TDEE Explained: How to Calculate Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure

Every nutrition plan, every diet, every body transformation starts with one number: your TDEE.

TDEE—Total Daily Energy Expenditure—is the total number of calories you burn in a 24-hour period. It’s your personal metabolic baseline. Know this number, and you know exactly how much to eat to lose weight, maintain weight, or gain muscle. If you’re focused on macros for weight loss, understanding your TDEE is the essential first step.

Without knowing your TDEE, you’re guessing. And guessing leads to frustration—wondering why you’re not losing weight despite “eating healthy,” or why you can’t gain muscle despite working out.

This guide breaks down TDEE completely: what it is, what determines it, how to calculate yours accurately, and most importantly, how to use it to reach your goals. No complicated math, no confusing jargon—just practical information you can apply today.

Ready to find your number? Macro Calculator calculates your TDEE and personalized macros in under 60 seconds.

What is TDEE?

TDEE Defined

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It’s the complete number of calories you burn in 24 hours—everything included. Breathing, digestion, walking to the kitchen, your workout, fidgeting at your desk. All of it.

Think of TDEE as your metabolic “budget.” If you spend exactly what you take in (eat at TDEE), your weight stays stable. Spend more than you take in (eat below TDEE), you lose weight. Take in more than you spend (eat above TDEE), you gain weight.

This is the fundamental law of energy balance—and TDEE is the number that makes it actionable.

Why TDEE Matters

Without knowing your TDEE, you can’t set accurate calorie targets. You’re either:

• Eating too little (metabolic slowdown, muscle loss, misery)
• Eating too much (wondering why you’re not losing despite “trying”)
• Getting lucky (and not knowing why it’s working)

TDEE removes the guesswork. It gives you a personalized starting point based on YOUR body, YOUR activity, YOUR life.

Here’s how to use it:

Goal	How to Eat
Weight loss	300-500 calories BELOW TDEE
Weight maintenance	AT your TDEE
Weight/muscle gain	200-300 calories ABOVE TDEE

That’s it. The entire foundation of nutrition planning in three lines.

The Components of TDEE

Your TDEE isn’t just one thing—it’s made up of four distinct components. Understanding each helps you see where your calories actually go.

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) — 60-70% of TDEE

BMR is the number of calories you’d burn if you did absolutely nothing—just lying in bed, breathing, existing. It’s the energy required to keep your vital organs functioning: heart pumping, lungs breathing, brain thinking.

BMR is determined by:

• Age (decreases slightly with age)
• Gender (males typically have higher BMR)
• Height (taller = higher BMR)
• Weight (heavier = higher BMR)
• Muscle mass (more muscle = higher BMR)

You can’t dramatically change your BMR through lifestyle alone. Building muscle helps slightly, but the impact is often overstated. What you CAN control is the other components.

TEF (Thermic Effect of Food) — ~10% of TDEE

TEF is the energy your body burns digesting, absorbing, and processing food. Yes, eating actually burns calories.

TEF varies by macronutrient:

• Protein: 20-30% of calories burned during digestion
• Carbohydrates: 5-10% of calories burned
• Fats: 0-3% of calories burned

This is one reason high-protein diets have a slight metabolic advantage—you burn more calories processing protein than processing carbs or fats.

NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) — 15-30% of TDEE

NEAT is the wildcard—and often the biggest variable between people.

NEAT includes all movement that isn’t formal exercise:

• Walking around your house
• Fidgeting at your desk
• Pacing while on the phone
• Taking the stairs
• Housework and chores
• Standing vs. sitting

Two people with identical stats and workout routines can have TDEE differences of 500+ calories purely from NEAT. The person who paces, fidgets, and takes walking meetings burns significantly more than the person who sits motionless for 8 hours.

This is why some people seem to “eat whatever they want”—they have high NEAT and burn more without realizing it.

EAT (Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) — 5-15% of TDEE

EAT is planned exercise: your gym sessions, runs, sports, structured workouts.

Here’s the surprising truth: for most people, exercise contributes a relatively small portion of total daily burn. A 45-minute workout might burn 200-400 calories—meaningful, but not dominant.

This is why “you can’t out-exercise a bad diet” is true. If your NEAT is low and you’re overeating by 500 calories daily, three weekly workouts won’t save you.

How to Calculate Your TDEE

The Formula Approach

The most accurate formula for estimating BMR is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation:

For men: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) + 5

For women: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) − 161

Then multiply your BMR by an activity factor to get TDEE.

Activity Multipliers

This is where most people get confused—and where most errors happen.

