How many calories do you burn?
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, calculated in seconds.
For a 30-year-old male, 5'9", 170 lbs, moderately active: estimated TDEE is approximately 2,665 calories/day with a BMR of 1,720 calories.
Medical Disclaimer: This tool provides general educational estimates. Always consult your prescribing physician or healthcare provider before making medication changes or interpreting results from population-based models.
Frequently Asked Questions
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories your body burns per day. It includes your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) plus calories burned through physical activity, digestion, and daily movement.
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation predicts BMR within 10% for approximately 82% of individuals. It is the most accurate predictive formula recommended by the American Dietetic Association. Your actual TDEE may vary based on muscle mass, genetics, and metabolic conditions.
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories your body burns at complete rest — breathing, circulation, cell repair. TDEE adds everything else: exercise, walking, fidgeting, digesting food. For most people, BMR is 60-75% of TDEE.
Eat fewer calories than your TDEE. A deficit of 500 calories per day leads to about 1 lb (0.45 kg) of weight loss per week. Don’t go below 1,200 calories (women) or 1,500 calories (men) without medical supervision.
If your activity level already includes exercise, your TDEE accounts for those calories — don’t add them again. If you chose Sedentary and track exercise separately, add back about 50-75% of burned calories, as trackers tend to overestimate.
Recalculate every 10 lbs (4.5 kg) of weight change, or every 4-6 weeks during active dieting. As you lose weight, your TDEE decreases — a phenomenon called metabolic adaptation. Failing to recalculate is a common reason weight loss plateaus.
Sources
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241-247. Link
- Frankenfield D, Roth-Yousey L, Compher C. Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005;105(5):775-789. Link
- Hall KD, et al. Energy balance and its components: implications for body weight regulation. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;95(4):989-994. Link
- National Institutes of Health. Aim for a Healthy Weight. NIH Publication No. 05-5213. Link
- Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, et al. Compendium of Physical Activities. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2000;32(9 Suppl):S498-516. Link
Methodology
This calculator estimates Total Daily Energy Expenditure using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (Mifflin et al., 1990), which the American Dietetic Association identified as the most accurate predictive BMR formula in a 2005 systematic review.
BMR = (10 × weightkg) + (6.25 × heightcm) − (5 × age) + s
Where s is +5 for males and −161 for females. TDEE is then derived by multiplying BMR by a physical activity factor ranging from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extra active).
Calorie targets for weight loss (−500 kcal/day) and lean bulk (+300 kcal/day) follow NIH guidelines for safe weight change. The equation predicts BMR within 10% for approximately 82% of individuals, but accuracy decreases for very muscular, very lean, or morbidly obese individuals.
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total number of calories your body burns per day. It combines your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) with calories burned through physical activity and digestion. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation, recommended by the American Dietetic Association, calculates BMR as: (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age) + 5 for males or - 161 for females. Multiply BMR by an activity factor (1.2 for sedentary to 1.9 for extra active) to get TDEE. For weight loss, eat 500 calories below your TDEE to lose about 1 lb per week. For muscle gain, eat 300 calories above your TDEE.
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