Health
TDEE Calculator
Estimate the calories your body burns at rest and across a full day, using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and standard activity multipliers.
Calculation inputs
Height in feet and inches, weight in pounds.
Results
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Complete the fields and select Calculate to show results here.
Estimates only, for general information. Not medical advice.
About this calculator
This calculator estimates your basal metabolic rate and your total daily energy expenditure, the calories you burn across a full day including movement. It helps people set calorie targets for maintaining, losing or gaining weight.
How the calculation works
- Men: BMR = 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age + 5
- Women: BMR = 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age − 161
- TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier
Notes and assumptions
Equations estimate an average; individual metabolism can differ by 10% or more.
How it works in plain English
Your body spends energy even at complete rest, keeping your heart beating, lungs breathing and cells repairing. That baseline is called the basal metabolic rate, or BMR. The tool estimates it with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which uses weight in kilograms, height in centimeters and age in years, then adds a small constant for men or subtracts one for women. Pounds and inches you enter are converted behind the scenes.
Total daily energy expenditure, or TDEE, adds the calories used by everything else: walking, working, exercise and digesting food. Rather than tracking each activity, the standard method multiplies BMR by a factor that reflects your general activity level, from 1.2 for a mostly seated day up to 1.9 for heavy physical work or twice-daily training.
The result is shown for your chosen level, alongside a table of every level so you can see how much activity changes the total. Mild and moderate deficits and a mild surplus are listed for convenience. Any equation gives an average for people of similar size, so treat the figure as a starting point and adjust it after a few weeks of watching how your weight actually responds.
The formula
- Men: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5
- Women: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161
- TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier
Worked example
Take a 30-year-old man who is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds, and who exercises three to five days a week. His height converts to 175.26 cm and his weight to about 77.11 kg.
Plugging into the equation: 10 × 77.11 is 771.1, 6.25 × 175.26 is 1,095.4, and 5 × 30 is 150. Adding 771.1 and 1,095.4, subtracting 150 and adding 5 gives a BMR of about 1,722 calories a day.
His moderately active multiplier is 1.55, so his TDEE is roughly 1,722 × 1.55, or about 2,668 calories. Eating around that amount should hold his weight steady. A 500-calorie daily cut to about 2,168 would be a moderate deficit, and if he became sedentary his maintenance figure would drop to about 2,066.
Standard activity multipliers
| Activity level | Description | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | Little or no exercise | 1.2 |
| Lightly active | Light exercise 1–3 days a week | 1.375 |
| Moderately active | Moderate exercise 3–5 days a week | 1.55 |
| Very active | Hard exercise 6–7 days a week | 1.725 |
| Extra active | Physical job or training twice a day | 1.9 |
Widely used factors applied to the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (Mifflin et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990).
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is the energy your body needs just to stay alive while lying completely at rest. TDEE adds the calories you burn moving, working, exercising and digesting food. TDEE is the number to compare with what you eat, because it represents your real daily energy use rather than a resting minimum.
Why use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation?
Studies comparing common prediction equations have found Mifflin-St Jeor to be among the most accurate for typical adults, which is why many dietitians use it as a default. It still produces an estimate, and it can be less precise for very muscular people, older adults or those with medical conditions affecting metabolism.
Which activity level should I choose?
Pick the level that matches a typical week rather than your best week. Many people overestimate activity, so if you are unsure, choose the lower option. Desk workers who exercise a few times weekly often fit lightly or moderately active, while very active and above usually describe manual jobs or serious training.
How many calories should I cut to lose weight?
A daily deficit of around 250 to 500 calories below TDEE is a common, sustainable starting range for gradual loss. Larger cuts can be hard to maintain and may cost muscle. Watch your weight trend for a few weeks and adjust, and talk to a health professional before major dietary changes.
Why does my real weight change differ from the estimate?
Water shifts, food logging errors, changing activity and individual differences in metabolism all affect results. Equations describe an average person of your size, not you specifically. Track your intake and weight for two to four weeks, then raise or lower your target based on the trend you actually see.
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