How TDEE is calculated
TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier. BMR (basal metabolic rate) is what your body burns at complete rest. The multiplier adds daily movement and exercise.
Mifflin-St Jeor: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) - 5 × age + 5 for men, or - 161 for women. It is the most accurate of the common equations for most adults.
If you enter body fat, the calculator switches to Katch-McArdle, BMR = 370 + 21.6 × lean mass (kg), which is more accurate for very lean or very muscular people.
| Activity level | Multiplier | Typical week |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Desk job, little exercise |
| Lightly active | 1.375 | 1-3 workouts |
| Moderately active | 1.55 | 3-5 workouts |
| Very active | 1.725 | 6-7 workouts |
| Athlete | 1.9 | Hard training twice a day or a physical job |
Using TDEE for weight loss
A kilogram of body weight is roughly 7,700 kcal, so eating about 550 kcal below TDEE per day works out to about 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) a week. A smaller deficit of about 275 kcal gives 0.25 kg a week and is easier to sustain.
Most people overestimate their activity. If you are unsure, pick the lower level. It is easier to add food later than to wonder why the scale is not moving.
Why your TDEE changes
As you lose weight, your TDEE falls: a smaller body burns less, and your body adapts by moving a little less without you noticing. Recalculate after every 4-5 kg of change.
Daily step count is the biggest swing factor. Going from 4,000 to 10,000 steps can add several hundred calories a day to your TDEE.
How to find your real TDEE
Eat a consistent amount for two to three weeks and track your weekly average weight. If your weight is stable, your intake is your TDEE. If it drops 0.5 kg a week, your TDEE is about 550 kcal above what you ate.
This real-world number beats any formula, including this one. Use the calculator to start, then let your own data correct it.
TDEE chart: examples by body size
These examples run through the same Mifflin-St Jeor formula as the calculator, for a 35-year-old. For every 10 years older, subtract roughly 60 to 90 kcal a day.
| Person | Sedentary | Lightly active | Moderately active | Very active |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woman, 163 cm (5'4"), 60 kg (132 lb) | 1,539 | 1,764 | 1,988 | 2,213 |
| Woman, 165 cm (5'5"), 75 kg (165 lb) | 1,734 | 1,987 | 2,240 | 2,493 |
| Woman, 168 cm (5'6"), 90 kg (198 lb) | 1,937 | 2,219 | 2,502 | 2,784 |
| Man, 178 cm (5'10"), 75 kg (165 lb) | 2,031 | 2,327 | 2,623 | 2,920 |
| Man, 180 cm (5'11"), 90 kg (198 lb) | 2,226 | 2,551 | 2,875 | 3,200 |
| Man, 183 cm (6'0"), 110 kg (243 lb) | 2,489 | 2,851 | 3,214 | 3,577 |
How big should your calorie deficit be?
Subtract a deficit from your TDEE to get a daily calorie target. Bigger deficits work faster but are harder to keep up and cost more muscle, so most people do best around 500 kcal a day.
Very low targets (below about 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 kcal for men) make it hard to get enough protein and nutrients. Go that low only with medical support.
| Daily deficit | Weight loss per week | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 250 kcal | About 0.25 kg (0.5 lb) | Getting close to your goal, or losing fat while building muscle |
| 500 kcal | About 0.45 kg (1 lb) | Most people |
| 750 kcal | About 0.7 kg (1.5 lb) | Larger bodies, for a few months at a time |
| 1,000 kcal | About 0.9 kg (2 lb) | Only with a lot of weight to lose, ideally with support from a professional |
Turning your TDEE into macros
Calories decide how much weight you lose. Protein decides how much of it is fat rather than muscle. A simple order: set protein first, then fat, and fill the rest with carbs.
Example: a moderately active woman of 75 kg has a TDEE of about 2,240 kcal. A 550 kcal deficit gives a target of about 1,690 kcal. At 130 g protein (520 kcal) and 55 g fat (495 kcal), the remaining 675 kcal is about 170 g of carbs.
- Protein: 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg of body weight while losing fat, 1.6 g per kg to maintain. Our protein intake calculator gives you a personal range.
- Fat: at least about 0.6 g per kg of body weight, usually 20 to 35% of calories.
- Carbs: whatever is left. More on training days is fine, as long as the weekly total fits.