TDEE Calculator
Use this TDEE calculator to quickly find your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (daily calorie needs).
Why is TDEE important?
Your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) tells you exactly how much you need to eat daily to maintain weight.
- Eat more than this, and you will gain weight.
- Eat less, and you will lose weight
This is called a calorie deficit – calculate it here.
Is TDEE and BMR the same?
No, they are not.
Every day your body burns a specific number of calories just by existing. This is known as your Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR.
BMR is based on your weight, height, and age but does not include daily activity or exercise.
TDEE is effectively your BMR + extra exercise or activity.
TDEE and BMR are not the same, and as most people do more than lie in bed each day, TDEE is a more helpful tool.
Should I eat my TDEE to lose weight?
No. Your TDEE shows you your daily maintenance calories. If you eat your TDEE, you will stay the same weight.
How do you calculate TDEE for weight loss?
You lose weight by having a calorie deficit.
A calorie deficit means eating less than your body needs to maintain itself.
Ever had more bills than you had money? You had a financial deficit.
A calorie deficit is consuming less energy than you need to stay the same weight.
TDEE Weight Loss Example
Let’s say your BMR is 1,700 calories per day. With some physical activity, you end up with a TDEE of 2300 calories.
To lose weight, you should consume around 1,840 calories per day.
How much should I subtract from TDEE?
After working with hundreds of successful clients, we’ve found a deficit of 20% from your TDEE is optimum.
You can also achieve a deficit by burning more calories through exercise.
Every effective diet, whether high fat, low fat, high carb, or low carb, uses a calorie deficit to achieve weight loss.
Why shouldn’t I subtract more calories?
Technically you could eat nothing all day and achieve weight loss through having a calorie deficit.
Many well-publicized crash diets put you into a severe caloric deficit. They result in short-term weight loss but will damage your metabolism.
Reducing your calories by more than 20% may lead to loss of muscle. This is not desirable as muscle helps burn additional calories.
How long does it take to see results from a deficit?
There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat, so with a 20% calorie deficit, most people will lose about a pound a week.
Your body can become conditioned to repeated exercise affecting your calorie intake and TDEE.
So switch things up from time to time! Change exercise routines, intensity, and duration.
How to get results with TDEE and a calorie deficit
Macro counting is a great way to hit your daily calorie target. You lose weight healthily and sustainably.
Counting macros (and flexible dieting) is non-restrictive. It means you still eat your favorite foods – provided they fit within your TDEE and macro goals.
You could eat unhealthy foods and still achieve weight loss. – as demonstrated by the 27-pound weight loss of Dr. Mark Haub.
However, loading your diet with fresh veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, and lean meats is best. This way, you can feel awesome AND achieve weight loss.
TDEE FAQs
Does it matter what I eat if I count calories?
Yes and no.
You could eat nothing but snack cakes or pizza and still lose weight – if you maintain a calorie deficit.
However, for healthy body composition, a balanced diet is recommended.
Tracking macros will ensure you get enough of each macronutrient and meet micronutrient needs.
Does TDEE include exercise?
Yes, the TDEE is your total daily energy expenditure, so it must include all the movement you do in 24 hours.
Even non-exercisers are still doing activities around the house – eating, showering, running errands, etc.
Don’t confuse TDEE with Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) or (Basal Metabolic Rate) BMR. These two represent your energy expenditure if you lay in bed all day and did absolutely nothing.
How do I measure my TDEE and calorie intake?
Use the calculator above. It uses the most common variables.
If you want a genuinely accurate TDEE – talk to a coach.
Totaling your calories for the day is usually done with a macro tracking app.
How often should I recalculate my TDEE?
It would be best if you recalculated your TDEE as you lost weight. Do this every 6-8 weeks.
How do I use TDEE to gain muscle?
Once you’ve calculated your TDEE in the calculator above, add 10% to the calorie amount. The new calorie amount gives you a good starting point for weight gain.
