Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is an estimate of how many calories you burn in a typical day, including exercise and everyday movement. It is the foundation of any sensible plan to lose, maintain or gain weight.
How it is calculated
First, your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is estimated from your weight, height, age and sex using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. Then that number is multiplied by an activity factor, from 1.2 for a sedentary lifestyle up to 1.9 for very hard daily training.
Using your TDEE
Eating around your TDEE tends to maintain your weight. A modest deficit below it is commonly used for fat loss, and a modest surplus above it for gaining muscle. Small, steady changes are easier to sustain than aggressive ones.
Calculate yours
TDEE Calculator
Enter your values and calculate instantly.
Treat the result as a starting point and adjust based on how your body responds over a few weeks.