TDEE Calculator
TDEE — total daily energy expenditure — is roughly how many calories you burn in a full day, including training, walking, and everything in between. Eat around this number and your weight holds steady. It is the anchor every cut or bulk is measured against.
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How it's calculated
TDEE is calculated in two steps. Step one computes your basal metabolic rate with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5 for men, minus 161 instead of plus 5 for women. This is the energy your body burns at complete rest, and Mifflin-St Jeor is the equation validation research rates most accurate for the general population.
Step two multiplies BMR by an activity factor: about 1.2 if you are sedentary, 1.375 for light activity (training 1-3 days a week), 1.55 for moderate (3-5 days), 1.725 for active (6-7 days), and about 1.9 for very active jobs plus hard training. These multipliers come from the original activity-factor research behind the Harris-Benedict system and remain the standard way to scale resting metabolism up to full-day expenditure.
The honest weak point of every TDEE estimate is the activity factor — people systematically overrate how active they are. A desk job plus four gym sessions a week is moderate, not active; the difference between those two factors is several hundred calories a day. Pick the factor that matches your whole week, not your best day. Then verify against reality: eat your TDEE for two to three weeks while weighing yourself. Stable weight confirms the estimate; steady movement up or down means your true TDEE is lower or higher, so adjust in 100-200 calorie steps. From an accurate TDEE, a cut is simply TDEE minus a few hundred calories and a lean bulk is TDEE plus a couple hundred.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between TDEE and BMR?
BMR is what you burn at complete rest; TDEE is BMR multiplied by an activity factor to cover training and daily movement. TDEE is the number you eat against.
Which activity level should I pick?
Match your whole week, not your hardest day. A desk job with 3-5 training sessions is moderate. Overestimating activity is the most common reason TDEE numbers run high.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
Within about ±10% for most people. Verify by eating the number for two to three weeks: stable weight confirms it; steady gain or loss means adjust by 100-200 calories.
Does TDEE change as I lose weight?
Yes — a lighter body burns fewer calories, and dieting slightly lowers expenditure further. Recalculate every 5 kg or whenever fat loss stalls for more than two weeks.
Take it with you
Every calculator, plus workout and macro tracking, in the ElevenSix Fitness app for iPhone.