TDEE calculator
Enter your stats and activity level. We compute your basal metabolic rate, apply the activity multiplier, and return your total daily energy expenditure. That is the calorie number every weight-loss plan works backward from.
How this calculator works
Two steps.
- Resting burn. We run the Mifflin-St Jeor equation on your sex, age, height, and weight to get your basal metabolic rate, the calories you burn at rest. See the BMR calculator for that number on its own.
- Activity multiplier. We multiply your BMR by a factor for how much you move, from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extra active). The result is your total daily burn.
The activity multipliers
- Sedentary (1.2). Desk job, little or no exercise.
- Lightly active (1.375). Light exercise one to three days a week.
- Moderately active (1.55). Moderate exercise three to five days a week.
- Very active (1.725). Hard exercise six to seven days a week.
- Extra active (1.9). Hard daily training or a physically demanding job.
These are estimates, not precise measurements of your day. If your weight does not move the way the number predicts after two or three weeks, adjust the target rather than the equation.
Turning TDEE into a plan
To lose weight, eat below your TDEE. The calorie-deficit calculator takes this number and shows the daily target for each pace, from a gentle half pound a week to an aggressive two. During a deficit, the protein calculator shows how much you need to hold on to muscle.
Where GLP-1s fit
A GLP-1 does not change your TDEE. It changes whether you can stay under it. By blunting appetite, medications like Wegovy and Zepbound make a daily deficit feel routine instead of like a fight. If a deficit is your goal, the BMI-to-program calculator tells you whether you qualify and which programs serve your state.
Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
Total daily energy expenditure is every calorie you burn in a normal day: your resting metabolism plus movement, digestion, and exercise. Eat at your TDEE and your weight holds. Eat below it and you lose. It is the single most useful number for planning weight loss.
How is TDEE calculated?
We calculate your basal metabolic rate with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiply by an activity factor: 1.2 for sedentary, 1.375 for lightly active, 1.55 for moderately active, 1.725 for very active, 1.9 for extra active. The multipliers are the standard convention used across nutrition science.
Which activity level should I pick?
Pick based on deliberate exercise, not a busy feeling. Sedentary is a desk job with no workouts. Lightly active is one to three sessions a week. Most people overestimate, so when you are between two levels, choose the lower one and let the scale correct you over a few weeks.
How do I lose weight from my TDEE?
Subtract a deficit. One pound of fat is about 3,500 calories, so eating 500 below your TDEE each day is roughly a pound a week. The calorie-deficit calculator lays out every pace and flags any target that drops below a safe floor.
Do GLP-1 medications change my TDEE?
Not directly. GLP-1s do not raise the calories you burn. They lower the calories you take in by cutting appetite, which is what makes eating under your TDEE sustainable. The math is the same with or without medication; the medication changes how hard the math is to follow.
Other calculators
- BMR calculator: your resting burn on its own.
- Calorie-deficit calculator: the daily target for each rate of loss.
- Protein calculator: the daily grams to protect muscle in a deficit.
- BMI-to-program calculator: your BMI and the programs you qualify for.
