Calorie Calculator

What Is TDEE and Why Does It Matter?

Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories you burn every day. It is the single most important number for any nutrition plan — whether you want to lose fat, gain muscle, or maintain your current weight. Eat less than your TDEE and you lose weight; eat more and you gain weight.

BMR vs TDEE: What Is the Difference?

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the energy your body uses at complete rest — just to keep your heart beating, lungs breathing, and cells repairing. It typically accounts for 60-70% of your total calorie burn. TDEE adds four more components on top of BMR:

• NEAT — Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. Walking, fidgeting, standing, daily chores. Highly variable between people and the biggest factor in why some people seem to eat more without gaining weight.
• TEF — Thermic Effect of Food. Energy used to digest and process food. About 10% of your calories. Protein has the highest thermic effect (~25%), followed by carbs (~8%), then fat (~3%).
• Exercise — Intentional physical activity like weight training, cardio, and sports.

This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate your BMR, then multiplies by an activity factor to get your TDEE. Research has shown Mifflin-St Jeor to be the most accurate BMR formula for the general population.

How to Set Your Calorie Target

For Fat Loss (Cutting)

A 500 kcal/day deficit produces roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) of weight loss per week. This is the most commonly recommended rate — aggressive enough to see results within weeks but sustainable enough to maintain training intensity and preserve muscle. Going more aggressive (750-1000 kcal deficit) works for short mini-cuts of 2-4 weeks but requires very high protein intake (2+ g/kg) to minimise muscle loss.

For Maintenance

Eating at your TDEE maintains your current weight. This is the right target during periods of body recomposition (building muscle while staying the same weight), deload weeks, or when you are happy with your physique and want to maintain it.

For Muscle Gain (Bulking)

A 200-350 kcal/day surplus is the evidence-based range for a lean bulk. Going higher accelerates strength gains but the extra calories are mostly stored as fat beyond a certain point. Beginners and underweight individuals can handle larger surpluses; advanced trainees should stay conservative.

Tips for Tracking Your Progress

• Weigh yourself at the same time each day (morning, after using the bathroom) and use a weekly average to track the trend. Day-to-day fluctuations of 1-2 kg from water, food, and sodium are completely normal.
• If your weight has not moved after 2-3 weeks, adjust by 100-200 kcal. These are estimates — your actual TDEE varies day to day.
• Prioritise protein regardless of goal: 1.6-2.2 g/kg bodyweight protects muscle during a cut and supports growth during a bulk. Use our macro calculator to get your exact targets.
• Refeed days (eating at maintenance 1-2 days per week during a cut) can help with adherence, hormone regulation, and training performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?

BMR is the calories your body burns at complete rest just to stay alive. TDEE is your BMR plus all activity — walking, exercise, digestion, and daily movement. TDEE is what you use to set calorie targets.

How fast should I lose weight?

A safe and sustainable rate is 0.5-1 kg (1-2 lbs) per week, which requires a 500-1000 calorie daily deficit. Faster rates risk muscle loss, metabolic adaptation, and are harder to maintain. Aim for the slower end if you want to preserve strength.

Should I eat back exercise calories?

If you selected your correct activity level in the calculator, exercise is already factored into your TDEE. Do not add extra calories for workouts unless your activity level has genuinely changed. Over-estimating exercise calories is one of the most common dieting mistakes.

How many calories should I eat to build muscle?

A surplus of 200-350 calories above your TDEE is optimal for a lean bulk. Larger surpluses build muscle slightly faster but most of the extra calories are stored as fat. Beginners can use a slightly higher surplus since they gain muscle more efficiently.

Why is my TDEE different on other calculators?

Different calculators use different equations. This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which research has shown to be the most accurate for the general population. Differences of 100-200 calories between calculators are normal. Treat any estimate as a starting point and adjust based on your actual weight trend.

Why am I not losing weight in a calorie deficit?

The most common reasons are: underestimating food intake (not weighing portions, forgetting snacks, or not counting cooking oils), overestimating exercise calories, water retention masking fat loss, and metabolic adaptation from dieting too long. Track food accurately for 2 weeks and compare your weekly weight average — if it is truly flat, reduce calories by another 100-200 kcal.

How many calories should I eat to build muscle?

A surplus of 200-350 calories above your TDEE is optimal for a lean bulk. Larger surpluses do not meaningfully accelerate muscle growth — the extra calories are mostly stored as fat. Pair the surplus with a strength training program and at least 1.6g protein per kg of bodyweight for best results.

What is the difference between TDEE and BMR?

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the energy your body uses at complete rest to keep you alive. TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is your BMR plus all activity — walking, exercise, digestion, and daily movement. TDEE is the number you use to set calorie targets because it reflects how much you actually burn each day.

Related Free Tools

• Macro Calculator — Get your protein, fat, and carb targets based on your calorie goal. Shares your body stats automatically.
• 1RM Calculator — Estimate your one rep max and get a full training load chart to programme your strength work.
• Plate Calculator — See exactly which plates to load on each side of the barbell for any target weight.