TDEE Calculator

1. Enter your personal stats. Gender, age, height, and weight are all required. The formula uses these to calculate your BMR (calories burned at complete rest), which is then adjusted for activity.
2. Select your activity level honestly. This is where most people make errors that throw off their calorie targets. Sedentary means a desk job with little to no purposeful exercise. Lightly active means 1-3 days per week of intentional exercise, not just walking to your car. Moderately active means 3-5 days of real workouts. Very active means hard training 6-7 days per week. Extra active is for manual labor jobs or twice-daily training.
3. Read your TDEE and goal targets. Your TDEE is the maintenance calorie level. The goal table below shows adjusted targets: a 500-calorie daily deficit creates roughly 1 lb/week of fat loss. A 250-calorie deficit targets 0.5 lbs/week, which is more sustainable over the long term.

If your weight is not changing as expected after 3-4 weeks at a calculated target, your activity multiplier is likely off. Try adjusting it one level down if you are not losing weight at a calculated deficit.

TDEE is calculated by multiplying your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) by an activity factor. The calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor formula for BMR, the most accurate widely-used equation:

BMR (male)   = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) - 5 × age + 5
BMR (female) = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) - 5 × age - 161

TDEE = BMR × Activity Multiplier

Example: 30-year-old female, 5'6" (168cm), 155 lbs (70.3kg), moderately active:

BMR = 10(70.3) + 6.25(168) - 5(30) - 161 = 1,481 calories
TDEE = 1,481 × 1.55 = 2,296 calories/day

Once you know your TDEE, adjusting calories is straightforward. One pound of body fat equals approximately 3,500 calories. A 500-calorie daily deficit creates roughly 1 lb of fat loss per week. Here are target adjustments based on your TDEE:

Do not go below 1,200 calories/day (women) or 1,500 calories/day (men) without medical supervision. Extreme deficits lead to muscle loss, metabolic adaptation, and nutrient deficiencies. A 500-calorie daily deficit (1 lb/week) is the maximum sustainable rate for most people without these side effects.