TDEE
calculator
TDEE is the full picture: the calories your body burns in a real day — resting metabolism plus movement. It's the number every cut, bulk or maintenance plan starts from.
From resting burn to real-day burn
Your body burns most of its calories just existing — that's BMR, basal metabolic rate. TDEE scales it up for how much you actually move, using a standard activity multiplier.
TDEE = 1,748 × 1.55 ≈ 2,709 kcal/day
Using the number
Eat around TDEE and weight holds. A ~500 kcal daily deficit trims roughly half a kilogram of fat a week; a modest +300 surplus supports gradual muscle gain with less fat. The biggest error source is the activity factor — most people overestimate. When in doubt pick the level below, watch the scale for two or three weeks, and adjust by 100–200 kcal.
The honest limits
Formulas estimate an average body; genetics, muscle mass and hormones shift the true figure by a couple hundred calories either way. Treat TDEE as a starting hypothesis that your own measurements refine. The BMR calculator isolates the resting component, and the macro calculator splits your target into protein, carbs and fat.
TDEE FAQ
Total daily energy expenditure — all the calories you burn in a day: resting metabolism, digestion, daily movement and exercise combined. It's the baseline for any calorie target.
BMR is estimated from the Mifflin–St Jeor equation (weight, height, age, sex), then multiplied by an activity factor from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (athlete).
A common approach is TDEE minus about 500 kcal a day, giving roughly half a kilogram (about a pound) of fat loss per week. Larger deficits are harder to sustain and cost more muscle.
The usual suspects: activity level set too high, portions drifting above the target, or normal water-weight noise hiding fat loss. Track honestly for three weeks before changing the plan — and see a professional if something seems off.