TDEE CALCULATOR
Estimate Your Daily Energy Needs
ESTIMATE YOUR TDEE
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure
This calculator is designed for adults aged 19 years and over who are not pregnant or breastfeeding.
Energy requirements during childhood and adolescence, pregnancy and lactation are calculated differently.
REE estimates the energy your body uses at rest. It is not the same as your total daily energy expenditure.
Prediction equations cannot determine your exact individual maintenance intake. Your actual energy needs may be higher or lower.
Changes in body weight over time, considered alongside your food intake and activity, can help refine your estimated maintenance needs.
It’s an estimate of the total amount of energy your body uses across the day.
Enter your details below to estimate your daily energy needs. Your result is a starting estimate, not an exact calorie requirement, as individual energy needs can be higher or lower.
WHAT DOES YOUR TDEE MEAN?
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is an estimate of how much energy your body uses across the day.
This includes the energy your body uses at rest as well as the energy used through your normal daily movement and physical activity.
Your result gives you a starting estimate of your maintenance calories the amount of energy you may need to maintain your current body weight.
Your actual maintenance needs can be higher or lower than a prediction equation estimates. Tracking your food intake alongside changes in body weight over time can give you a better picture of your individual maintenance needs.
HOW IS TDEE CALCULATED?
Your total daily energy expenditure is influenced by several parts of your daily energy use.
Resting energy expenditure (REE) is the energy your body uses at rest to support essential functions such as breathing, circulation and maintaining body tissues.
Physical activity includes both planned exercise and the movement you accumulate throughout your day, such as walking, working and household activities.
The thermic effect of food (TEF) is the energy your body uses to digest, absorb and process the food you eat.
Together, these contribute to the total amount of energy your body uses across the day.
This calculator estimates your daily energy needs using the 2023 Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy equations, which use your age, sex, height, weight and overall physical activity level.
Your estimated resting energy expenditure is shown separately using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.
HOW ACCURATE IS A TDEE CALCULATOR?
A TDEE calculator provides an estimate, not an exact measurement of how many calories you need each day.
Prediction equations use information such as your age, sex, height, weight and activity level to estimate your energy requirements, but they cannot account perfectly for individual differences in energy expenditure.
Your calculated TDEE is best used as a starting point. If you consistently track your food intake and body weight over time, you can use what actually happens to your weight to help refine your estimated maintenance calories.
A calculated number is useful. Your real world data makes it more individual to you.
TDEE CALCULATOR FAQS
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TDEE is an estimate of the amount of energy you use across the day. Your maintenance calories are the amount of energy you need to maintain your current body weight over time.
Your estimated TDEE can therefore be used as a starting point for estimating maintenance calories, but your actual maintenance intake may be higher or lower.
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Your estimated TDEE represents a starting estimate of your maintenance energy needs, not a fat loss target.
Fat loss requires an energy deficit over time, meaning your average energy intake is lower than your energy expenditure. The size of that deficit should be appropriate for the individual rather than automatically cutting calories as low as possible.
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Choose the option that most closely reflects your overall daily activity, not just the number of workouts you complete each week.
Consider your normal walking and daily movement, whether you have a predominantly seated or physically active job, recreational activity and your exercise or training.
Someone who strength trains several times per week but spends most of the rest of the day sitting may have a lower overall activity level than they expect.
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TDEE equations estimate energy requirements across populations, so they cannot perfectly predict the energy expenditure of every individual.
Your actual maintenance needs can differ from the estimate. Consistent information about your food intake, body weight and activity over time can help you refine your estimated maintenance calories.
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You don't need to recalculate your TDEE every time your body weight changes slightly.
It can be useful to reassess your estimate after a meaningful change in body weight or activity level, or when your real world progress consistently suggests that your current estimate no longer reflects your maintenance needs.
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Strength training contributes to physical activity and therefore uses energy, but the amount varies depending on factors such as the training session, the individual and their overall activity.
Strength training also has benefits that go well beyond the calories used during a workout, including improving strength and helping to build or maintain skeletal muscle.
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Energy expenditure can change across adulthood, but menopause should not automatically be treated as meaning a woman's metabolism is broken.
Changes in body composition, physical activity and ageing can all influence energy requirements. This is one reason an individual woman's real world weight, food intake and activity data can be useful alongside a calculated estimate.
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GLP-1 medications primarily support weight management by affecting appetite and food intake rather than directly setting your daily energy requirements.
As body weight changes during treatment, energy requirements can also change. This means your estimated TDEE may need to be reassessed following meaningful changes in body weight or activity.
READY TO PUT IT INTO PRACTICE?
Knowing your estimated energy needs is only one part of the picture. If you want support with your nutrition, strength training and building an approach you can maintain long term, explore my online coaching programs.