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TDEE Calculator
How many calories do you actually burn in a day?
We use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (the most accurate predictive BMR formula in the literature) and scale it by your activity level. You get maintenance, fat-loss, and lean-gain targets — the same numbers our coaches start a plan with.
Fill in age, gender, weight, height and activity level, then tap Calculate TDEE to get your daily calorie needs and how to adjust them for fat loss or muscle gain.
The Mifflin-St Jeor formula, written out
Your TDEE is your basal metabolic rate (BMR) multiplied by an activity factor. Mifflin-St Jeor is the BMR equation peer-reviewed studies have shown to be most accurate for the modern adult population, beating the older Harris-Benedict by roughly 5%.
Men
BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) + 5
Women
BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) − 161
Then multiply BMR by an activity factor below to get TDEE.
Activity multipliers — which one really fits you?
This is where most TDEE calculators go wrong. Over-stating activity by even one tier inflates your maintenance number by several hundred kcal — enough to wipe out a fat-loss deficit. Be honest. If you sit at a desk and hit the gym 3 hours a week, you are lightly active, not moderate.
| Tier | Multiplier | Real-world description |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.20 | Desk job, no structured exercise, <5,000 steps/day |
| Lightly active | 1.375 | Desk job + 1–3 gym sessions/week, ~7,000 steps |
| Moderately active | 1.55 | Walking job or 4–5 sessions/week, ~10,000 steps |
| Very active | 1.725 | Manual labour or 6+ intense sessions/week |
| Extra active | 1.90 | Athlete, twice-a-day training, manual job |
When in doubt, pick lower
Calorie targets for fat loss vs muscle gain
| Goal | Adjust TDEE by | Expected weekly change |
|---|---|---|
| Aggressive fat loss | −25 % (≈ −600 kcal) | −0.5 to −0.8 kg / wk |
| Steady fat loss | −15 % (≈ −400 kcal) | −0.3 to −0.5 kg / wk |
| Maintenance | 0 | Stable weight, body recomposition |
| Lean muscle gain | +10 % (≈ +250 kcal) | +0.2 to +0.4 kg / wk |
| Faster muscle gain | +15 % (≈ +400 kcal) | +0.4 to +0.6 kg / wk (more fat) |
Bigger deficits aren't "more efficient" — they just trade muscle for fat loss. Bigger surpluses don't build muscle faster — they just add more fat. The body has hard biological caps on how fast it can lose fat or gain muscle, and those caps don't care how aggressive your spreadsheet is.
Why your fitness tracker disagrees with this number
Wrist-based wearables over-estimate calorie burn from exercise by 20–40% on average, with worst-case errors of +90% for strength training. Wearable estimators conflate heart-rate spikes with caloric expenditure, which doesn't hold for non-cardio work. If your watch says you burned 800 kcal in a 45-minute lift, the real number is closer to 250–400.
Use the formula on this page for setting daily targets. Use your watch for motivation and consistency tracking. Don't mix the two.
TDEE calculator — frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total calories your body burns in 24 hours, including just being alive (BMR), digesting food (TEF), structured exercise (EAT), and everything else you do (NEAT — fidgeting, walking, household activity). It's the single most useful number for setting a calorie target.
What's the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is what you'd burn lying perfectly still in bed all day — typically 1,300–1,800 kcal for adults. TDEE is BMR multiplied by an activity factor (1.2 to 1.9) to account for movement. Eating at BMR alone leaves a deficit of 400–800 kcal, which is too aggressive for most people.
How accurate is the Mifflin-St Jeor formula?
Mifflin-St Jeor is the most accurate predictive BMR equation in the published literature (Frankenfield et al., 2005). It estimates BMR within ±10% for about 80% of adults. The remaining 20% — typically very athletic, very lean, or very obese individuals — should treat the output as a starting point and adjust based on real-world results over 2–3 weeks.
How big a calorie deficit should I run for fat loss?
For most adults, 15–25% below TDEE is the sustainable sweet spot — usually 300–600 kcal. Bigger deficits work briefly but trigger muscle loss, low energy, sleep disruption and cravings. If your TDEE is 2,400 kcal, target 1,800–2,000 for steady fat loss without metabolic backlash.
How big a surplus for muscle gain?
Smaller than most people think. +200 to +400 kcal above TDEE supports gaining ~0.25–0.5 kg of mostly lean mass per month for natural lifters. Bigger surpluses just add fat without adding muscle faster — muscle protein synthesis caps regardless of how much you eat over the threshold.
What activity multiplier should I pick?
Most people overestimate their activity. Office worker who hits the gym 3x a week = Lightly Active (1.375), not Very Active. Reserve 1.55+ for tradies, nurses on their feet, athletes training daily. When in doubt, pick the lower tier and adjust if your actual results don't match.
Why isn't my TDEE matching what my fitness watch says?
Wrist-based wearables typically over-estimate calorie burn by 20–40% on workouts (especially strength training and cycling) because they conflate heart rate spikes with energy expenditure. The Mifflin-St Jeor formula plus a sensible activity factor is more reliable for setting daily targets. Treat watch numbers as motivation, not maths.
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