How to use it
- Under Units, pick Metric or US, then choose Sex.
- Enter Age, Height and Weight. Results update as you type.
- Choose the Activity level that best matches a typical week, from Little or no exercise to Very hard exercise or a physical job.
- Read your TDEE, then compare the table of all five levels below it. How this was calculated shows the full sum.
- Keep the result with Copy link, Save image or Share.
What TDEE adds to BMR
Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is the energy used across 24 hours: resting needs plus everything you do. The FAO/WHO/UNU 2004 report on human energy requirements describes this ratio as the physical activity level, PAL = TEE ÷ BMR.
This calculator works in the same direction. It estimates BMR first, then multiplies it by a single factor for your activity level. The BMR comes from Mifflin-St Jeor, explained on the BMR calculator page.
How the calculation works
Step 1, Mifflin-St Jeor BMR (kg, cm, years): men 10 × weight + 6.25 × height − 5 × age + 5; women the same with − 161 instead of + 5.
Step 2: TDEE = BMR × activity factor. The factors are 1.2, 1.375, 1.55, 1.725 and 1.9. The result is rounded to whole kcal.
Example: a man aged 30, 80 kg (about 176 lb), 180 cm (about 5 ft 11 in). His BMR is 800 + 1,125 − 150 + 5 = 1,780 kcal/day. The table shows each level:
| Activity level | Factor | TDEE (kcal/day) |
|---|---|---|
| Little or no exercise | 1.2 | 2,136 |
| Light exercise 1–3 days a week | 1.375 | 2,448 |
| Moderate exercise 3–5 days a week | 1.55 | 2,759 |
| Hard exercise 6–7 days a week | 1.725 | 3,071 |
| Very hard exercise or a physical job | 1.9 | 3,382 |
How accurate is this?
TDEE stacks two estimates. The BMR part (Mifflin-St Jeor) predicted within 10% of measured resting energy for more people than other equations in a 2005 systematic review, but not for everyone. The activity multiplier adds a second, larger uncertainty: the five factors are a convention with no single validation study, and people often pick a level that is too high.
Treat the result as a starting estimate. Comparing it with how your weight actually changes over several weeks tells you more than any equation.
Where the activity factors come from
The five factors are widely used rounded multipliers, common to many online calorie tools. They are a convention, not values taken from a measured dataset.
The FAO/WHO/UNU expert report offers a published comparison. It classifies lifestyles by measured PAL:
| Lifestyle | PAL range |
|---|---|
| Sedentary or light activity | 1.40–1.69 |
| Active or moderately active | 1.70–1.99 |
| Vigorous or vigorously active | 2.00–2.40 |
Reading the two scales side by side
The calculator's lowest factor, 1.2, sits below the bottom of the FAO sedentary range, 1.40. Its top factor, 1.9, falls inside the FAO active range rather than the vigorous one. The report adds that PAL values above 2.40 are difficult to maintain over a long period.
So the two scales are not interchangeable. The FAO ranges describe whole lifestyles measured over 24 hours. The calculator's labels describe exercise days per week. A desk job with regular training can fall between two labels.
Common mistakes when choosing a level
One slip is counting a planned week instead of a typical one. The factor multiplies every day, so an unusually active week overstates the result for the weeks around it.
Counting training sessions twice is another. Two short workouts on the same day still count as one exercise day in these labels.
Mixing units also shifts the result. With US selected, weight goes in pounds and height in feet and inches. Close conversions barely matter: 176 lb and 5 ft 11 in give the same 1,780 kcal/day BMR as 80 kg and 180 cm.
Finally, the table is there for comparison. If two labels both seem to fit, the two rows show the range between them, and the choice stays yours.
What the number does and doesn't tell you
TDEE inherits every limit of the BMR estimate. The equations give an average for people of your sex, age, height and weight. They don't know your muscle mass or how much you move outside workouts.
The activity factor adds a second layer of rounding. On the example above, moving one level changes the result by about 310 kcal/day. Choosing the level is often a bigger source of error than the BMR formula.
The equations were made for healthy adults. They are not made for pregnancy, illness or people under 18, where energy needs are assessed differently.
Questions
- Which activity level fits a desk job with three gym sessions a week?
- The labels count exercise days, so three sessions matches Light exercise 1–3 days a week or the low end of Moderate exercise 3–5 days a week. The table lets you see both results without changing the setting.
- Does the activity level include steps and housework?
- Not separately. A single factor has to cover all movement in the day. If your job keeps you on your feet, Very hard exercise or a physical job is the label meant for that.
- Is the result the same for a woman with the same details?
- No. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation for women uses − 161 instead of + 5, so BMR is 166 kcal/day lower. A woman aged 30, 60 kg and 165 cm has a BMR of 1,320 kcal/day and a moderate-level TDEE of 2,046 kcal/day.
- Why does the calculator use Mifflin-St Jeor and not Harris-Benedict?
- A 2005 systematic review rated Mifflin-St Jeor the most reliable of the equations it compared for healthy adults. Both results are shown on the BMR calculator.
- What can I do with the TDEE number next?
- The calorie calculator shows what percentages above and below this number work out to. The macro calculator splits a calorie figure into grams of protein, carbs and fat.
- Is TDEE the same as maintenance calories?
- Yes, in the way this site uses the words. TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is the estimated energy you use in a day, and eating that much would, on paper, keep your weight steady. In practice it is an estimate, so the real maintenance level is found by watching your weight over a few weeks.
- What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
- BMR is the energy used at complete rest. TDEE adds everything else: moving, exercise and digesting food. Here TDEE = BMR × an activity multiplier between 1.2 and 1.9, so TDEE is always 20 to 90% above BMR.
- Does TDEE include my workouts?
- Yes. The activity level is meant to cover a typical week, workouts included, so you don't add exercise calories on top. If you add them anyway, you count your training twice.
- How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
- It stacks two estimates: a BMR equation that lands within 10% of measured values for more people than other equations, but not for everyone, and an activity multiplier that is a broad convention. See "How accurate is this?" above. Your weight trend over several weeks is the better check.