Free TDEE Calculator: Total Daily Energy Expenditure
Meet the most accurate TDEE calculator to lose weight that you can use for free. It builds your day from metabolism, steps, workouts and digestion, then turns it into a TDEE calculator to lose weight with calorie targets and a plateau-aware forecast.
Your TDEE
Your weight-loss calories
Your calorie targets at a glance
TDEE calculator to lose weight: your plateau-aware forecast
As you lose weight your TDEE drops, so a fixed calorie target slows down over time. This forecast builds that slowdown in, which is why it is more honest than the straight line most calorie calculators draw.
TDEE calculator to lose weight: the calorie ladder
| Pace | Daily calories | Loss per week | Time to goal |
|---|
Formula cross-check
| Formula | BMR | TDEE | Best for |
|---|
What is TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the full number of calories your body burns in 24 hours. It is made of four parts: your basal metabolic rate (BMR), the thermic effect of food (TEF), non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) and deliberate exercise [1]. Your TDEE is also your maintenance calories per day, the amount that keeps your weight steady. Eat below it and you lose weight, eat above it and you gain.
Why a free TDEE calculator beats guessing: an activity label like “lightly active” can hide a 500 calorie gap between two people. This calculator counts steps and workouts separately, so the number reflects your actual week rather than a label.
Most accurate TDEE calculator to lose weight: why this one is built differently
If you want the most accurate TDEE calculator to lose weight, start with an honest premise: no online tool can measure your metabolism. Every TDEE calculator is an estimate, and research puts predictive equations within roughly 10 to 15 percent of measured energy expenditure for most adults. What a calculator can do is remove avoidable error, and that is how this one is designed.
- Three validated BMR formulas (Mifflin-St Jeor, Harris-Benedict, Katch-McArdle) shown side by side, so you can see the spread instead of trusting one number.
- Steps, job and workouts counted separately, which avoids the biggest source of error: choosing the wrong activity multiplier.
- Body fat percentage support for a lean-mass based estimate when you know it.
- A plateau-aware forecast that lowers your TDEE as your weight falls.
For real-world accuracy, treat the result as a two to three week experiment. Eat at your target, track your weight trend, and adjust by 100 to 150 calories if the scale does not move as predicted.
How to calculate TDEE: the formula explained
There are two ways to calculate your TDEE. The classic method multiplies BMR by an activity factor. The method used here adds the parts together, which is why it adapts to different lifestyles.
Mifflin-St Jeor BMR (men) = 10 x kg + 6.25 x cm - 5 x age + 5 Mifflin-St Jeor BMR (women) = 10 x kg + 6.25 x cm - 5 x age - 161 Classic TDEE = BMR x activity factor Detailed TDEE = BMR + NEAT + workouts + TEF (about 10 percent)
Worked TDEE example (the calculator default inputs)
A 34-year-old woman, 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) and 175 lb (79 kg), on her feet some of the day, walking 7,000 steps and doing three 40-minute moderate workouts a week, has a TDEE of about 2,271 calories a day. To lose about 0.5 percent of her body weight per week, her target is about 1,835 calories, a 19 percent deficit. At that pace she would reach 150 lb in roughly 35 weeks, slower near the end because her TDEE falls as she gets lighter.
| Component | Calories per day | How it is estimated |
|---|---|---|
| BMR | 1,495 | Mifflin-St Jeor equation |
| Daily movement (NEAT) | 451 | Job factor plus steps above 2,000 |
| Workouts | 119 | MET value x time, averaged over 7 days |
| Digestion (TEF) | 206 | About 10 percent of the total |
| TDEE | 2,271 | Maintenance calories |
| Weight-loss target | 1,835 | 437 below TDEE (19 percent) |
| Macros at target | 143 g protein, 201 g carbs, 51 g fat | 1.8 g protein per kg, 25 percent fat |
Activity factor calculator cheat sheet
| Lifestyle | Multiplier on BMR | Typical week |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Desk job, little exercise |
| Lightly active | 1.375 | 1 to 3 light sessions |
| Moderately active | 1.55 | 3 to 5 solid sessions |
| Very active | 1.725 | 6 to 7 hard sessions |
| Extra active | 1.9 | Physical job plus training |
Most people overestimate their activity. When you are between two levels, pick the lower one. To tighten the activity part, test the Steps to Calories Calculator and the Calories Burned Calculator.