If you still aren’t gaining, move this to a 20% surplus (use the macro calculator).
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References
- Rising, R., Harper, I. T., Fontvielle, A. M., Ferraro, R. T., Spraul, M., & Ravussin, E. (1994). Determinants of total daily energy expenditure: variability in physical activity. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 59(4), 800-804. study link
- Schulz, L. O., & Schoeller, D. A. (1994). A compilation of total daily energy expenditures and body weights in healthy adults. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 60(5), 676-681. study link
450 Comments
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Hey I’m 28, 5.11 and weight 86 kg, I wanner lose weight I belive I eat around 3000 Calories a day! But my job I do burn around 400-700 calories on every other. I am eating 2500 calories now but do I have to up that because I burn them calories at work? And i worked out I need 188g protein a day how do I even fit that much protein in a day?
Any tips would help?
Rob
Hi Robert, It seems like you’re overestimating how much your body needs daily. What do you do for a living and what are your workouts like? This is pretty common for guys to do especially as they age which is another factor that has to be considered.
Ok so I was just reading the nutrition labels on the bread, margarine and marmite (condiment) I have every day in sandwiches or toast, using the calculator on my iphone, and which order are you supposed to put the numbers in, because all the time before I just counted the bread calories and no more because I didn’t think the other ingredients were gonna be that much off, but when I multiply the calorie bread number just on its own with the amount that I have (around 8 slices, usually, don’t judge!) it comes up with 752, yet, when I start from the beginning and add the calories from the butter and marmite to the bread it comes up with a much lower number! What am I doing wrong?
You have to add each thing separately. 8 slices of bread, the total amount or margarine used, and the total amount of Marmite used. For Marmite you can afford to estimate but you should be pretty exact with calorie-dense foods like Margarine or butter.
hi ted, i’m so sorry to keep on pestering you, but i was just wondering If you eat a lot of healthy stuff but also exceed your daily recommended sugar intake, will you still lose body fat?
Because I eat a lot of healthy stuff, lots of meat, fish, chicken, pasta, bread (carbs, protein, fat etc etc etc) but I also do eat quite a bit of unhealthy stuff, I have been trying to cut down a bit during lockdown but my weight has always been fairly stable (I also spoke to a doctor recently and he said I didn’t need to lose much weight at all), my BMI is in the healthy range, I’m female, 5 foot 9 and around 11 stone 2. Even though I’m in the healthy weight category and I do eat a wide(ish) range of foods, I do have some slight belly and chin fat, that I think I wanna get rid of, so if you eat all the right macros but go over some of them, particularly the sugar and fat are the ones I’m worried about, will the body fat still go down? By the sounds of what my dr said I’m not at risk for any conditions like diabetes or anything like that?
Hi Charlotte, One particular food or macro group doesn’t make you fat or keep you from losing fat and this myth has been disproven time after time. It’s about energy balance. If you want to lose fat then you need to be in a negative energy balance or a calorie deficit. This deficit doesn’t have to be severe as some people are led to believe. Just 10-20% is sufficient. Have a look at this calculator which will allow you to set a deficit. Flexible Dieting Macro Calculator
I just meant like if you are in a calorie deficit but still eat some foods that are high in sugar, fat etc etc etc then will the body fat still come off?
Yes, That’s right, “One particular food or macro group doesn’t make you fat or keep you from losing fat”
Also could you explain to me how BMR works? I know it’s the amount of calories that you burn at rest, but if you are sedentary, you are still moving around the house and burning calories right? So do the calories burnt from that get included in the BMR? I’m so sorry for the incessant questions I just wanna make sure I’ve got it right
BMR isn’t the amount you burn at rest, that’s REE (resting energy expenditure). BMR is basal metabolic rate. It the amount of calories needed to perform vital functions only or if you were in a bed lying absolutely still and not digesting food. Because people don’t live this way, the more accurate measurement is your sedentary TDEE it’s your REE plus a general movement factor. Since people have movement throughout the day living life.
