What Is TDEE?
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It is the total number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period, including everything from breathing and digestion to exercise and daily movement. Eating at your TDEE keeps your weight stable. Eating below it creates a deficit and leads to weight loss. Eating above it creates a surplus and leads to weight gain.
TDEE is calculated in two steps: first you find your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), then you multiply by an activity factor that reflects how much you move each day.
Step 1: Calculate Your BMR
BMR is the number of calories your body burns at complete rest, just to keep your organs functioning, heart beating, and lungs breathing. The most widely used formula is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation:
To use these formulas you need your weight in kilograms and your height in centimetres. To convert: divide pounds by 2.205 to get kg; multiply inches by 2.54 to get cm.
Step 2: Multiply by Your Activity Factor
Once you have your BMR, multiply it by the activity multiplier that best describes your typical week:
- Sedentary (1.2): desk job, little or no exercise
- Lightly active (1.375): light exercise 1 to 3 days per week
- Moderately active (1.55): moderate exercise 3 to 5 days per week
- Very active (1.725): hard exercise 6 to 7 days per week
- Extra active (1.9): physical job or twice-a-day training
Be honest about your activity level. Most people overestimate. If you work a desk job and exercise three times a week, lightly active (1.375) is usually more accurate than moderately active.
Worked Example
Consider a 35-year-old woman who is 5 feet 6 inches tall (167.6 cm) and weighs 145 pounds (65.8 kg). She works a desk job and exercises four times a week, so she selects the moderately active multiplier (1.55).
BMR calculation:
TDEE calculation:
To maintain her current weight, she needs roughly 2,122 calories per day. To lose weight, she eats below that number. To build muscle, she eats slightly above it.
Skip the manual math with our TDEE calculator - enter your stats and it returns your number instantly across all five activity levels so you can compare.
What to Do with Your TDEE
- Maintain weight: eat at your TDEE
- Lose weight steadily: eat 300 to 500 calories below your TDEE per day
- Lose weight faster: a 750 to 1,000 calorie daily deficit targets 1.5 to 2 pounds per week, which is the generally recommended maximum
- Build muscle (lean bulk): eat 200 to 300 calories above your TDEE to support muscle growth while minimizing fat gain
Why TDEE Changes Over Time
TDEE is not a fixed number. It shifts as your weight, age, and activity level change. When you lose weight, your BMR drops because there is less body mass to maintain. This is why calorie targets that worked at the start of a diet stop producing results months later. Recalculate your TDEE every 10 to 15 pounds of weight change, or every two to three months, and adjust your intake accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is the calories your body burns at complete rest, just to stay alive. TDEE adds the calories burned through all daily movement and exercise on top of your BMR. BMR is the starting point; TDEE is the number you actually use to set your calorie target.
Is the Mifflin-St Jeor formula the most accurate?
It is the most widely recommended for general use. Research consistently ranks it slightly more accurate than the older Harris-Benedict formula, particularly for people of average weight. For very lean individuals with high muscle mass, the Katch-McArdle formula (which uses lean body mass) may be more accurate, but it requires knowing your body fat percentage.
How often should I recalculate my TDEE?
Recalculate whenever your weight changes by 10 pounds or more, when your activity level changes significantly, or at minimum every three months. TDEE is an estimate. Treat it as a starting point, track your actual results for two to three weeks, and adjust up or down based on what the scale is doing.
Why am I not losing weight eating at a deficit?
Three common reasons: your actual activity level is lower than the multiplier you chose, you are underestimating your calorie intake (logging precisely for one week often reveals the gap), or your body has adapted after extended dieting and your true TDEE has dropped. Try dropping your activity multiplier by one level and tracking food intake more precisely for two weeks before making further changes.
Does TDEE already include exercise calories?
Yes. The activity factor accounts for your total energy expenditure including exercise. This is why you do not add exercise calories back on top of your TDEE the way some fitness apps suggest. Your TDEE already builds in the calories you burn working out, based on the activity level you selected.