Body Metrics Guide
How to Calculate TDEE and Maintenance Calories
To calculate TDEE, estimate your basal metabolic rate with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiply it by an activity factor from 1.2 to 1.9. The result is your total daily energy expenditure, the calories that hold your weight steady, also called your maintenance calories. Eat below it to lose weight and above it to gain. TDEE is a validated estimate, usually within about 10 percent of your true number.
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TDEE and Maintenance Calories Calculator
Enter your details for your maintenance calories at every activity level, plus quick deficit and surplus targets.
Estimate your maintenance caloriesWhat is TDEE?
TDEE stands for total daily energy expenditure: every calorie your body burns in a full day. It has several parts. The largest is your basal metabolic rate, the energy used at complete rest to run your heart, brain, and organs. On top of that sit the energy cost of digesting food, the calories from everyday movement like walking and fidgeting, and the calories from deliberate exercise. Add them together and you get TDEE, the number of calories that keeps your weight stable. That is why maintenance calories and TDEE are two names for the same thing.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is what you would burn lying still all day; TDEE is BMR plus digestion, movement, and exercise, so it is always higher. A common mistake is to eat at BMR thinking it is maintenance, which creates an unintentionally large deficit. You get from one to the other by multiplying BMR by an activity factor. Because activity is the biggest variable between two people of the same size, the same BMR can produce a 500-calorie range of TDEE depending on how active someone is.
How TDEE is calculated
We use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (1990), which research finds is the most accurate general BMR formula for healthy adults. If you enter a body fat percentage, the calculator switches to the Katch-McArdle equation, which is based on lean mass and can be more accurate for lean or muscular people. The activity factor comes from the table below. Full derivations are on the methodology page.
Which activity multiplier should you use?
| Activity level | Multiplier | Typical week |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.20 | Desk job, little planned exercise |
| Light | 1.375 | Light exercise 1 to 3 days |
| Moderate | 1.55 | Exercise 3 to 5 days |
| Very active | 1.725 | Hard exercise 6 to 7 days |
| Extra active | 1.90 | Physical job or two-a-day training |
Be honest and slightly conservative. Overstating activity is the single most common error and produces a maintenance figure that is too high to lose weight on. If you are between two levels, choose the lower one and adjust upward only if the scale says you should.
Worked example
Worked example
Take a 30-year-old man who weighs 75 kg, stands 178 cm tall, and exercises lightly. His BMR is (10 × 75) + (6.25 × 178) − (5 × 30) + 5 = 750 + 1112.5 − 150 + 5, about 1718 calories. Multiplying by the light activity factor of 1.375 gives a TDEE of roughly 2362 calories a day. To lose about half a kilogram a week he would eat near 1862; to gain slowly he would eat near 2612 to 2862. Everything starts from that 2362 anchor.
How to use your TDEE
Your TDEE is the anchor; your goal decides what you do with it. For fat loss, subtract 250 to 500 calories and use the calorie deficit calculator for a dated plan. For a lean gain, add 250 to 500 and use the weight gain calculator. Whatever the goal, split the calories into macros and make sure protein is adequate. Then treat the number as a hypothesis: hold it for two to three weeks, watch the trend, and adjust by 100 to 200 calories based on what actually happens.
A second example: a more active person
Activity changes the answer more than most people expect. Take a 40-year-old woman who weighs 68 kg, stands 170 cm, and trains hard six days a week. Her BMR is (10 × 68) + (6.25 × 170) − (5 × 40) − 161 = 680 + 1062.5 − 200 − 161, about 1382 calories. Multiplying by the very-active factor of 1.725 gives a TDEE near 2384 calories a day, roughly the same as the lightly-active man in the first example despite her lower BMR, purely because she trains far more.
Now imagine she overestimated and picked "extra active" (1.9) instead. Her TDEE would jump to about 2626, a 240-calorie difference from one dropdown. If she then set a deficit from the wrong maintenance, her "500 calorie deficit" would really be only about 260, and progress would crawl. This is exactly why the activity multiplier is the input to get right, and why choosing the honest, slightly conservative level beats picking the flattering one. When two estimates disagree, let the scale settle the argument: hold a target for two to three weeks, watch the weekly average, and nudge calories to match what your body actually does rather than what the formula predicted.
The bottom line: your TDEE is a single, honest anchor number, BMR times an activity factor, that tells you roughly how much you burn. Get the activity level right, treat the figure as a starting estimate rather than a precise reading, and recalculate as your weight changes. Everything else, losing, maintaining, or gaining, is just a deliberate deficit or surplus layered on top of that anchor, so the accuracy of your whole plan rests on getting maintenance roughly right and then adjusting from real results over two to three weeks.
Common mistakes
- Confusing BMR with TDEE. Eating at BMR creates an accidental deficit; maintenance is BMR times an activity factor.
- Overstating activity. A few gym sessions is "light", not "very active"; the honest tier is usually lower than it feels.
- Double counting exercise. The multiplier already includes your regular training, so do not add exercise calories on top.
- Never recalculating. TDEE falls as you lose weight, so an old number quietly becomes too high.
- Expecting exactness. The estimate is a starting point, not a precise metabolic reading.
Limitations
Predictive equations estimate the average person of your sex, age, height, and weight, so your own metabolism can sit roughly 10 percent either side. The activity multiplier is a broad bracket rather than a measured value, and the estimate does not account for thyroid or other medical conditions, medications, or unusually high daily movement. It is not intended for people under 18 or during pregnancy. Calibrate from your own weight data, and see a professional if a condition affects your metabolism. See our health disclaimer.
Related guides and calculators
Sources and references
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990. PubMed 2305711
- Frankenfield D, Roth-Yousey L, Compher C. Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005. PubMed 15883556
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Body Weight Planner. niddk.nih.gov/bwp
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR, basal metabolic rate, is what your body burns at complete rest to keep organs running. TDEE, total daily energy expenditure, is BMR plus digestion, daily movement, and exercise, so it is always higher. You calculate TDEE by multiplying BMR by an activity factor from 1.2 to 1.9.
Which activity multiplier should I use?
Be honest and slightly conservative. Sedentary (1.2) fits a desk job with little exercise, light (1.375) is 1 to 3 workouts a week, moderate (1.55) is 3 to 5, very active (1.725) is 6 to 7 hard sessions, and extra active (1.9) is a physical job plus training. Overestimating activity is the most common error.
How accurate is a calculated TDEE?
It is a validated estimate, usually within about 10 percent of true maintenance for most people. Genetics, non-exercise movement, and how accurately you enter your details all shift the real figure. Treat it as a starting point, then adjust up or down by 100 to 200 calories based on two to three weeks of weight data.
How do I use TDEE to lose or gain weight?
Eat below TDEE to lose and above it to gain. A 250 to 500 calorie daily deficit produces steady fat loss; a 250 to 500 surplus supports a lean gain. Your TDEE is the anchor, and the deficit or surplus is layered on top to reach your goal at a sensible pace.
Does TDEE change over time?
Yes. TDEE falls as you lose weight because a smaller body burns fewer calories, and it rises as you gain. Activity and age also shift it. Recalculate every few kilograms of change so your target stays accurate, rather than sticking with a number from months ago.