TDEE Calculator FAQ

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total number of calories you burn in a day: your resting metabolism (BMR) plus everything you do — walking, exercise, even digesting food. Eating around your TDEE keeps your weight stable.

It's a solid starting point, usually within about 10% for most people. Track your weight for 2–3 weeks while eating at your target, then adjust by 100–200 kcal if your weight moves differently than expected.

By default, Mifflin-St Jeor, which is considered one of the most reliable BMR formulas. If you enter your body fat percentage, we switch to Katch-McArdle, which is based on lean body mass.

Think about a typical week, not your best one. Most people overestimate their activity, so if you're torn between two levels, pick the lower one and adjust later based on results.

A deficit of about 550 kcal per day leads to roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) of loss per week. Choose "Lose weight" in step 4 and set your pace — if that would drop you below a safe minimum (about 1,200 kcal for women, 1,500 kcal for men), we'll raise the target to that minimum and show the slower pace you can expect.

Macros are protein, fat and carbohydrates. Protein comes first and is based on your body weight — about 2.0 g/kg when losing, 1.8 g/kg when building and 1.6 g/kg when maintaining. The rest of your calories are split between fat and carbs: Balanced splits them evenly, Low Carb leans on fat (which can help with appetite control) and High Carb leans on carbs (which fuels lots of endurance training). The best split is the one you can stick to.

There's no single perfect weight. We show the range across four well-known formulas (Hamwi, Devine, Robinson and Miller). Muscle mass, frame size and health all matter more than one number.

Only on your own device. Your inputs and theme are saved in your browser's local storage so you can pick up where you left off. Choose "Start fresh" on the calculator or clear your browser data to remove them.