TDEE Calculator
TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure, estimates the total energy you spend in a day by adding your daily movement and exercise on top of your resting metabolism.
The energy you spend in a day is not made up of your metabolism alone: walking to work, climbing stairs, exercising, even eating all add to the total. TDEE is an estimate of that whole, and it is a reasonable starting point for anyone who wants to think about energy balance. This tool produces an estimated figure for your daily expenditure by taking your activity level into account as well.
Tool
Frequently asked questions
Which activity level should I choose?
Look at your week as a whole: choose according to the average of your work and your daily movement, not by your training days alone. When you are unsure, picking the level below and observing the result is the more cautious route.
Is my TDEE the same every day?
No. Your expenditure rises on an active day and falls on a rest day. The tool gives you not a single day but an average for the period that your chosen activity level represents.
How do I use the result for a weight goal?
TDEE is a starting point; the Daily Calorie Needs Calculator, which shows goal-oriented scenarios together with ranges, is better suited to that job. If you are planning a lasting change, expert support is worth having.
Should I add my training days on separately?
No; the activity coefficient you chose already covers your regular exercise. Counting the same training both in the coefficient and again separately will make you overestimate your expenditure.
Method and formula
Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is estimated first with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation; the detail is on the BMR Calculator page. That value is then multiplied by a coefficient corresponding to the activity level you select: the coefficients start at 1.2 for a largely desk-bound life and rise as far as 1.9 for a very active life and physical work. The result is your estimated total expenditure in kcal/day.
How to read the result
Think of the result not as a single exact number but as a centre around which your real expenditure moves. The choice of activity level is subjective, and that is where most of the variability in the estimate comes from: two people who both consider themselves “moderately active” may have very different days. Your expenditure also differs between weekdays and weekends, so it is sounder to read the value as an average over a period.
Limits
- The choice of activity coefficient is subjective; one step’s difference can change the result by several hundred calories.
- The estimate carries over all the limitations of the BMR equation as they are.
- Because activity that varies from day to day is compressed into a single coefficient, the result is an average.
- Movement outside exercise, such as fidgeting and standing, varies greatly between people and is not fully reflected in the coefficients.
Safety boundary
This estimate is for general information; it is not a personal nutrition plan. If you are going to adjust your energy intake because of a health condition, or during pregnancy or breastfeeding, you should speak to your doctor or a dietitian first.
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