# What is my TDEE?

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.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/health/tdee-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/health/tdee-calculator.json
- Version: d3be206f77ec

## Default answer

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.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| sex | Sex | Sex at birth, which the body formulas use. |
| age | Age | Your age in whole years. |
| height | Height | Your height without shoes. |
| weight | Weight | Your body weight. |
| activity | Activity | How active you are in a usual week, which sets the multiplier on your BMR. |
| formula | BMR formula | The equation for basal metabolic rate: Mifflin-St Jeor (1990) or the revised Harris-Benedict (1984). |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| tdee | Your TDEE | Total daily energy expenditure: BMR × activity factor, in calories a day. |
| bmr | BMR (calories at complete rest) | Basal metabolic rate: the calories a day your body uses at rest. |
| activity | Added by activity | The calories a day that activity adds to your BMR: TDEE − BMR, each rounded to a whole calorie first. |
| sedentary | If sedentary (× 1.2) | TDEE with the sedentary factor, 1.2. |
| light | If lightly active (× 1.375) | TDEE with the light activity factor, 1.375. |
| moderate | If moderately active (× 1.55) | TDEE with the moderate activity factor, 1.55. |
| very | If very active (× 1.725) | TDEE with the very active factor, 1.725. |
| extra | If extra active (× 1.9) | TDEE with the extra active factor, 1.9. |

## 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.

## Assumptions

- 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.

## Worked examples

1. sex = female, age = 30, height = 1.651, weight = 68.038856, activity = light, formula = mifflin gives tdee = 1,926.737388, bmr = 1,401.263555, activity = 526, sedentary = 1,681.516266, moderate = 2,171.95851, very = 2,417.179632, extra = 2,662.400755. Source: Mifflin et al. 1990 and the activity factors; hand calculation in content.mdx.
2. sex = male, age = 25, height = 1.83, weight = 80, activity = very, formula = mifflin gives bmr = 1,823.75, 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 = 1.75, weight = 90, activity = sedentary, formula = harris gives bmr = 1,850.067, tdee = 2,220.0804, extra = 3,515.1273. Source: Roza and Shizgal 1984 (revised Harris-Benedict) and the activity factors; hand calculation in content.mdx.

## FAQ

### 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.

## Sources

- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241-247. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/51.2.241
- Roza AM, Shizgal HM. The Harris Benedict equation reevaluated: resting energy requirements and the body cell mass. Am J Clin Nutr. 1984;40(1):168-182. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/40.1.168
- Frankenfield D, Roth-Yousey L, Compher C. Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate in healthy nonobese and obese adults: a systematic review. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005;105(5):775-789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2005.02.005
- FAO/WHO/UNU. Human energy requirements (2004), section 5.3.1, Classification of physical activity levels (PAL = TEE ÷ BMR). https://www.fao.org/4/y5686e/y5686e07.htm
- Westerterp KR. Diet induced thermogenesis. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2004;1(1):5. https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-1-5