Advanced TDEE Calculator

TDEE is the total number of calories you burn in a 24-hour period. It includes: BMR (60-75%)—calories burned at complete rest; TEF (10%)—energy for digesting food; and NEAT + Exercise (15-30%)—all physical activity. TDEE is your 'maintenance' calories—eating this amount maintains current weight.

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is calories burned at complete rest—just to keep you alive. TDEE is BMR plus all daily activity. Example: BMR of 1600 × activity factor (1.55 for moderate exercise) = TDEE of 2480. You should eat around TDEE to maintain weight, not BMR.

Standard multipliers: Sedentary (1.2)—desk job, no exercise. Lightly Active (1.375)—light exercise 1-3 days. Moderately Active (1.55)—exercise 3-5 days. Very Active (1.725)—hard exercise 6-7 days. Extremely Active (1.9)—athlete or physical job plus training. Most people overestimate their activity level.

For sustainable weight loss, eat 500 calories below your TDEE for ~0.5 kg (1 lb) per week loss. Extreme deficit (1000 calories) causes faster loss but increases muscle loss and metabolic adaptation. Never chronically eat below your BMR. A 250-calorie deficit is mild and sustainable long-term.

For lean muscle gain ('lean bulk'), eat 250-500 calories above TDEE. This provides energy for muscle synthesis while minimizing fat gain. Higher surplus (500+) builds muscle faster but also more fat. Protein intake of 1.6-2.2g per kg bodyweight is also critical for muscle growth.

TEF is energy expended digesting and processing food—typically 10% of calorie intake. Protein has the highest TEF (20-30%), then carbs (5-10%), then fat (0-3%). Eating 2000 calories burns ~200 through digestion. High-protein diets have a slight TEF advantage.

Activity level dramatically changes TDEE. A sedentary person with BMR 1600 has TDEE of 1920, while an extremely active person has TDEE of 3040—a difference of 1120 calories! Most people are sedentary or lightly active; honest assessment is crucial for accurate results.

For fat loss: High protein (30-40%) preserves muscle and increases satiety. Moderate carbs (30-40%) for energy. Moderate fat (25-35%) for hormones. Example at 1800 cal: 135-180g protein, 135-180g carbs, 50-70g fat. Prioritize protein, then adjust carbs/fat to preference.

For building muscle: Protein at 1.6-2.2g per kg bodyweight (essential). Carbs should be higher (40-50%) to fuel workouts and recovery. Moderate fat (20-30%). Example for 80kg person bulking at 2800 cal: 160g protein, 350g carbs, 90g fat.

Recalculate when: weight changes by 5-10 kg, activity level changes significantly, or progress stalls for 2+ weeks. As you lose weight, TDEE decreases—you need fewer calories. Conversely, gaining muscle increases TDEE. Recalculating every 4-8 weeks is reasonable.

No, TDEE varies daily based on actual activity. Rest days burn less than training days. The calculated TDEE is an average. Some people use 'calorie cycling'—eating more on workout days, less on rest days—while hitting a weekly average. Weekly total matters more than daily precision.

NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) is calories burned through daily movement—walking, fidgeting, standing, chores—outside of formal exercise. NEAT can vary by 2000+ calories between people! Increasing NEAT (more walking, standing desk) is an easy way to boost TDEE without gym time.

TDEE formulas use population averages—individuals vary by ±10-15%. Factors not captured: genetics, hormones, muscle mass, sleep quality, stress, gut microbiome. Use the calculated TDEE as a starting point, track weight for 2-3 weeks, then adjust. If weight is stable, TDEE is accurate for you.

Adaptive thermogenesis is your body reducing TDEE in response to prolonged calorie deficit—a survival mechanism. After weeks of dieting, BMR may drop 5-15% beyond what weight loss predicts. This causes plateaus. Solutions: diet breaks, refeed days, and avoiding extreme deficits.

Weekly budgeting allows flexibility. Example: goal is 2000/day = 14,000/week. You could eat 1800 on weekdays (9000) and 2500 on weekends (5000), hitting the same weekly total. This makes social eating easier. Just ensure the weekly average hits your target for consistent progress.