What Is TDEE?
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns in a day, accounting for everything: basic biological functions, digestion, physical activity, and exercise. It's the number you compare your food intake to — eat below it to lose weight, above it to gain weight, and at it to maintain.
Step 1: Calculate Your BMR
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories your body burns at complete rest. The most accurate widely-used formula is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (1990):
- Men: BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) + 5
- Women: BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) − 161
Example: A 35-year-old woman, 165 cm, 68 kg: BMR = (10 × 68) + (6.25 × 165) − (5 × 35) − 161 = 680 + 1,031 − 175 − 161 = 1,375 calories/day
Step 2: Apply the Activity Multiplier
| Activity Level | Description | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | Desk job, little or no exercise | × 1.2 |
| Lightly active | Light exercise 1–3 days/week | × 1.375 |
| Moderately active | Moderate exercise 3–5 days/week | × 1.55 |
| Very active | Hard exercise 6–7 days/week | × 1.725 |
| Extremely active | Physical job + hard daily exercise | × 1.9 |
Using the example above with moderate activity: 1,375 × 1.55 = 2,131 calories/day TDEE
Step 3: Set Your Deficit
A deficit of 500 calories/day leads to approximately 0.5 kg (1 lb) of fat loss per week — a rate most research considers sustainable without significant muscle loss. A 250 calorie deficit targets 0.25 kg/week, which is gentler and easier to maintain long-term.
Avoid deficits larger than 1,000 calories/day or below 1,200 calories for women and 1,500 for men — at those levels, muscle loss, fatigue, and metabolic adaptation become significant concerns.
| Goal | Daily Calories | Weekly Loss |
|---|---|---|
| Slow loss | TDEE − 250 | ~0.25 kg |
| Moderate loss | TDEE − 500 | ~0.5 kg |
| Aggressive loss | TDEE − 750 | ~0.75 kg |
TDEE is an estimate — individual metabolisms vary by up to 15%. Use it as a starting point, track your actual weight for 2–3 weeks, then adjust your intake by 100–200 calories if results don't match expectations. Use the BMR calculator below to get your personalised TDEE in seconds.