TDEE Calculator - Total Daily Energy Expenditure Calculator Online Free

What Is a TDEE Calculator?

A TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calculator estimates the total number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period. It combines your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — the energy required for basic life functions like breathing, circulation, and cell production — with the calories burned through daily activities, exercise, and the thermic effect of food. The result tells you how many calories you need to eat each day to maintain your current weight, lose fat, or build muscle.

Understanding your TDEE is the foundation of any effective nutrition plan. Whether you are trying to lose weight, build muscle, or simply eat healthier, knowing your daily calorie target removes the guesswork and replaces it with a data-driven approach.

How Does the TDEE Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which is widely regarded by dietitians, exercise physiologists, and clinical researchers as the most accurate BMR prediction formula for the general population. Here is the step-by-step process:

1. Calculate BMR — The formula uses your gender, age, weight (kg), and height (cm):
   • Men: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5
   • Women: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161
2. Apply activity multiplier — Your BMR is multiplied by an activity factor based on your weekly exercise frequency and intensity to produce your TDEE.
3. Generate targets — The tool then calculates maintenance calories, cutting target (−500 kcal/day), bulking target (+500 kcal/day), and macronutrient breakdowns for three popular diet approaches.

Activity Levels and Multipliers

The activity multiplier adjusts your BMR to account for all physical activity beyond basic rest. Choosing the correct level is critical for an accurate TDEE estimate:

• Sedentary (1.2) — Desk job with little to no regular exercise. Typical daily activity limited to walking, household chores, and light movement.
• Lightly Active (1.375) — Light exercise 1–3 days per week, such as walking, yoga, or casual cycling.
• Moderately Active (1.55) — Moderate exercise 3–5 days per week, such as jogging, swimming, or gym workouts at moderate intensity.
• Very Active (1.725) — Hard exercise 6–7 days per week, such as intense gym sessions, competitive sports, or high-volume training programs.
• Extra Active (1.9) — Very hard daily exercise plus a physically demanding job (e.g., construction, manual labor, professional athletics).

Most people overestimate their activity level. If you are unsure between two levels, choose the lower one. You can always adjust upward after tracking your weight for 2–3 weeks.

Output Fields Explained

This TDEE calculator provides a complete breakdown of your daily calorie needs and macronutrient targets:

• BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) — The calories your body burns at complete rest. This is the minimum energy needed to keep you alive.
• TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) — Your BMR multiplied by your activity factor. This is the number of calories you burn per day.
• Maintenance Calories — Equal to your TDEE. Eating this amount maintains your current weight.
• Cutting Calories (−500 kcal) — Your TDEE minus 500 calories. This deficit targets approximately 0.5 kg (1 lb) of fat loss per week.
• Bulking Calories (+500 kcal) — Your TDEE plus 500 calories. This surplus supports muscle gain while minimizing fat accumulation.
• Balanced Macros (40/30/30) — Protein, carbohydrates, and fat grams based on a 40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat split.
• Low Carb Macros (25/40/35) — A lower carbohydrate approach with higher protein and fat intake.
• High Protein Macros (30/40/30) — An elevated protein intake ideal for muscle building and cutting phases.

Macronutrient Breakdowns

Macronutrients are the three primary nutrient categories the body needs in large amounts: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Each provides a different number of calories per gram:

• Protein — 4 calories per gram. Essential for muscle repair, immune function, and enzyme production. Recommended intake: 1.6–2.2 g/kg body weight for active individuals.
• Carbohydrates — 4 calories per gram. The body's preferred energy source for high-intensity exercise and brain function.
• Fat — 9 calories per gram. Necessary for hormone production, vitamin absorption, and cell membrane integrity.

The calculator provides three macro splits to match different dietary goals. The Balanced split (40/30/30) works well for general fitness. The High Protein split (30/40/30) is recommended during cutting phases or for those focused on muscle retention. The Low Carb split (25/40/35) suits individuals following reduced-carbohydrate diets.

Cutting and Bulking

The calculator generates two additional calorie targets beyond maintenance:

• Cutting target — Your TDEE minus 500 calories per day. This creates a weekly deficit of approximately 3,500 calories, which translates to roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) of fat loss per week. This rate is considered safe and sustainable for most people.
• Bulking target — Your TDEE plus 500 calories per day. This controlled surplus provides the energy needed for muscle protein synthesis without excessive fat gain. A "lean bulk" approach is generally preferred over aggressive bulking for long-term body composition goals.

How to Use This Tool

1. Select your gender — The Mifflin-St Jeor equation uses different coefficients for men and women due to differences in body composition.
2. Enter your age — Your age in years (between 15 and 80). BMR decreases approximately 1–2% per decade after age 20.
3. Enter your weight — Input your weight in kilograms or pounds. The tool converts pounds to kilograms automatically.
4. Enter your height — Input your height in centimeters or feet/inches. The tool converts imperial units automatically.
5. Choose your activity level — Select the multiplier that best represents your average weekly exercise and daily movement.
6. Click Calculate — View your BMR, TDEE, maintenance calories, cutting/bulking targets, and three macronutrient breakdowns.

Looking for a simpler calorie estimate? Try our Calorie Calculator for a quick daily calorie target. For percentage-based calculations, visit our Percentage Calculator.

Use Cases

Fitness Enthusiasts

Calculate your daily calorie needs to fuel workouts, build muscle, or lose fat while maintaining performance and recovery. TDEE-based nutrition is the backbone of every effective training program.

Weight Management

Determine your maintenance calories and create a structured plan for sustainable fat loss or healthy weight gain. Knowing your exact calorie target eliminates the trial-and-error approach to dieting.

Nutrition Planning

Use the macronutrient breakdowns to design meal plans that align with your fitness goals. Whether you prefer balanced eating, low-carb, or high-protein, the tool gives you specific gram targets for each macronutrient.

Bodybuilders and Athletes

Fine-tune calorie and macronutrient intake for competition prep, bulking phases, or sport-specific performance optimization. Athletes with high training volumes should use the Very Active or Extra Active multiplier.

Dietitians and Health Coaches

Use as a quick reference tool when developing personalized nutrition recommendations for clients. The TDEE calculator provides a solid starting point that can be refined based on individual response.

Privacy

All calculations are performed entirely in your browser using JavaScript. No body metrics, weight, height, or calculated results are sent to our servers. We do not store, log, or share any personal health information. The tool works offline once the page has loaded.