Total daily energy expenditure is the number of calories you burn in a full day, including rest, digestion, movement and exercise. It is your basal metabolic rate multiplied by an activity factor, and it is the number to use when planning how much to eat.

What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?

BMR is what you burn at complete rest. TDEE is what you burn living your actual life. TDEE is always higher — typically 20 to 90 percent higher depending on how active you are.

How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

A deficit of roughly 500 calories a day below your TDEE is a common starting point and corresponds to about half a kilogram a week. This is an approximation: weight loss is not linear, and your TDEE falls as you lose weight.

Why do TDEE calculators give different numbers?

They use different BMR equations and different activity multipliers. The activity factor is the larger source of variation — the gap between "lightly active" and "moderately active" is around 180 calories a day for a typical adult, and people routinely overestimate their own activity level.

TDEE Calculator

Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is how many calories you burn in a full day — at rest, digesting food, moving around and exercising. It is your BMR multiplied by an activity factor, and it is the number you actually plan your eating around.

Calculate your TDEE

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How TDEE is calculated

TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier

This calculator derives BMR from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then applies the multiplier below. See the BMR calculator for the underlying equation.

Activity multipliers
Activity level	Description	Multiplier
Sedentary	Desk job, little or no exercise	× 1.2
Lightly active	Light exercise 1–3 days a week	× 1.375
Moderately active	Moderate exercise 3–5 days a week	× 1.55
Very active	Hard exercise 6–7 days a week	× 1.725
Extremely active	Physical job or twice-daily training	× 1.9

Calorie targets from TDEE

One kilogram of body fat holds roughly 7,700 calories, so a 1,100 calorie daily deficit corresponds to about a kilogram a week on paper.

In practice that rule overstates results. Metabolic rate falls as you lose weight, and TDEE drops with it, so a fixed deficit shrinks over time. Recalculate every few kilograms rather than holding one target for months.

Common questions about TDEE

What is TDEE?: Total daily energy expenditure is the number of calories you burn in a full day, including rest, digestion, movement and exercise. It is your basal metabolic rate multiplied by an activity factor, and it is the number to use when planning how much to eat.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?: BMR is what you burn at complete rest. TDEE is what you burn living your actual life. TDEE is always higher — typically 20 to 90 percent higher depending on how active you are.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?: A deficit of roughly 500 calories a day below your TDEE is a common starting point and corresponds to about half a kilogram a week. This is an approximation: weight loss is not linear, and your TDEE falls as you lose weight.
Why do TDEE calculators give different numbers?: They use different BMR equations and different activity multipliers. The activity factor is the larger source of variation — the gap between "lightly active" and "moderately active" is around 180 calories a day for a typical adult, and people routinely overestimate their own activity level.

TDEE Calculator

Calculate your TDEE

How TDEE is calculated

Calorie targets from TDEE

Common questions about TDEE

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