TDEE Calculator
Estimate TDEE from age, sex, height, weight and activity, using Mifflin-St Jeor, or Katch-McArdle if you enter body fat, then add or cut 250 to 1,000 kcal. How it works
Use the TDEE Calculator
About the TDEE Calculator
A 25-year-old man, 175 cm and 80 kg, who is sedentary has an estimated TDEE of 2129 kcal a day: a BMR of 1774 kcal from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, times 1.2. The TDEE calculator multiplies an estimated BMR by an activity factor from 1.2 to 1.9, and uses Katch-McArdle instead if you enter body fat.
The same man at each activity level
| Activity level | BMR (kcal) | TDEE (kcal/day) | Cutting (TDEE − 500) | Bulking (TDEE + 500) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedentary (desk job) (1.2) | 1774 | 2129 | 1629 | 2629 |
| Light Exercise (1-2 days/week) (1.375) | 1774 | 2439 | 1939 | 2939 |
| Moderate Exercise (3-5 days/week) (1.55) | 1774 | 2749 | 2249 | 3249 |
| Heavy Exercise (6-7 days/week) (1.725) | 1774 | 3060 | 2560 | 3560 |
| Athlete (2x per day) (1.9) | 1774 | 3370 | 2870 | 3870 |
Male, 25 years, 175 cm, 80 kg, no body fat entered. At the sedentary level the cutting figure is below BMR, so the page adds a note. These are estimates.
How to use this tool
- Pick Metric (kg, cm) or Imperial (lb, ft and in), choose male or female and enter age, height and weight.
- Optionally enter body fat, which switches the BMR to Katch-McArdle.
- Pick the activity level and read BMR, TDEE and the cutting and bulking figures. Choose a goal and a daily deficit or surplus of 250, 500, 750 or 1,000 kcal to show only that figure.
- To turn the TDEE into grams of protein, carbohydrate and fat, follow Use these calories in the Macro calculator. It sends the maintenance TDEE, plus the goal when you chose Lose weight or Gain weight with the 500 kcal step, which the Macro calculator subtracts or adds itself.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
- BMR is the estimated energy you use at rest; TDEE is that figure times an activity factor. For the example man, BMR is 1774 kcal and TDEE is 2129 at 1.2 (sedentary), 2749 at 1.55 (moderate exercise, 3 to 5 days a week) and 3370 at 1.9 (athlete, twice a day).
- How do I calculate TDEE with Mifflin-St Jeor?
- BMR = 10 × weight in kg + 6.25 × height in cm − 5 × age + 5 for men or − 161 for women, then multiply by the activity factor. For a 30-year-old woman at 165 cm and 65 kg, BMR is 1370 kcal, and at 1.55 TDEE is 2124 kcal a day. In pounds and feet, switch to Imperial: the page converts at 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg and 1 in = 2.54 cm, so 176 lb and 5 ft 9 in give a sedentary 25-year-old man 2128 kcal.
- Does entering body fat change the result?
- Yes. With body fat entered the tool uses Katch-McArdle: BMR = 370 + 21.6 × lean mass, which ignores age and sex. For 80 kg at 15% body fat the lean mass is 68 kg and BMR is 1839 kcal, against 1774 without it. TDEE at 1.2 is then 2207.
- How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
- The calculator does not prescribe one. Choose Lose weight and a daily deficit of 250, 500 (the default), 750 or 1,000 kcal, and it shows TDEE minus that step. For the example man that is 1879, 1629, 1379 or 1129 kcal; every one but 1879 is below his BMR of 1774, so the page adds a note and says to ask a clinician or dietitian. The CDC notes that people who lose about 1 to 2 pounds a week are more likely to keep it off. The tool does not convert a deficit into pounds.
- How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
- It is an estimate for an average person of your size. Mifflin and colleagues built their equation from measured resting energy use in 498 healthy adults aged 19 to 78, and the activity factors are broad bands, so your own expenditure can be higher or lower. Eat at the figure for two to three weeks and watch your weight: if it drifts, move your intake rather than trusting the number.
- Where do the macro figures come from?
- The table splits calories between protein, fat and carbohydrate: maintenance 30/35/35%, cutting 40/30/30% and bulking 30/30/40%, at 4, 9 and 4 kcal per gram. For 2129 kcal that is 160 g protein, 83 g fat and 186 g carbohydrate. The splits are the tool’s own and are not sourced.
Related Tools
View all toolsBMI Calculator
BMI from your height and weight in cm and kg or feet, inches and lb, with the adult category and the weight range for a BMI of 18.5 to under 25.
BMR Calculator
BMR from Mifflin-St Jeor or the revised Harris-Benedict equation: enter sex, age, weight and height for calories at rest and at five activity levels.
Body Fat Calculator
US Navy body fat calculator: height, neck and waist, plus hips for women, give body fat percent from a tape measure, or use BMI, age and sex instead.
Water Intake Calculator
Estimate daily water intake from body weight and minutes of activity: 33 mL per kg plus 0.5 L per active hour, in liters and fluid ounces. A rule of thumb.
One Rep Max Calculator
Enter the weight and reps of a set to estimate your one rep max (1RM) with the Epley, Brzycki and four other formulas, an optional RPE and training percentages.
Target Heart Rate
Target heart rate zones from your age and resting heart rate by the Karvonen method, or as 50 to 85% of maximum heart rate as on the AHA chart.