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What Is TDEE? How to Calculate Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure

BMR, activity multipliers and how to set calories for fat loss, maintenance or muscle gain.

📖 5 min read  ·  Updated May 2025  ·  HealthNutrition

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories your body burns in a day including all activity. It is the most important number for any body composition goal.

Step 1 — Calculate Your BMR

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories you burn at complete rest — just keeping organs functioning. The Mifflin-St Jeor formula (most accurate):

  • 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: 75kg, 175cm, 30-year-old man. BMR = (10×75) + (6.25×175) − (5×30) + 5 = 750 + 1093.75 − 150 + 5 = 1,699 kcal.

Step 2 — Multiply by Activity Factor

TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier. Sedentary (desk job, little exercise): 1.2. Lightly active (1–3 workouts/week): 1.375. Moderately active (3–5 workouts/week): 1.55. Very active (6–7 workouts/week): 1.725. Extremely active (physical job + daily training): 1.9.

For the 75kg man above: 3 workouts/week = moderately active. TDEE = 1,699 × 1.55 = 2,633 kcal/day.

Using TDEE for Your Goal

Fat loss: eat 300–500 calories below TDEE. 500 cal deficit = ~0.5kg/week fat loss. Maintenance: eat at TDEE. Muscle gain: eat 200–300 calories above TDEE (lean bulk). Very large surpluses gain fat faster than muscle.

Why TDEE Changes Over Time

As you lose weight, your BMR decreases because a smaller body burns fewer calories. Recalculate TDEE every 4–6 weeks during a diet. Adaptive thermogenesis (metabolic adaptation) also reduces NEAT (non-exercise activity) during prolonged deficits — one reason diet breaks every 8–12 weeks can help.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is BMR?
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories your body burns at complete rest — maintaining heartbeat, breathing and organ function. It accounts for 60–75% of total daily calorie burn for most people.
How accurate is TDEE calculation?
Activity multipliers are estimates — individual variation is significant. Treat your calculated TDEE as a starting point, track your weight for 2–3 weeks, and adjust calories by 100–200 if not seeing expected results. Real-world TDEE is best determined by tracking intake and weight change.
Should I eat back exercise calories?
Depends on your approach. If you used a sedentary activity factor and exercise separately, yes — add back roughly 50–75% of estimated calories burned (apps overestimate by 30–50%). If you used an activity factor that includes your exercise, no — it is already accounted for.
What is a safe calorie deficit?
300–500 calories below TDEE for most people. This produces 0.3–0.5kg fat loss per week. Larger deficits increase muscle loss risk and are harder to sustain. Never go below 1,200 cal/day (women) or 1,500 cal/day (men) without medical supervision.
What is the difference between TDEE and calories in vs out?
TDEE is your estimated calories out — all energy burned in a day. Calories in is what you eat. Weight change is determined by the difference. If you eat 2,200 cal and TDEE is 2,600, you have a 400 cal deficit and should lose approximately 0.4kg/week over time.