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TDEE (Maintenance Calories)

TDEE Calculator

Use this free TDEE calculator to estimate your maintenance calories using the Mifflin-St Jeor BMR equation and activity level multipliers. Get cut/bulk calorie targets and a protein range in one place.

Enter Your Details

Moderate exercise 3–5 days/week

What You’ll Get

  • BMR estimate (Mifflin-St Jeor)
  • TDEE (maintenance calories/day)
  • Calorie targets for cutting, maintenance, and bulking
  • Protein range suggestion based on body weight

TDEE is your estimated daily calorie burn (your maintenance calories). Treat it as a starting point, then adjust up or down based on your 2–3 week weight trend and how you feel.

What is TDEE?

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is an estimate of how many calories you burn per day. It includes your resting needs (often approximated by BMR) plus energy used for daily activity and exercise.

Method used on this page
  • BMR: Mifflin-St Jeor
  • TDEE: BMR × activity factor
  • Targets: ±250 / ±500 kcal
  • Protein: 1.6–2.2 g/kg/day

Who this TDEE calculator is for

  • Adults (18+) who want a practical starting point for maintenance calories.
  • Anyone setting a calorie target for fat loss (deficit) or muscle gain (surplus).
  • People who want to sanity-check numbers from other apps, watches, or calculators.

Limitations and accuracy

A TDEE calculator does not measure your metabolism—it’s a best-effort estimate based on population averages. Your true maintenance calories can be higher or lower.

  • Activity level selection is the biggest source of error (most people overestimate).
  • NEAT, sleep/stress, genetics, and tracking accuracy can move real-world results.
  • This tool does not use body fat % (so it won’t switch to lean-mass formulas like Katch-McArdle).
  • If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, recovering from an eating disorder, or managing a medical condition, talk to a qualified professional before changing calories.

TDEE vs BMR vs RMR

  • BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate): calories your body uses at rest (breathing, circulation, basic function).
  • RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate): similar to BMR, often measured/estimated with slightly different conditions.
  • TDEE: your daily calorie burn after adding movement, exercise, and daily activity on top of BMR/RMR.

Why calculators can disagree

If you’ve compared results across apps or sites, different numbers are normal. Differences usually come from:

  • Different BMR equations: Mifflin-St Jeor, Harris-Benedict, or Katch-McArdle (often uses body fat % / lean mass).
  • Different activity factors: “moderate” doesn’t mean the same thing everywhere, and exercise can be double-counted.
  • Real-world variation: NEAT (non-exercise activity), genetics, sleep/stress, and tracking error.

This calculator uses Mifflin-St Jeor for BMR and multiplies it by an activity factor to estimate TDEE.

How to use your TDEE

  • Maintenance: eat around your TDEE to stay the same weight over time.
  • Fat loss: start with a 250–500 kcal/day deficit and adjust based on weekly progress.
  • Muscle gain: start with a 250–500 kcal/day surplus and aim for slow, consistent gain.

How to pick the right activity level

  • If your job is mostly sitting, start with Sedentary or Lightly Active even if you lift a few days per week.
  • Choose Moderately Active when you consistently move during the day plus regular training.
  • If you’re unsure, pick the lower option and adjust after 14 days.

Activity multipliers (used here)

Sedentary
1.2
Little or no exercise, mostly sitting
Lightly Active
1.375
Light exercise 1–3 days/week
Moderately Active
1.55
Moderate exercise 3–5 days/week
Very Active
1.725
Hard exercise 6–7 days/week
Extra Active
1.9
Athlete-level training / very physical job

How to calibrate your maintenance calories (14-day method)

  1. Track intake consistently for 14 days (the more accurate your logging, the better the calibration).
  2. Weigh yourself daily (morning, consistent conditions) and compare your weekly averages.
  3. If your average weight is stable, you’re likely close to maintenance.
  4. If weight is trending up/down faster than you want, adjust intake by 100–200 kcal/day and reassess for another 1–2 weeks.

FAQ

Is TDEE the same as maintenance calories?

For most people, yes—TDEE is your estimated maintenance calories per day (the intake that keeps weight stable on average).

How accurate is a TDEE calculator?

It’s a useful starting estimate, not a measurement. Your true maintenance can differ based on activity, metabolism, and tracking accuracy.

Why is my smartwatch/app different?

Different tools use different formulas and activity assumptions. Use any estimate as a baseline, then validate it against your real-world trend.

Notes

  • This calculator is intended for adults (18+).
  • This calculator provides an estimate, not a medical diagnosis.
  • Your true maintenance may vary due to NEAT, genetics, sleep/stress, and tracking error.
  • For best results, track body weight trends for 2–3 weeks and adjust calories in small steps.
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