TDEE vs BMR vs BMI
| Term | What it tells you | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| BMR | Calories burned at complete rest | The base of your calorie budget |
| TDEE | Calories burned in a whole day | Setting maintenance, deficit or surplus |
| BMI | Weight relative to height | A rough health screen, not a calorie guide |
How to use a TDEE calculator to lose weight
A good, accurate TDEE calculator to lose weight follows three steps. Find maintenance, subtract a deficit you can live with, then track and adjust. A calorie deficit percentage of 10 to 25 percent suits most adults. One kilogram of body fat holds about 7,700 calories (roughly 3,500 per pound), so the deficit sets your pace, though real loss slows as your weight drops [2].
Calorie deficit percentage: an example at 2,200 TDEE
| Deficit | Daily calories | Approx. loss per week | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 percent | 1,980 | 0.2 kg (0.45 lb) | Lean people, slow and steady |
| 15 percent | 1,870 | 0.3 kg (0.7 lb) | Most beginners |
| 20 percent | 1,760 | 0.4 kg (0.9 lb) | Standard fat loss |
| 25 percent | 1,650 | 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) | Higher body fat, short phases |
Maintenance calories calculator and calorie deficit by date
Use the pace slider and goal weight above as a calorie deficit calculator by date. The ladder shows how many weeks each speed needs. If you move more during the plan, your TDEE rises, so recalculate every few kilograms lost.
TDEE with steps, NEAT and body fat percentage
NEAT covers fidgeting, chores and walking, and it is the most changeable piece of your TDEE. Adding 2,000 steps a day can raise your burn without a single extra workout. If you know your body fat percentage, switch to Katch-McArdle, which uses lean mass and often suits lean or muscular people better than formulas based on weight alone.
TDEE for women over 40, plateaus and reverse dieting
Women over 40 often have a lower TDEE because of lean mass loss, not a broken metabolism, so strength training and enough protein matter as much as the deficit. If the scale stalls, recalculate at your new weight and check food tracking accuracy first. After a long diet, a reverse diet raises calories by 100 to 150 a week toward your new maintenance to protect your results.
Common mistakes: overestimating activity, ignoring steps, trusting a single formula, underestimating portion sizes, and never recalculating after weight changes.
TDEE for muscle gain and bulking calories
The same number powers a bulking calories calculator. A lean bulk usually sits 5 to 15 percent above TDEE, which is about 100 to 300 calories for many people. Select Build muscle in the goal switcher to see a 10 percent surplus with higher protein targets. Athletes who track training load can pair this with sport tools such as the ERA Calculator for baseball pitchers or the Dunk Calculator for basketball players training their vertical.
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TDEE calculator FAQ
What is the most accurate TDEE calculator to lose weight?
The most accurate calculators use a validated BMR formula such as Mifflin-St Jeor and count steps and workouts separately instead of one activity label. Even then the result is an estimate within about 10 to 15 percent, so confirm it by tracking your weight for two to three weeks.
How do I use a TDEE calculator to lose weight?
Enter your details, pick the Lose weight goal and choose a weekly pace. The calculator subtracts the matching deficit from your TDEE and shows your daily calories, macros and a forecast.
How many calories below TDEE should I eat?
A deficit of 10 to 25 percent of TDEE suits most adults. Larger deficits raise the risk of muscle loss, fatigue and rebound eating.
Is TDEE the same as maintenance calories?
Yes. Maintenance calories are the amount that keeps your weight stable, which is your TDEE.
What is the difference between TDEE and BMR?
BMR is what you burn at complete rest. TDEE adds movement, exercise and digestion on top, so it is always higher.
Should I eat back exercise calories?
No. This calculator already counts workouts inside your TDEE, so eating them back would double count.
Why did my weight loss stall?
Your TDEE falls as you get lighter, and food tracking tends to drift over time. Recalculate at your current weight and check portion accuracy before cutting calories further.
Which TDEE formula is best?
Mifflin-St Jeor is the most validated for the general population. Katch-McArdle is better when you know a reliable body fat percentage.
How many calories do I need to build muscle?
Most people do well with a surplus of 5 to 15 percent above TDEE, paired with resistance training and enough protein.
How often should I recalculate my TDEE?
Recalculate after every 3 to 5 kilograms (about 7 to 10 pounds) of change, or whenever your steps, job or training routine changes.
Found this TDEE calculator useful?
Keep it handy for your next check-in, and follow DexoCalc on Google for more free health and fitness calculators.
References and further reading
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990. PubMed
- Hall KD, et al. Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. The Lancet, 2011. PubMed
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH). Body Weight Planner. niddk.nih.gov
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Healthy Weight and Growth. cdc.gov
- 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 2024 (MET values used for workout intensity). PubMed | pacompendium.com
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and HHS. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. dietaryguidelines.gov
Disclaimer: This calculator gives estimates for educational use and is not medical advice. Speak with your doctor or a registered dietitian before starting a calorie deficit, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, or managing a health condition. Further reading: NIDDK weight management.