Hye Ted,
I wanted to lose belly fat and love handles especially at the mid section. I started to lift weight and running, yet cant see the different much. FYI, I have pectus excavatum (sunken chest). I reduced weight yet belly still big. Should I do more cardio to rid belly fat or just bulk with existing shape?
Hi Navien, What’s your diet like? Are you eating in a calorie deficit?
Hi again Ted
I was wondering, does cardio exercise help to build or at least maintain muscle mass? I was just scared of my BMR decreasing while I’m stuck indoors a lot of the time, but once this lockdown gets lifted a little bit I want to exercise a few more times a week than I did before in order to hopefully get fitter. I don’t want to be like a bodybuilder or anything like that, not necessarily after a flat belly either, but my muscles ache after I do exercises like swimming, horse riding and even walking so thought that could have been making me stronger?
Cardio is typically pretty leg focused so it can keep leg muscles toned but I suggest that you add in some bodyweight exercises that focus on your upper body and core. There are a lot of great youtube workouts that can guide you.
I’m not trying to build muscle or bodybuild or anything like that, I’m just a bit worried some of my muscle tone has dropped off during this lockdown, but when the lockdown drops I wanna still lose fat/keep fat off but keep the muscle tone that I have (if I have any just from the cardio I was doing before), so I guess I just keep exercising?
yes, keep moving and stay healthy.
Hey there, i’m 18 i’ve been on a grind since christmas. I lost 60Ibs in 3 months which i now know was unsafely rapid. Im 6″2, now 185 but i was 250 ish when i started keto and was eating under 1500 (which I now know was the wrong way to go at a diet). Im now eating just eating under 2500cals with resistance training once a day and around 20,000 steps a day. I weight and track all my meals and im very good at that now and stay strict to my diet. I’ve been stuck at 185 for about 3 weeks now and I don’t know what my next step should be since im working out hard already I don’t think I can up my cardio anymore. What is the next step to break through this plateau?
Hi Carter, You probably need to be eating a little more to support your weight training and steps. Focus now on building lean muscle. Use my macro calculator and set it to “lose 10”. Great job on your efforts so far, but you have a little bit of recovery work to do since you didn’t do it in a way that’s best for your metabolism. Flexible Dieting Macro Calculator
any other advice should I try a refeed too or take a week off from working out to give my body a rest?
Any other tips or tricks?
Sometimes it can be helpful to give your body a break from eating in a deficit and give your body a break from weight lifting. Why not eat at maintenance levels for two weeks and take a week break from the weights.
Plz give me full detail of Coloire burn and all plz
If you’re looking for calorie burn equivalents, you can find that on this calculator: Calories Burned and Activity Calculator
HI,
I’m 35, 5 ft 5 and 150 lbs. I am an office worker and literally have no time for workouts. I am aiming to lose 12 lbs in total. I read the article and I was wondering whether I should cut down my calorie intake by 10% or 20%? I understand that if I cut too much it leads to muscle loss? if I eat more protein will 20% be fine? thanks
Hi Audrey, 20% is the way to go and will lead to minimal muscle loss. It’s not that severe of a deficit.
Hi,
I’m 24, 5 ft 8 and 142lbs. I exercise 4-5 times a week mainly HIIT with some light weights included and I also go for a long walk most days. I’m not happy with my body (mainly the stomach area) at the minute due to over eating and I want to lose some weight and start eating in a calorie deficit. If my TDEE is being calculated at 1985 calories, should I be eating 1485 calories a day for sensible 1lb a week weight loss? Even with my exercise? Or should I be consuming more than that? Thanks
Hi Amy, My flexible dieting macro calculator is better for determining a safe calorie deficit. I suggest you head over there and enter your stats. Flexible Dieting Macro Calculator
Hi
I have a question, my current BMR is around 1500, and TDEE is around 1800-1900, and can’t get much exercise right now because of this coronavirus thing, before it all started I think I was lightly active, I don’t know exactly if I am losing or maintaining my weight right now, but once all this coronavirus stuff has cleared up I am hoping to exercise regularly again. I know that once I start doing this I will have my TDEE increased so would need to increase my calorie intake to keep up with it and not shed any (or too many at least) pounds, but just to be on the safe side, can you tell me how to create a calorie deficit through exercise alone, because I think I have read somewhere that you can burn extra calories through exercising alone “as long as you’re not overeating to begin with”. Can you tell me how this works? Many thanks.
