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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Hi,
I have a question. I’ve been consuming 1200 cals a day but took your TDEE calculator and it said I should be consuming 1462 to lose weight (my TDEE is 1821 cals). I’m 4’10, in an electric wheelchair and exercise 2 times a week at the gym, for about 2.5 hours. My apple watch says I burn approx 600cals each time. I would like to lose weight sustainably. Will I gain weight if I increase my calories? What should I do?
Many thanks!
Hi NL, At 1462 calories you are still in a deficit of almost 400 calories, right? You have to be in a calorie surplus to gain weight. If your body needs 1821 on your exercise day to maintain itself than how can it create fat when you are eating just 1462? At 1200 calories your deficit is a bit too low which could cause a plateau. You have to support your exercise with enough nutrition for a healthy metabolism. Here’s a good article to read about the subject. If You Want to Lose Weight, You Have to Start Eating!
Hi Ted,
Thank you for the reply and advice! I’ll up my cals and see how I get on.
Another question. I have a heart rate monitor that tracks calories burned. Would it be more accurate to start with a sedentary TDEE and simply add in the calories burned to my daily calories, or is it safer to use the formulas to calculate them? I have been cautioned against letting MyFitnessPal manage my TDEE
I think it’s better to establish an average burn. Often such devices overestimate a cardio burn and underestimate a strength training burn. Using METs is a little more dependable in my opinion. I have a great calculator here which should help: Calories Burned and Activity Calculator
I have a question about activity level. Should I be following 1 set of macros on the days I exercise, and the sedentary macros on the days I dont, or is there a way to calculate TDEE based on average weekly exercise levels?
Hi Jarrod, It’s better to have two sets. Learning how to vary your consumption based on the amount of activity you do is very helpful in maintaining a healthy weight throughout your lifetime. Eating the same thing day in and day out doesn’t teach you this.
Hi There,
I was wondering if you could please hep me. There is so much conflicting information out there. Arrrgh!!!
Weight= 48.2kg
Body fat = 5%
Age = 34
Height = 164cms
BMR = 1318
The calculator states that my TDEE currently sits at around 1863. Is this number for basic maintenance and taking into account overall exersize? I’m looking to gain a little weight in addition to overall muscle mass which currently sits at 79.7% (lean muscle tissue). Would you recommend sticking to this number to begin with as currently i’m working in a massive calorie deficit without realising.
Any advice would be amazing.
Hi Amanda, That number would be your maintenance amount after factoring in the exercise level you selected. If you want to add mass then you would have to eat more than 1863 on the days you workout. Here’s a helpful article of mine that takes about building lean muscle: Macros for Gaining Muscle and Cutting Fat
Should I use the normal setting or the lean mass setting to decide how many calories to eat per day?
Hi AC, lean mass is for those that already have a low body fat percentage. For guys, this would be 12% or lower
Hello
My TDEE is 2254 and I’m going to cut back to 1800 cals per day to lose fat. Do I factor in my calories burnt through exercise or eat 1800 no matter how many cals I burn during a workout.
Hi Cc, If 2254 is your sedentary TDEE then any additional exercise you do would have to be factored in. So, if your deficit TDEE is 1800 and you burn 400 calories at the gym, your new deficit TDEE is 2200 calories for that day.
Hello,
My TDEE is 2692 (this number is with moderate activity level)
Hi, im new to this and getting confused with all the websites. If my BMR = 1300, TDEE is about 1700, does that mean that to lose weigh, i should be consuming about 1500 calories (calories in = 1500) or should 1500 be the final total calories i achieved after factoring the activities for the entire day (calories in – calories out = 1500)?
Hi WJ, It would probably be helpful to use our macro calculator here: Flexible Dieting Macro Calculator It does all the calculations for you. Basically to lose weight you should eat 20% less than your exercise included TDEE.
