How to Calculate TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)
Your TDEE — total daily energy expenditure — is your resting calorie burn multiplied by an activity factor of roughly 1.2 to 1.9. In other words, it is your resting metabolic rate plus everything you do in a day.
What is TDEE?
TDEE stands for total daily energy expenditure — the full number of calories you burn in a day, resting and moving combined. It is the figure that matters for setting calorie targets, because eating below it loses weight and above it gains. Your TDEE calculator result is this number.
How do you calculate TDEE?
TDEE is calculated by multiplying your basal metabolic rate (BMR) by an activity factor between 1.2 and 1.9: TDEE = BMR × activity factor. Your BMR is estimated first — this site uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the formula a 2005 systematic review found most accurate. Then you multiply by the factor that reflects how much you move in a typical day to get your total daily burn.
What makes up your TDEE?
Your total daily burn has four parts:
- Resting metabolic rate (BMR/RMR) — the largest share, roughly 60–70% of the total, and the part the Mifflin-St Jeor equation estimates.
- Thermic effect of food (TEF) — the energy used to digest and process what you eat, about 10% of the calories you consume on a mixed diet.
- Exercise — deliberate training and sport.
- NEAT — non-exercise activity thermogenesis: all your other movement (see below).
The activity multiplier is a shortcut that bundles the last three into a single factor.
What are the activity multipliers?
The five standard activity levels, with the total daily burn each gives for a resting figure of 1,780 kcal:
| Activity level | Typical week | Multiplier | Example TDEE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | little or no exercise | 1.2 | 2,136 kcal |
| Lightly active | exercise 1–3 days/week | 1.375 | 2,448 kcal |
| Moderately active | exercise 3–5 days/week | 1.55 | 2,759 kcal |
| Very active | hard exercise 6–7 days/week | 1.725 | 3,071 kcal |
| Extra active | very hard exercise or a physical job | 1.9 | 3,382 kcal |
How accurate are the activity multipliers?
This is the part most calculators gloss over, so here is the honest version: the activity multipliers are broad, standardised rules of thumb, not precise or clinically validated figures, and unlike the resting equation they were not part of the Mifflin-St Jeor study. Two people who both pick "moderately active" can burn very different amounts depending on their job, their step count, how hard they actually train, and even how much they fidget. So the activity step adds the most uncertainty to the whole calculation. Use the level that best matches a normal week, then treat the TDEE as a starting estimate — not a target carved in stone.
What is NEAT?
NEAT — non-exercise activity thermogenesis — is the energy you burn through everyday movement that isn't formal exercise: walking, standing, housework, your job, even fidgeting. It is the most variable part of TDEE and the main reason two people with the same BMR and the same gym schedule can burn very different totals. The activity multipliers fold NEAT in rather than counting it separately, which is why picking an honest activity level matters more than the formula itself.
A worked example
Take the 30-year-old man from the equation example, with a resting burn of about 1,780 calories. If he trains moderately 3–5 days a week, his TDEE is 1,780 × 1.55 ≈ 2,759 calories a day. That is roughly what he would eat to maintain his weight; for fat loss he would set a deficit below it. See your own figure on the Mifflin-St Jeor calculator, or get just your resting burn from the BMR calculator.
Common questions
What is the formula for calculating TDEE?
TDEE = BMR × activity factor. You estimate BMR (resting burn) with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiply by a factor from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extra active) for how much you move.
What is the most accurate way to calculate TDEE?
Use an accurate resting-burn equation (Mifflin-St Jeor) for the BMR step, pick the activity level that honestly matches a normal week, then refine against real results — track your intake and weight for two to three weeks and adjust. No formula is exact because the activity factor is only an estimate.
How many calories below your TDEE should you eat to lose weight?
Around 300–500 calories below TDEE is the sustainable range for most people, losing roughly 0.25–0.5 kg (0.5–1 lb) a week. Larger deficits work faster but are harder to hold and risk muscle loss — size yours with the calorie deficit calculator.
Is there an NHS TDEE calculator?
The NHS does not publish a TDEE or BMR calculator. Its general guidance uses average daily needs — around 2,500 kcal for men and 2,000 for women — rather than a personalised formula. A TDEE estimate from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation personalises those averages to your weight, height, age, sex and activity.