Hi Charlotte, Unless you’re really tall, I don’t think your BMR is 1500 and your TDEE is 1800-1900. I think you’re getting BMR and REE confused. Anyway, I would have to know your stats in order to help you there. In order to use exercise as a calorie deficit. You would use the calculator to determine for sedentary TDEE for maintenance. You would then exercise but not eat those calories back but just eat at your sedentary maintenance levels.
I am 5 foot 9 and 158 pounds.
Also so if I then exercise but not eat the calories back, then does that mean I will have to be hungry for the rest of that day?
You probably want to establish just a 20% calorie deficit including exercise which would be the best approach. Check out my macro calculator which gives you that option. Flexible Dieting Macro Calculator
I’d like to just maintain my weight now, which I think is around 1800-1900 calories, but this is according to my BMR and now you’ve told me I may have gotten my BMR and RMR mixed up I’m scared I’m losing weight unintentionally, so how do I use my RMR and BMR together to figure out my TDEE?
Use the calculator I mentioned and set it to “maintenance”.
Hi Ted
This is a bit of a random question, but do you believe in reducing portion sizes without going as far as what some of these experts recommend? For example, in articles such as this one: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3331095/Handy-guide-portion-sizes-Never-know-food-Use-formula-figure-right-eat.html
Imo some of them are very silly and too small, and some others seem to think so too and some people who agree with me seem perfectly healthy as they are, so was wondering what your opinion was? I hope it’s possible to reduce portion sizes without going so far as some of these haha!
Hi Charlotte, That’s the problem with general posts and recommendations about portion sizes. Portion sizes aren’t one size fits all because people have different bodies, different exercise levels, and therefore, different energy needs. This is why I think tracking your macros is a better approach and you can use it to determine what portion sizes are right for your body. If you’re new to the concept, I suggest you read my article on counting macros: Counting Macros for Losing Weight Without Starvation
Hi Ted
I have hit a big plateau in losing weight. I am:
26, Male, 5ft 9, 92 kg and do strength training at home and go for a 45 min walk 5 or 6 days a week. I have stopped losing weight and currently being on a caloric intake level of around 1600, it would feel really strange to ramp it up to the suggested amount of 2500 (based on a number of TDEE calculators which all said the same thing). Am I right to follow the TDEE? I just feel like I’d be going in the opposite direction!
Thanks
Joe (UK) 🙂
Hi Joe, I agree that you have been eating too little, which works for a while but then starts slowing down the metabolism, especially if you are doing strength training. It seems like 2500 is too much though. It seems like this would be your maintenance TDEE not your safe weight loss TDEE. Head over to our macro calculator for your weight loss TDEE. Or, I do offer personal help with one of my coaching options. Personalized Macros Coaching
Hey Ted. Thanks for the quick response. I tried multiple TDEE calculators and all of them gave very similar results which was that my TDEE is 3000 (I also wear a Fitbit and 95% of the time I will burn around 3000 calories a day if not more). Based on the approximate 500 calorie deficit for weight loss, I believe 2500 would be ok (that being said, I will have to slowly build up to 2500 from my current 1600 in small increments so my body is not suddenly overwhelmed by much more food than normal). I am considering going with your personalised coaching as macros/calories is something I’m not getting right at the moment – but will first await your reply to this post! Cheers
You’re welcome. This is why calculators aren’t always the best. Given your height and described activity, I think 2500 is a tad too much. Fitbit is notorious for overestimating burn.