MY BMR is 1800 and my TDEE is 2159. 90 days ago i started counting macros and was 161 with a skeletal muscle mass of 85.1lbs and body fat of 8.7%. I was eating 150 grams of protien a day and averaging about 1800 calories a day. Today (90 days later) i weight 161 still but my muscle mass dropped to 84 lbs and body fat increased to 9.5%. Is it possible i am not eating enough and my body is storing energy in Fat??? I’m caloric defecit so how am i gaining body fat?……and disturbing that eating 150g of protien a day i lost muscle? Goal is to maintain muscle mass but get rid of the last layer of stomach fat so show the six pack
Hi PHoss, It sounds like you’re trying to cut back too much while also working out. This isn’t good and that 150 grams of protein will go to fuel and not rebuilding muscle tissue. Also, your body will break down other muscle tissue to repair the tissue that’s been stressed during your workout. Eat more and since you already have a low body fat percentage do no more than a 10% calorie deficit.
At low % body fat you need to reduce your deficit, the less fat you have the slower the loss has to be to retain muscle. You also should be throwing in a bunch of re feeds if you are that low but it sound like you are a bit higher, abs are usually easily visible between 8-10%
Hello
My TDEE is 2692(this number is through moderate activity level) and my BMR is at 2297, would I have have to cut my calories to around 2200 to lose the last of fat I have and get lean muscle? Also, will setting my protein at maximum prevent me from losing the muscle?
Hi Pedro, That sounds like a pretty sensible deficit. You can always check it using our macro calculator: Flexible Dieting Macro Calculator. If you have just a little fat and want to preserve/still make lean gains, sometimes less of a deficit is better. Our macro calculator gives you a choice. You would want to do at least high protein as I assume you are also weight training?
So would doing the 20% deficit be my best bet on the flexible macro calculator? And yes I am currently doing weight training
You could start with 20% and if you feel like you’re losing strength, cut back to 10%.
Hello,
I’ve been trying to figure out how many calories I should be eating and burning to lose weight but get toned.
Stats:
5’3
124.4lbs
TDEE is showing 1957 calories,
I’ve been trying to not go over a 1500 calorie intake in a day while burning at least a total of 2,282 calories a day (700-900 of those being active). I am just wondering if I am doing the right thing or should I be eating less or burning more active calories. Thank you.
Hi Stephanie, You can use our macro calculator and see what a 20% calorie deficit looks like. It also looks like you’re wearing an exercise tracker. Just note that they tend to over-estimate calorie burn so keep that in mind.
I’ve been stuck in a weight gain swing for the past year. I originally lost 75 pounds on WW, but had to quit due to finances. I exercise 3-4 times a week (HIIT, elliptical, walking, light weights) and have been keeping myself at and around 1335 calories daily. I’ve gained 30 pounds 😞. Please tell me what I’m doing wrong
I don’t eat processed foods, no fried foods, minimal sugar, minimal fruit, and don’t drink soda
My daily consumption usually consists of protein, veggies, and the occasional potato.
My stats:
54 yrs old
5’ 9”
231 lbs
Strong but flabby
Hi Carol, Unfortunately, you’ve slowed your metabolism by eating too little. You need to support both your metabolism and the exercise you are doing with enough nutrition. Here’s an article that explains this in more detail. If You Want to Lose Weight, You Have to Start Eating! I suggest you eat at your maintenance levels for a month and then cut back to no more than a 20% deficit.
Hi, I’ve been eating on extremely low calories for about 2/3 years now. Roughly 800 a day along with excessive exercise (double gym sessions along with hobby exercise).
To begin with I lost weight really fast but soon become bloated all the time & now I’m just chubby.
I want to start eating more so I can actually lose some fat & define my muscles, how long should I eat on my Maintenance calories before going into a deficiency to lose some fat?
Hi Rox, I would give your body a solid month to 2 months to recover. Strength training in conjunction with this will also be helpful.
My tdee is 1500. If I – 500 calories a day to lose weight is it still healthy to only eat 1000 calories a day?
Not everyone should deduct 500. In your case, 20% would be more accurate.