What TDEE means
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It’s the total calories your body burns in a day — at rest plus everything you do. This is your maintenance number: eat exactly this much and your weight stays flat.
Eat less and you lose weight. Eat more and you gain.
How the calculation works
The calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to find your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — the calories burned just to keep you alive. Then multiplies by an activity factor.
For men: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) + 5
For women: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) − 161
Activity multipliers: sedentary 1.2, light exercise 1.375, moderate 1.55, very active 1.725, athlete-level 1.9.
Calorie targets
Lose weight: TDEE minus 500 kcal/day = roughly 0.5kg loss per week. Sustainable. Don’t go below 1200 kcal for women or 1500 for men.
Mild cut: TDEE minus 250 kcal/day = 0.25kg per week. Slower but easier to maintain and preserves more muscle.
Mild gain: TDEE plus 250 kcal/day. For adding muscle without excess fat — a “lean bulk”.
Weight gain: TDEE plus 500 kcal/day for faster mass gain.
Why activity level matters so much
Moving from sedentary (1.2) to moderate (1.55) multiplier on a 2000 kcal BMR changes your TDEE by 700 kcal/day. Most people underestimate their activity or overestimate it. Pick the level that matches your actual week, not your ideal week.
Related: BMI Calculator · Body Fat Calculator · Water Intake Calculator