Activity Level	Multiplier	Description
Sedentary	1.2	Desk job, little to no exercise
Lightly Active	1.375	Light exercise 1-3 days/week
Moderately Active	1.55	Moderate exercise 3-5 days/week
Very Active	1.725	Hard exercise 6-7 days/week
Extremely Active	1.9	Physical job + hard daily training

Example Calculation

Let’s run through a real example:

Person: 30-year-old woman, 5’5” (165cm), 150 lbs (68kg), exercises 4 days/week

Step 1: Calculate BMR BMR = (10 × 68) + (6.25 × 165) − (5 × 30) − 161 BMR = 680 + 1,031 − 150 − 161 = 1,400 calories

Step 2: Apply Activity Multiplier Moderately active (exercises 3-5 days/week) = 1.55 TDEE = 1,400 × 1.55 = 2,170 calories/day

This person burns approximately 2,170 calories daily. To lose weight, they’d eat 1,670-1,870 calories (300-500 below TDEE).

The Easy Way: Use a Calculator

Don’t want to do math? You don’t have to.

Our Macro Calculator does all of this automatically. Enter your stats, select your activity level, and get your TDEE plus personalized macro targets in seconds.

How to Pick Your Activity Level (The Tricky Part)

This is the most common place people mess up. Most overestimate their activity level, leading to an inflated TDEE and wondering why they’re not losing weight.

Most People Overestimate Activity

If you work out 4 times per week but have a desk job and drive everywhere, you’re likely “Lightly Active” at best—not “Very Active.”

The activity multiplier accounts for your ENTIRE day, not just your workouts.

Rule of thumb: When in doubt, choose one level LOWER than you think. You can always adjust upward if you’re losing too fast.

Activity Level Decision Guide

Choose Sedentary (1.2) if:

• You have a desk job
• Little to no formal exercise
• Under 5,000 daily steps average
• Minimal movement outside work

Choose Lightly Active (1.375) if:

• Desk job BUT exercise 1-3 times per week
• OR moderately active job with some movement
• 5,000-7,500 daily steps average

Choose Moderately Active (1.55) if:

• Exercise consistently 3-5 times per week
• OR job requires standing/walking most of the day
• 7,500-10,000 daily steps average

Choose Very Active (1.725) if:

• Exercise intensely 6-7 days per week
• OR physical job PLUS regular exercise
• 10,000-15,000+ daily steps average

Choose Extremely Active (1.9) if:

• Professional athlete or extremely physical labor job
• Training multiple hours daily
• This is rare—most people aren’t here

The Real Test: Verify With Data

Here’s the truth: no formula is perfectly accurate for everyone. Your calculated TDEE is an estimate—a starting point.

The real test is tracking:

1. Eat at your calculated target for 2-3 weeks
2. Weigh yourself consistently (same time, same conditions)
3. Track weekly averages

If weight is stable: Your TDEE estimate was accurate If losing faster than expected: TDEE might be higher—you can eat more If not losing or gaining: TDEE might be lower—reduce intake by 100-200 calories

Your body’s response is the ultimate truth. Use formulas to start, adjust based on results.

How to Use Your TDEE

For Weight Loss (Caloric Deficit)

To lose fat, eat below your TDEE. Your body will tap into stored energy (body fat) to make up the difference.

Recommended deficit: 300-500 calories below TDEE

TDEE	Target Calories	Expected Loss
2,000	1,500-1,700	~0.5-1 lb/week
2,200	1,700-1,900	~0.5-1 lb/week
2,500	2,000-2,200	~0.5-1 lb/week

Why 300-500? This produces steady fat loss (0.5-1 lb per week) without excessive hunger, muscle loss, or metabolic slowdown. Aggressive deficits (1,000+) backfire—they’re unsustainable, cause muscle loss, and often trigger rebound eating.

The math: 3,500 calories = roughly 1 lb of fat. A 500-calorie daily deficit = ~3,500 weekly deficit = ~1 lb loss per week.

For Weight Maintenance

Eat at your TDEE. Your weight should remain stable (within 2-3 lbs of normal fluctuation).

Maintenance eating is useful for:

• Diet breaks (periodic breaks from deficit eating)
• Reverse dieting (gradually increasing calories after a diet)
• People happy with their current weight

For Weight/Muscle Gain (Caloric Surplus)

To gain weight—ideally muscle—eat above your TDEE. The surplus provides extra energy for building new tissue.

Recommended surplus: 200-300 calories above TDEE

TDEE	Target Calories	Expected Gain
2,200	2,400-2,500	~0.5 lb/week
2,500	2,700-2,800	~0.5 lb/week
2,800	3,000-3,100	~0.5 lb/week

Why modest surplus? Bigger surpluses don’t build more muscle—they just add more fat. Your body can only build muscle so fast. A 200-300 calorie surplus maximizes muscle gain while minimizing fat accumulation.

