Body Metrics
TDEE and Maintenance Calories Calculator
Your maintenance calories are your TDEE, the total energy you burn in a full day. This calculator estimates it from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation times your activity level, giving the calories that hold your weight steady plus quick deficit and surplus targets for losing or gaining weight.
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How to Calculate TDEE and Maintenance Calories
What TDEE means, how BMR and the activity multiplier combine into maintenance calories, and how to use the number for any goal.
Read the guideKey facts about TDEE
- The Mifflin-St Jeor equation (1990) is the most accurate general BMR formula for healthy adults: 10 x kg + 6.25 x cm - 5 x age, plus 5 for men or minus 161 for women.
- Activity multipliers range from 1.2 for sedentary to 1.9 for extra active.
- A 75 kg, 178 cm, 30 year old man exercising lightly burns roughly 2362 calories per day.
- Calculator TDEE estimates are typically within about 10 percent of true maintenance for most people.
How does the TDEE calculator work?
Your total daily energy expenditure has two parts. First we estimate your basal metabolic rate, the energy your body uses at complete rest to keep your heart, brain, and organs running. Then we multiply that by an activity factor to account for digestion, daily movement, and exercise. The result is the number of calories that keeps your weight stable.
The formula in plain language
We use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (1990), the most accurate general formula for healthy adults. For men, basal metabolic rate equals 10 times weight in kilograms, plus 6.25 times height in centimetres, minus 5 times age, plus 5. For women the final number is minus 161 instead of plus 5. We then multiply by your activity factor from the table below. Full derivations live on the methodology page.
| Activity level | Description | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | Little or no exercise | 1.200 |
| Light | Exercise 1 to 3 days/week | 1.375 |
| Moderate | Exercise 3 to 5 days/week | 1.550 |
| Very active | Hard exercise 6 to 7 days | 1.725 |
| Extra active | Physical job or 2x training | 1.900 |
If you enter your body fat percentage, we switch to the Katch-McArdle equation, which is based on your lean body mass and can be more accurate for lean or muscular people. The Target Panel tells you which formula produced your number.
Worked example
Take a 30 year old man who weighs 75 kg, stands 178 cm tall, and exercises lightly three days a week. His basal metabolic rate is (10 x 75) + (6.25 x 178) minus (5 x 30) plus 5, which is 750 + 1112.5 minus 150 plus 5, or about 1718 calories. Multiplying by the light activity factor of 1.375 gives a TDEE of roughly 2362 calories per day. To lose about half a kilogram a week he would eat near 1862, and to gain slowly he would eat near 2662.
What should you do with your TDEE number?
Once you know your maintenance calories, the next step depends on your goal. To lose fat, use the calorie deficit calculator to set a target and get a dated timeline. To gain, the weight gain calculator adds a surplus and projects your progress. Whatever your goal, split those calories into protein, carbohydrate, and fat with the macro calculator, and make sure protein is adequate with the protein calculator.
When is a TDEE estimate not enough?
Any calculator gives an estimate. Your true maintenance can differ by around 10 percent because of genetics, non-exercise movement, and how accurately you entered your details. Treat the number as a smart starting point, track your weight for two to three weeks, and adjust up or down by 100 to 200 calories based on what the scale actually does. If you have a thyroid condition or another diagnosis that changes energy needs, calibrate with a professional instead of a formula.
BMR and TDEE: what is the difference?
Basal metabolic rate is what you would burn lying still all day; total daily energy expenditure is that figure plus digestion, daily movement, and exercise. This page works as a combined BMR and TDEE calculator: the panel shows the maintenance figure, and the table below turns it into practical targets, so it also answers how many calories you burn per day and how many to eat for each goal. Because activity is the biggest variable, the same person can see a 500 calorie swing between sedentary and very active. Because it converts maintenance into a deficit target, it doubles as a TDEE calculator for weight loss, and into a surplus for a lean gain.
| Goal | Adjustment | Daily target |
|---|---|---|
| Maintain weight | TDEE | 2,362 |
| Lose about 0.5 kg/week | -500 | 1,862 |
| Lean gain | +250 to +500 | 2,612 to 2,862 |
Limitations of this calculator
Predictive equations estimate the average person of your sex, age, height, and weight; your own metabolism can sit roughly 10 percent either side. The activity multiplier is a broad bracket, not a measured value, and it is the most common source of error. Body fat entries for the Katch-McArdle option are only as good as your measurement method. The tool does not account for thyroid or other medical conditions, medications, or large amounts of non-exercise movement, and it is not intended for people under 18 or during pregnancy. Use it as a calibrated starting point rather than a precise metabolic reading.
Factors that change your TDEE
- Activity and NEAT: planned exercise plus everyday movement like walking and fidgeting is the biggest swing between people of the same size.
- Body size: more weight and height raise basal metabolic rate, so bigger bodies burn more at rest.
- Body composition: lean tissue burns more energy than fat, which is why the Katch-McArdle option can differ for lean or muscular people.
- Age and sex: metabolism drifts down with age, and the formula applies a lower constant for women on average.
- Weight change and adaptation: maintenance falls as you lose weight, so recalculate periodically.
- Medical factors: thyroid conditions and some medications shift energy needs beyond what any formula estimates.
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 in healthy adults. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005. PubMed 15883556
- McArdle WD, Katch FI, Katch VL. Exercise Physiology: Nutrition, Energy, and Human Performance. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (Katch-McArdle lean-mass BMR equation).
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Body Weight Planner. niddk.nih.gov/bwp
Every formula and multiplier is documented on the methodology page.
Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
TDEE is total daily energy expenditure, all the calories you burn in a day: basal metabolic rate, digestion, movement, and exercise. Eating at TDEE holds weight stable, below it loses weight, above it gains weight.
How is TDEE calculated here?
Basal metabolic rate comes from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, multiplied by an activity factor from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extra active). With a body fat percentage entered, the Katch-McArdle equation based on lean mass is used instead.
Which activity level should I pick?
Be honest and slightly conservative. Sedentary fits a desk job with little exercise. Light is 1 to 3 workouts weekly, moderate 3 to 5, very active 6 to 7 hard sessions, extra active a physical job plus training.
Are these maintenance calories exact?
They are a validated estimate, usually within about 10 percent. True maintenance varies with genetics, daily movement, and input accuracy. Start here, then adjust from two to three weeks of real weight data.
How do I use TDEE to lose or gain weight?
Subtract 250 to 500 calories from TDEE for steady fat loss, or add 250 to 500 for a lean gain. The calorie deficit and weight gain calculators build full plans and timelines around those targets.