Health
TDEE and calorie calculator
Total daily energy expenditure is resting energy plus activity. It is an estimate of maintenance calories. Pick the activity level that fits a typical week.
What this means
- You burn an estimated 2,354 calories a day at this activity level.
- Eating below maintenance tends to lower weight over time and eating above tends to raise it. Real results vary, so track and adjust.
- Talk with a clinician before a large change, especially with a health condition.
What if
About this calculator
What this calculator does
It estimates resting energy with the simplified Mifflin-St Jeor equation, published in the same 1990 paper as the full version, and multiplies by an activity factor to estimate daily calorie burn. The five factors are commonly used multipliers found in exercise physiology and nutrition references; this site has not confirmed a single primary source for them, so treat the result as a rough estimate. For context, the FAO/WHO/UNU 2004 report and the Institute of Medicine 2005 categories describe activity as a multiple of BMR on their own scales (for example 1.40 to 1.69 for a sedentary or light lifestyle in the FAO table), so other references can give a somewhat higher number.
How it is calculated
BMR = 10 * kg + 6.25 * cm - 5 * age + 5 (men) or - 161 (women)
TDEE = BMR * activity factor
commonly used multipliers: 1.2, 1.375, 1.55, 1.725, 1.9
How to read the result
Maintenance is the intake that would hold weight steady if the estimate fits you. The rows below it are simple offsets, not prescriptions. A row under 1,200 calories a day is hidden, as a conservative floor drawn from NHLBI healthy eating plan ranges.
Sources and method
Mifflin-St Jeor BMR times commonly used activity multipliers (1.2 to 1.9). These five factors are a widely used convention; we have not confirmed that they come from one primary paper. For context, the FAO/WHO/UNU 2004 report and the Institute of Medicine 2005 categories (restated by the National Academies in 2023) describe activity as a multiple of BMR on their own scales, for example 1.40 to 1.69 for a sedentary or light lifestyle in the FAO table. Treat the result as a rough estimate. Targets under 1,200 calories a day are hidden.
- Mifflin and others, 1990, A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure (PubMed)
- NHLBI, Facts About Healthy Weight (calorie ranges)
- FAO/WHO/UNU, Human energy requirements (2004), Table 5.3, physical activity levels
- National Academies, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy (2023), Appendix G, physical activity categories
Questions
Which activity level should I pick?
Pick the one that matches a typical week, not your best week. Most people overestimate activity.
How accurate is TDEE?
It is an estimate. Track your intake and weight for a few weeks and adjust.
How big a deficit is safe?
That depends on you. Ask a clinician or registered dietitian.
Does it work for teens?
No. The equation and activity factors here are for adults.