TDEE Calculator — How Many Calories Do You Burn Per Day?

Understanding how many calories your body burns each day is the foundation of any nutrition plan — whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, or simply maintain your current physique. Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) accounts for everything from breathing and digestion to walking and exercise. Our TDEE Calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to give you an accurate, personalized number.

What Is TDEE?

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories you burn in a 24-hour period. It combines your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), the thermic effect of food, non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), and exercise. BMR alone accounts for 60-75% of your daily calorie burn, which is why body composition and metabolism matter so much.

How to Use Our TDEE Calculator

1. Enter your gender, age, weight, and height.
2. Select your activity level — from sedentary (desk job) to extremely active (athlete).
3. The calculator shows your BMR and TDEE, plus calorie targets for weight loss, maintenance, and gain.
4. Use the results to set your daily calorie goal in a food tracking app or meal plan.

Why Know Your TDEE?

• Weight loss: Eat 300-500 calories below your TDEE for steady, sustainable fat loss of 0.25-0.5 kg per week.
• Muscle gain: Eat 200-300 calories above your TDEE to support muscle growth without excessive fat gain.
• Performance: Athletes need to fuel adequately — under-eating relative to TDEE causes fatigue, injury risk, and hormonal disruption.
• Awareness: Most people significantly overestimate or underestimate how much they burn. A calculated number removes the guesswork.

Common Use Cases

Dieters who have hit a plateau recalculate their TDEE at their current (lower) weight. As you lose weight, your TDEE decreases — the calorie target that created a deficit at 90 kg may be maintenance at 80 kg. Recalculating keeps your plan on track.

Strength trainees in a bulking phase use TDEE to set a moderate surplus. Eating 500+ calories over TDEE leads to unnecessary fat gain, while eating at maintenance means slow or no muscle growth. A 200-300 calorie surplus is the sweet spot.

People recovering from restrictive diets use TDEE to gradually increase calories back to maintenance (reverse dieting), restoring metabolic rate without rapid weight regain.

Tips and Best Practices

• The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is considered the most accurate BMR formula for most adults, but all formulas are estimates. Track your weight for 2-3 weeks and adjust if actual results differ from predictions.
• Be honest about your activity level. Most people with office jobs who exercise 3x per week are "lightly active," not "very active."
• TDEE changes with weight, age, and muscle mass. Recalculate every 5-10 kg of weight change or every 3 months.

Ready to try it? Use our free TDEE Calculator now — no signup required, works entirely in your browser.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is TDEE and how is it calculated?

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total number of calories your body burns in a day. It is calculated by finding your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and multiplying it by an activity factor ranging from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extremely active).

What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories your body burns at complete rest just to maintain basic functions like breathing and circulation. TDEE includes BMR plus all additional calories burned through daily activity, exercise, and digestion.

How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

To lose weight safely, eat 300-500 calories below your TDEE. This creates a deficit of about 0.25-0.5 kg of fat loss per week. Never eat below 1,200 calories (women) or 1,500 calories (men) without medical supervision.