Nutrition
TDEE: How to Calculate Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure
Published October 20, 2026
TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is the number of calories you burn in a day: your resting metabolism plus everything you do, from digesting food to walking and training. The easiest way to estimate it is to calculate your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and multiply it by an activity factor, then adjust based on how your weight actually changes over two weeks.
Step 1: BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor)
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation was developed in 1990 from measurements of resting energy expenditure in healthy adults (Mifflin et al., 1990):
- Men: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5
- Women: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age − 161
Pounds to kg: divide by 2.205. Inches to cm: multiply by 2.54.
Step 2: Activity factor
| Activity level | Description | Multiply BMR by |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | Desk job, little exercise | 1.2 |
| Lightly active | 1-3 workouts/week or lots of walking | 1.375 |
| Moderately active | 3-5 workouts/week | 1.55 |
| Very active | 6-7 hard workouts/week | 1.725 |
| Extremely active | Physical job + training | 1.9 |
These multipliers are conventional estimates; most people overestimate their activity, so when in doubt pick the lower one.
Worked examples
| Person | BMR | Activity | TDEE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man, 30, 180 lb (81.6 kg), 5'10" (178 cm), lifts 4×/week | 1,784 kcal | × 1.55 | ≈ 2,765 kcal |
| Woman, 40, 150 lb (68 kg), 5'5" (165 cm), walks daily | 1,350 kcal | × 1.375 | ≈ 1,860 kcal |
| Man, 60, 200 lb (90.7 kg), 5'9" (175 cm), sedentary | 1,706 kcal | × 1.2 | ≈ 2,045 kcal |
Step 3: Use your TDEE
| Goal | Daily calories |
|---|---|
| Lose fat | TDEE − 300 to 500 |
| Maintain | TDEE |
| Build muscle | TDEE + 200 to 300 |
Then set macros (see how to calculate macros).
Step 4: Calibrate with real data
Any formula can be off by a few hundred calories. Weigh yourself 3+ mornings a week and compare 2-week averages:
| What happened | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Weight stable while eating "TDEE" | Your estimate was right |
| Gaining at "maintenance" | Real TDEE is lower: −150 kcal |
| Losing at "maintenance" | Real TDEE is higher: +150 kcal |
Weight loss also slows over time because energy expenditure drops as you get lighter; the classic "3,500 calories = 1 lb" rule overestimates long-term loss (Hall et al., 2011). Recalculate every 10-15 lb (5-7 kg).
What makes up TDEE
| Component | Rough share |
|---|---|
| BMR (resting metabolism) | The largest part |
| NEAT (daily movement, steps, fidgeting) | Varies a lot between people |
| Exercise | Often smaller than people think |
| Thermic effect of food | Small; higher with protein |
Raising daily steps is one of the easiest ways to raise TDEE (see walking for weight loss).
FAQ
Are fitness tracker calories accurate? They are rough estimates; use them as trends.
BMR or TDEE for dieting? TDEE. Eating at BMR is usually an aggressive deficit.