Total Daily Energy Expediture (TDEE) Calculator
Calculate your TDEE or Maintenance Calories. Use it to manage your calorie intake based on activity level
How to use the TDEE Calculator Tool?
To use the TDEE calculator, you need to enter some basic information about yourself, such as your age, sex, height, weight, and activity level.
- First, select your activity level. It has to be one of the following: No Activity, Light Activity, Medium Activity, High Activity, Very High Activity
- Select the unit of height as either feet/inches or cm. Then enter 'Your Height' according to the selected unit
- Select the unit for weight as either Pound (lb) or Kilograms (kg). Then enter 'Your Weight' accordingly
- Enter your age in the field marked as 'Your Age'. Gender is optional.
- Your TDEE value will be automatically computed and shown in the 'My TDEE' field. It is in Kilocalories / day. This value is the minimum daily calories that you require for your activities.
What is TDEE?
TDEE is Total Daily Energy Expenditure.
This energy is also known as Caloric Energy or Nutritional Energy
The total energy expenditure is dependent on age, gender, activity level.
TDEE is also known as Maintenance Calories or the Total Daily Calorie Expenditure
It is a measure of how much energy the body is burning on a daily basis to perform its current level of activity.
TDEE is the sum of your basal metabolic rate (BMR), thermic effect of food (TEF), and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT).
BMR is the number of calories that your body burns at rest. It is the energy that your body needs to maintain basic functions such as breathing, heart rate, and digestion.
TEF is the energy that your body uses to digest and absorb food. It is typically about 10% of your total daily energy expenditure.
NEAT stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. It is the energy that your body burns through non-exercise activities such as sitting, walking, standing, fidgeting. It can account for up to 15% of your total daily energy expenditure.
And yes, TDEE and Maintenance Calories are the same.
What is TDEE used for?
- It is mainly helpful for weight management. If you want to lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories than you burn each day. If you want to gain weight, you need to create a calorie surplus by consuming more calories than you burn each day. TDEE is the measure of how much minimum energy you required per day.
- To Increase your TDEE, exercise is the most effective way, but you can also increase your TDEE by building muscle mass, increasing your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis with a high protein diet.
- It is important to note that TDEE calculator is just an estimate. TDEE can vary depending on a number of factors, including age, gender, muscle mass, activity level, and hormones. For example, men typically have a higher TDEE than women, and people with more muscle mass have a higher TDEE than people with less muscle mass.
Formula to Calculate your TDEE
TDEE (kcal/day) = BMR * physical activity level
TDEE (kcal/day) = 636 * 1.2(no activity)
TDEE (kcal/day) = 763
BMR Formula for Men by Mifflin-St Jeor Equation
BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) + 5
BMR Formula for Women by Mifflin-St Jeor Equation
BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) – 161
BMR gives the resting energy expenditure
TDEE Activity Level
| Activity Level | Description | BMR Multiplier Factor |
|---|---|---|
| No Activity | No Exercise | 1.2 |
| Light Activity | light exercise 1-3 days / week | 1.375 |
| Medium Activity | moderate exercise 3-5 days / week | 1.55 |
| High Activity | heavy exercise 6-7 days / week | 1.725 |
| Very Strenuous Activity | very heavy exercise, hard labor job, training 2x / day | 1.9 |
Frequently Asked Questions on TDEE
To calculate your TDEE (energy expenditure), compute BMR using the Miffin St Jeor Equation and then multiply with Physical activity level factor.
BMR Male= 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) + 5,
BMR Female = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) – 161,
TDEE equation = BMR x Physical Activity Level (ranges between 1.2 to 1.9)
The commonly used formula is Mifflin st jeor TDEE calculator.
BMR Formula for Men by Mifflin-St Jeor Equation, BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) + 5 .
BMR Formula for Women by Mifflin-St Jeor Equation, BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) – 161 .
TDEE (kcal/day) = BMR * physical activity level.
Caloric Energy or calorie tdee is energy measured in calories.
It measures the energy needed by the body in terms of calories to perform its functions.
It is same as 'TDEE calculator'.
When we estimate TDEE, it gives a measure of the calories required to carry out daily activities.
By using TDEE as baseline, you can find out how much of calorie you can reduce (calorie deficit value).
You can reduce calorie intake accordingly or increase your physical activity with same calorie intake to help reduce fat and lose weight.
This is based on general guidelines and has to be done carefully based on the individuals state.
A 500 calorie deficit per day is considered adequate.
10-15% below the TDEE is another benchmark to use.
Make sure to stay at least 15% more than BMR whichever is higher.
Yes, TDEE is same as Maintenance Calorie.
It gives a measure of daily energy expenditure.
By staying at same level of TDEE , there will be no weight gain or weight loss given other parameters are not changing.
If we eat less than TDEE, we will burn fat and lose weight.
But if we eat too less, then the body may end up storing more fat to build reserves.
10-15% below the TDEE value is considered OK.
We should never go below our BMR.
If your TDEE is 2500, then you can consider a 500 calorie deficit per day.
By reducing 500 calories per day (3500 calories per week) and with the same physical level of activity, you can reduce by 1 lb or 0.45 kgs in a week to 10 days.
Make sure that the calorie deficit value does not go below BMR which is the min calories needed by the body.
Adjust the 500 calorie reduction accordingly so you always stay above the BMR value.
Under 1600 is considered low TDEE.
It's only an indicator and varies based on age and physical activity.
A normal BMR range is 1600 - 2400 kcal/day.
Considering light physical activity, the normal tdee range can be taken as 2200 to 3300 kcal/day.
It is in the range of 3420 to 4560 kcal/day.
If we eat more than TDEE, we will store the extra calories as fat and gain weight.
However, if we eat more than TDEE with a high level of physical activity, then it will get converted to muscle mass with muscle mass / weight gain and improved metabolism.
The TDEE (total energy expenditure) in kilo calories per day should be the amount of calories we should consume to maintain.
BMR is basal matabolic rate. It is the minimum energy needed by the body at resting state to do its basic functions.
like heartbeat, digestion and other cellular activities.
TDEE is Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It is the energy needed by the body to maintain all functions and with some physical activity and it is based on age , gender and activity level.
Both BMR and TDEE are measured in terms of kilocalories (Calories/day).
TDEE is always more than BMR.
TDEE activity level is used to compute the tdee over and above that of BMR.
TDEE is usually 15-20% more than BMR.
TDEE is 1.2 times BMR when there is no physical activity.
TDEE is 1.375 times BMR when there is light physical activity (light exercise 1-3 days / week).
TDEE is 1.55 times BMR when there is medium physical activity (moderate exercise 3-5 days / week).
TDEE is 1.725 times BMR when there is high physical activity (heavy exercise 6-7 days / week).
TDEE is 1.9 times BMR when there is very strenuous physical activity (very heavy exercise, hard labor job, training 2x / day).
