TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is the number of calories you burn in a day, so eating at your TDEE keeps your weight steady. It is your BMR, the calories your body uses at complete rest, multiplied by an activity factor between 1.2 and 1.9. This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which comparison studies have found to be the most accurate BMR formula for most adults.
For adults aged 18 and over. An estimate for general guidance, not medical advice. Free to use, no sign-up, and nothing you enter leaves your device.
BMR (men) = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5
BMR (women) = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age − 161
TDEE = BMR × activity factor
BMR covers breathing, circulation and keeping your organs running. The activity factor adds everything else: walking, work, training and digestion. Eat below your TDEE to lose weight and above it to gain.
A 30-year-old man, 70 kg and 170 cm, has a BMR of 1,618 kcal. Training 3–5 days a week (factor 1.55), his TDEE is 2,508 kcal a day. A 30-year-old woman, 60 kg and 160 cm, has a BMR of 1,289 kcal; lightly active (factor 1.375), her TDEE is 1,772 kcal a day.
| Activity level | What it means | Factor | TDEE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | Desk job, little or no exercise | × 1.2 | 1,942 kcal |
| Lightly active | Light exercise or walking 1–3 days a week | × 1.375 | 2,225 kcal |
| Moderately active | Training 3–5 days a week | × 1.55 | 2,508 kcal |
| Very active | Hard training 6–7 days a week | × 1.725 | 2,791 kcal |
| Extra active | Physical job plus daily hard training | × 1.9 | 3,074 kcal |
Most people overestimate their activity. If you have a desk job and train three or four times a week, "lightly active" is usually closer to the truth than "moderately active". Treat the result as a starting estimate: eat at that number for two to three weeks, watch your average weight, and adjust by 100–200 kcal if the scale drifts.
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TDEE stands for total daily energy expenditure: all the calories you burn in 24 hours, including resting metabolism, daily movement, exercise and digesting food. Eating the same number of calories as your TDEE maintains your weight, which is why it is also called your maintenance calories.
Work out your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiply by an activity factor. For a 30-year-old man who weighs 70 kg and is 170 cm tall, BMR is 1,618 kcal. If he trains 3–5 days a week, multiply by 1.55 to get maintenance calories of 2,508 kcal a day.
BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the energy your body needs at complete rest just to stay alive. TDEE is BMR plus everything you do on top of that: walking, working, exercise and digestion. TDEE is always higher than BMR, typically by 20% to 90% depending on how active you are.
Pick the level that matches your whole week, not your best day. A desk job with little exercise is sedentary. A desk job with three or four workouts is lightly to moderately active. Very active and extra active suit people who train hard almost daily or do physical work. If you are unsure between two levels, choose the lower one.
For most adults the Mifflin-St Jeor equation estimates resting metabolism to within about 10%, and the activity factor adds more uncertainty. Use the number as a starting point, track your average body weight for two to three weeks, and adjust your intake by 100–200 kcal based on what actually happens.
A calculator gives you a target. Coach Himanshu builds the workout and Indian diet plan that gets you there, and adjusts it as your body changes.