TDEE calculator: how many calories do you burn a day?

How it is calculated

• Resting rate (BMR) with Mifflin-St Jeor: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age, then +5 for men or −161 for women. The 1990 equation was fitted on 498 healthy adults aged 19–78, with energy use measured by indirect calorimetry.
• Total (TDEE) = BMR × an activity multiplier. The usual multipliers are 1.2 for sedentary, 1.375 lightly active, 1.55 moderately active, 1.725 very active and 1.9 extra active. They are conventions applied after the equation, and people tend to overestimate how active they are.
• Goals add or subtract a fixed amount. About 3,500 calories is a common rule of thumb for one pound of body fat, so −500 kcal a day is roughly a pound a week. The rule is approximate, and bodies adapt.

A safeguard we added

The calorie target is never shown below your resting rate. That is our own guardrail, not a published rule, and it is there so the tool does not suggest an extreme number.

How to check it

Eat around your estimate for two to three weeks and watch your average weight. If it drifts the wrong way, adjust by 100–200 calories and check again. Your own data beats any equation.

A reminder

These tools give general estimates for healthy adults, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, under 18, have a medical condition or a history of disordered eating, talk to a doctor or dietitian first.

Quick answers

Sources

• Mifflin et al. (1990), A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals, Am J Clin Nutr 51:241–247
• Cleveland Clinic: does sweating burn calories? (the 3,500 calories per pound rule of thumb)