TDEE Calculator: Find Your Calories for Weight Loss or Gain

What Is TDEE?

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period. It accounts for BMR (calories burned at rest), NEAT (non-exercise daily movement), TEF (thermic effect of food at roughly 10% of intake), and EAT (structured exercise calories).

Why TDEE Is the Foundation of Any Diet

Without knowing your TDEE, you're guessing at your calorie target. This is why diets fail — people either eat too much (no deficit), too little (muscle loss), or hit a plateau and don't know why.

Your TDEE is your baseline. Everything else flows from it.

How to Calculate TDEE

Step 1: Calculate BMR

The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is the most accurate for most people:

Men: BMR = (10 x weight kg) + (6.25 x height cm) - (5 x age) + 5

Women: BMR = (10 x weight kg) + (6.25 x height cm) - (5 x age) - 161

Step 2: Apply Your Activity Multiplier

Sedentary (desk job, no exercise): multiply by 1.2. Lightly active (1-3 days/week): 1.375. Moderately active (3-5 days/week): 1.55. Very active (6-7 days/week): 1.725. Extra active (physical job + daily training): 1.9.

TDEE = BMR x Activity Multiplier

Setting Your Calorie Target

Aggressive fat loss: TDEE minus 500 calories. Moderate fat loss: TDEE minus 300. Maintenance/recomposition: at TDEE. Lean muscle gain: TDEE plus 200. Aggressive bulk: TDEE plus 500.

Why Your TDEE Changes Over Time

Weight change: As you lose weight, your BMR drops. Recalculate every 4-6 weeks or every 5 kg lost.

Metabolic adaptation: Prolonged calorie restriction causes adaptive thermogenesis — your body becomes more efficient and burns fewer calories. This is why diet breaks and refeeds are important strategies.

Training changes: More muscle mass increases BMR. This is the long-term metabolism-boosting effect of resistance training.

Use Our Interactive Calculator

Try our TDEE Calculator — simply enter your stats and get your TDEE with recommended calorie targets for any goal, plus a macro breakdown to match.

FastFitPro's nutrition plans are automatically calibrated to your TDEE, so your calorie and macro targets update as you progress.