TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), is the total amount of energy (calories) that you burn in a day. Our calculator can estimate your TDEE and give you an idea of how many calories you need to reach a specific target weight.
It's important to remember that this is just an estimation. As a matter of fact, there are many different formulas to calculate your TDEE and the calculator below allows you to specify the formula used. We recommend sticking to Oxford or Mifflin-St Jeor as some of the other formulas require you to know your body fat percentage, which can be difficult to calculate accurately.
You may wonder if TDEE and BMR (basal metabolic rate) are the same thing. No, they are not. BMR is the number of calories your body needs for it's basic life-sustaining functions whilst TDEE includes calories burned through exercise, daily chores and digesting food.
For weight loss, TDEE is the more accurate measure.
Why is TDEE important?
Your TDEE tells you exactly how much calories you must eat per day to maintain your curent weight.
If you eat more than this, you will gain weight. If you eat less, you will lose weight.
Which factors influence your TDEE?
TDEE is influenced by several factors, including:
1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) - the calories you need to sustain life.
2. Physical Activity Level (PAL) - the calories burned throughout the day doing various activities.
3. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) - The energy required to digest food.
4. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) - The calories burned through non-exercise movements such as walking around, doing household chores or even typing.
How is TDEE calculated?
TDEE is calculated by multiplying your basal metabolic rate (BMR) by an activity factor.
There exists many formulas to calculate your BMR, the most reliable of which are the Oxford method and Mifflin-St jeor. The formulas can be seen here.
| Description | Activity Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Sedentary (Little to no physical activity | 1.2 |
| Light (1 to 3 hours of exercise per week) | 1.375 |
| Moderate (4 to 6 hours of exercise per week) | 1.55 |
| High (7 to 9 hours of exercise per week) | 1.725 |
| Hard (10+ hours of exercise per week) | 1.9 |
Note that our calculator allows you to specify a custom activity multiplier as well (in the dropdown box).