If you are between two levels, the lower one is the safer start when you want to lose weight.

How do I use my TDEE to lose weight?

Eat fewer calories than your TDEE. A common rule is that 500 calories a day under TDEE loses about 1 pound a week. The calorie deficit calculator works out a daily target for the rate you choose.

How accurate is a TDEE calculator?

It is an estimate. Equations from height, weight, age and sex can be off by 10% or more for one person, and activity is hard to judge. Use the result as a starting point, watch your weight for two to four weeks, and adjust.