Why Your TDEE Might Be Wrong (And How to Fix It)

Problem 1: Activity Level Was Off

Symptoms: Not losing weight despite hitting calorie target

Fix: Reduce your estimated TDEE by 100-200 calories. OR track your steps for a week—you might be less active than you assumed.

Problem 2: Tracking Errors

Symptoms: “Eating 1,500 calories but not losing”

Common culprits:

• Not weighing food (estimating portions)
• Forgetting to log cooking oils, sauces, drinks
• Restaurant portions being 2x what you assume
• “BLTs” (bites, licks, tastes that add up)

Fix: Tighten up tracking before adjusting TDEE. Weigh everything for one week—you might be surprised.

Problem 3: Metabolic Adaptation

Symptoms: Weight loss stalled after months of dieting

Explanation: Extended calorie restriction can lower your TDEE by 10-15%. Your body adapts to preserve energy—movement decreases, fidgeting stops, energy expenditure drops.

Fix:

• Take a diet break (2 weeks at maintenance)
• Reverse diet (gradually increase calories over several weeks)
• Don’t stay in aggressive deficit for too long (12-16 weeks max, then break)

Problem 4: Water Weight Fluctuations

Symptoms: Weight jumps up 3 lbs overnight despite being in deficit

Explanation: This isn’t fat. Your weight fluctuates 2-5 lbs daily based on:

• Sodium intake (water retention)
• Carbohydrate intake (glycogen + water)
• Hormonal changes (menstrual cycle)
• Sleep quality
• Stress

Fix: Track weekly averages, not daily weights. One high weigh-in means nothing. The trend over 2-4 weeks reveals what’s really happening.

TDEE vs BMR vs RMR — What’s the Difference?

These terms get confused constantly. Here’s the simple breakdown:

Term	What It Measures	When to Use
BMR	Calories burned at complete rest (lab conditions)	Rarely—it’s a component, not a target
RMR	Resting metabolic rate (similar to BMR, slightly higher)	Rarely—same as above
TDEE	Total daily burn including ALL activity	Always—this is your planning number

The key point: Never eat at your BMR or RMR—these are just the baseline. Your body burns more than this because you move, digest food, and exist beyond a lab setting.

Always use TDEE for setting calorie targets.

Common TDEE Questions

Does TDEE Change Over Time?

Yes. Your TDEE shifts based on:

• Weight changes: Losing weight lowers TDEE (smaller body burns less). Gaining muscle raises it slightly.
• Age: TDEE decreases gradually with age
• Activity changes: More or less movement directly impacts TDEE

Practical advice: Recalculate your TDEE every 10-15 pounds of weight change, or if your activity level significantly shifts.

Should I Eat Back Exercise Calories?

Generally, no.

Your TDEE calculation already factors in your exercise through the activity multiplier. Eating back exercise calories on top of that means double-counting and eating more than intended.

Exception: Very long endurance sessions (2+ hours) may warrant extra fuel. But for typical 30-60 minute workouts, your TDEE already accounts for them.

Also note: fitness trackers and cardio machines notoriously overestimate calories burned. That “500 calories burned” on the treadmill is probably closer to 300-350.

What If I’m Not Losing Weight at My Calculated Deficit?

Two possibilities:

1. You’re eating more than you think. Most tracking errors are undercounting, not overcounting. Tighten up your tracking—weigh food, log everything, be honest about portions.

2. Your TDEE is lower than calculated. Reduce intake by 100-200 calories and reassess after 2 weeks.

Start with #1—it’s the culprit 90% of the time.

How Accurate Are TDEE Calculators?

Within 10-15% for most people. That’s a meaningful range—if your true TDEE is 2,200, a calculator might estimate anywhere from 1,870 to 2,530.

Calculators are starting points, not gospel. The real accuracy comes from tracking your results and adjusting based on what your body actually does.

The Bottom Line on TDEE

TDEE is the foundation of nutrition planning. Knowing your number lets you eat with precision instead of guessing—and precision gets results.

Your action plan:

1. Calculate your TDEE using a calculator or formula
2. Choose activity level carefully (when in doubt, go lower)
3. Set your calorie target based on your goal (deficit, maintenance, or surplus)
4. Track for 2-3 weeks and monitor your weight
5. Adjust based on real results — formulas estimate, your body confirms

Ready to find your TDEE and personalized macros? Macro Calculator calculates everything in under 60 seconds.

For more on applying these principles:

• What Are Macronutrients — Understanding the three macros
• Macros for Weight Loss — Setting up for fat loss
• Best Macro Ratio for Fat Loss — Optimizing your split
• Counting Macros for Beginners — Getting started with tracking