TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories your body burns in a day. It includes four components: your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), the thermic effect of food (TEF, the energy used to digest meals), non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT, fidgeting, walking, standing), and structured exercise. TDEE is the foundation of any evidence-based nutrition plan.

How accurate is a TDEE calculator?

Any predictive equation is an estimate, typically within ±10–15% of your true expenditure. The Oxford/Henry equations used here were validated on 10,552 subjects and show lower prediction error than the more commonly used Mifflin-St Jeor or Harris-Benedict. For higher precision, track your calorie intake and body weight for 2–3 weeks — the trend between intake and weight change reveals your actual TDEE.

Should I eat at my TDEE to lose weight?

No. Your TDEE is your maintenance level — eating at TDEE maintains your current weight. For fat loss, you need a caloric deficit: eating 15–25% below your TDEE. A moderate deficit of 20% is sustainable for most people while preserving muscle mass, especially when combined with adequate protein intake (1.8–2.4 g/kg body weight).

What’s the difference between BMR and TDEE?

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories your body burns at complete rest — just to keep organs functioning, regulate temperature, and maintain basic processes. TDEE adds all daily activity on top: the thermic effect of food, non-exercise movement, and structured exercise. For most people, TDEE is 40–70% higher than BMR. Always base your calorie targets on TDEE, not BMR.

How often should I recalculate my TDEE?

Recalculate every 4–6 weeks if your weight has changed by more than 2–3 kg, or if your activity level has shifted significantly. As you lose weight, your TDEE decreases — failing to recalculate is one of the most common reasons fat loss stalls. Evid recalculates your TDEE automatically every week using your actual intake and weight data.

Can I use my TDEE to build muscle?

Yes. To build muscle, eat 10–15% above your TDEE (a caloric surplus) and combine it with progressive resistance training. A surplus of 200–400 calories is sufficient for most people — going beyond 15–20% above TDEE doesn’t increase the rate of muscle growth, it just increases fat gain. Aim for 1.6–2.2 g/kg protein daily to maximise muscle protein synthesis.

TDEE Calculator

Find out how many calories you burn per day based on your age, weight, and activity level. Free, no signup required.

Age

Biological sex (for metabolic calculation)

Weight

Height

Body fat % (optional)

Activity level

What is TDEE?

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It represents the total number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period, combining four components: your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), the thermic effect of food (TEF — roughly 10% of intake), non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT — fidgeting, walking, standing), and structured exercise.

TDEE is the foundation of any evidence-based nutrition plan. Eat below your TDEE and you lose weight. Eat above it and you gain weight. Eat at it and you maintain. Every calorie target — whether for fat loss, muscle gain, or body recomposition — starts with knowing this number.

Many online calculators still use the Harris-Benedict equation from 1919, which systematically overestimates energy expenditure in overweight individuals. This calculator uses modern, validated equations with significantly larger sample sizes and lower prediction error.

How to calculate your TDEE

The Oxford/Henry Equations

Most calculators use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, derived in 1990 from 498 subjects. This calculator uses the Oxford/Henry equations, built from a dataset of 10,552 individuals spanning multiple age groups, ethnicities, and body compositions. Independent validation shows Oxford/Henry produces lower mean prediction error and less systematic bias — particularly in non-Caucasian populations and at the extremes of BMI. It is the basis recommended by the FAO/WHO for estimating energy requirements.

Unlike Mifflin-St Jeor, the Oxford/Henry equations use body weight only (no height term), which reduces measurement error from self-reported height data.

Henry, CJK (2005). Basal metabolic rate studies in humans: measurement and development of new equations. Public Health Nutrition, 8(7A), 1133–1152.

Group	Equation (kcal/day)
Male 18–29	15.057 × weight(kg) + 692.2
Male 30–59	11.472 × weight(kg) + 873.1
Male 60+	11.711 × weight(kg) + 587.7
Female 18–29	14.818 × weight(kg) + 486.6
Female 30–59	8.126 × weight(kg) + 845.6
Female 60+	9.082 × weight(kg) + 658.5

The Cunningham Equation

When body fat percentage is entered, this calculator also estimates BMR using the Cunningham equation: BMR = 500 + 22 × lean body mass (kg). Because it accounts for your actual lean mass rather than total body weight, it is more accurate for muscular or athletic individuals who would otherwise be over- or under-estimated by weight-only equations.

Cunningham, JJ (1991). Body composition as a determinant of energy expenditure: a synthetic review and a proposed general prediction equation. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 54(6), 963–969.

Activity Multipliers

TDEE is calculated as BMR × an activity factor. The five levels range from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extremely active) and represent a blend of your non-exercise activity and structured training. In practice, most people overestimate their activity level. A desk worker who trains three days per week is typically “lightly active” (×1.375), not “moderately active.” When in doubt, choose one level lower than you think.

How to use your TDEE for different goals

Fat loss

To lose fat, eat below your TDEE. A mild deficit of 15% is sustainable long-term and preserves the most muscle mass. A moderate deficit of 20% works well for most people. Aggressive deficits of 25% accelerate fat loss but should be used short-term only, as they increase muscle loss risk and metabolic adaptation. At larger deficits, higher protein intake (1.8–2.4 g/kg body weight) becomes critical for muscle preservation.

Mettler, S et al. (2010). Increased protein intake reduces lean body mass loss during weight loss in athletes. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 42(2), 326–337.

Muscle gain

To build muscle, eat 10–15% above your TDEE combined with progressive resistance training. A caloric surplus of 200–400 calories per day is sufficient for most individuals. Surpluses beyond 15–20% above TDEE do not increase the rate of muscle protein synthesis — the excess is stored as fat. Aim for 1.6–2.2 g/kg protein daily to maximise hypertrophy.

Body recomposition

Recomposition — losing fat while gaining muscle simultaneously — is possible at or near maintenance calories (±5% of TDEE). It requires high protein intake (2.0–2.4 g/kg) and works best for beginners, detrained individuals returning to training, and those with higher body fat percentages. Progress is slower than a dedicated cut or bulk, but the trade-off is improved body composition without the extremes of either.

Maintenance

Eating at your TDEE maintains your current weight. Maintenance phases are useful between diet periods to normalise metabolic rate, during high-stress periods when adherence to a deficit is difficult, or during performance-focused training blocks where recovery is the priority.

Why static TDEE calculators are only a starting point

Any calculator — including this one — gives you an estimate based on population averages. Your actual energy expenditure is influenced by genetics, gut microbiome composition, hormonal status, and metabolic adaptation. Research shows that metabolic adaptation during prolonged dieting can reduce expenditure by up to 400 kcal/day beyond what body composition changes alone would predict.

Evid starts with the same Oxford/Henry equations used here, then switches to an adaptive TDEE calculation after 14 days of intake and weight data. By week four, it typically converges to within ±50–100 kcal of your true expenditure — and it recalculates every week as your body changes.

Trexler, ET et al. (2014). Metabolic adaptation to weight loss: implications for the athlete. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 11(1), 7.

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