The Ultimate Live TDEE Calculator
Adjust your details and instantly see your personalized calorie targets with the web's most responsive TDEE calculator.
Maintenance Calories (TDEE) Total Daily Energy Expenditure
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Daily calories to maintain your current weight.
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What is TDEE? Complete Guide to Total Daily Energy Expenditure
Understanding your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the foundation of effective weight management, whether your goal is fat loss, muscle gain, or maintaining your current physique.
What is TDEE?
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total number of calories your body burns in 24 hours, including basal metabolism, exercise, daily activities, and food digestion.
TDEE Components
TDEE consists of four main components that determine your daily caloric needs:
1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) - 60-75%
Energy required for essential physiological functions like breathing, circulation, and cellular processes while at complete rest.
2. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) - 8-15%
Energy cost of digesting, absorbing, and processing the food you consume.
3. Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT) - 15-30%
Calories burned during planned physical activities and structured exercise sessions.
4. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) - 15-25%
Energy expended for activities that are not sleeping, eating, or sports-like exercise.
TDEE vs BMR: Understanding the Difference
While BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) represents your body's energy needs at complete rest, TDEE accounts for all daily activities. Think of BMR as your metabolic baseline—the minimum calories needed to keep your organs functioning. TDEE multiplies this baseline by an activity factor to reflect your real-world energy expenditure.
Quick Example:
A 30-year-old woman with a BMR of 1,400 calories who exercises 3-5 times per week would have a TDEE of approximately 2,170 calories (1,400 × 1.55 activity factor).
How is TDEE Calculated?
TDEE = BMR × Activity Factor (1.2-1.9)
First calculate BMR using Mifflin-St Jeor or Katch-McArdle formula, then multiply by your activity level multiplier.
Scientific Formulas: Mifflin-St Jeor vs Katch-McArdle
Our calculator uses two scientifically-validated formulas, chosen based on the information you provide:
Mifflin-St Jeor Equation
Most accurate for general population (±10% accuracy)
Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1990), this formula is considered the gold standard by registered dietitians.
Katch-McArdle Formula
More accurate when body fat % is known (±5% accuracy)
Accounts for body composition differences, making it more precise for athletes and individuals with known body fat percentages.
Activity Level Multipliers Explained
Your activity level significantly impacts your TDEE. Choose the option that best matches your weekly routine:
How to Use the TDEE Calculator
A simple guide to understanding and applying your results for fat loss, muscle gain, or maintenance.
1. Find Your Maintenance Calories
Your TDEE is your maintenance number. Eating this many calories per day will help you maintain your current weight. This is your baseline.
2. Adjust for Your Goal
For Fat Loss: Eat less than your TDEE. Our calculator shows targets for a mild deficit (-15%) for gradual loss and a standard deficit (-20%) for faster results. Don't cut calories too aggressively, as it can be unsustainable.
For Muscle Gain: Eat more than your TDEE. We provide targets for a mild surplus (+15%) for lean gains and a standard surplus (+20%) for more aggressive bulking. Pair this with adequate protein intake and resistance training.
3. Monitor and Adapt
This TDEE calculator provides a highly accurate estimate, but it's still a starting point. Monitor your weight over 2-3 weeks. If you're not seeing the desired results, adjust your daily calorie intake by 100-200 calories and assess again.
About This TDEE Calculator
At Opus Caviar, we believe in a lifestyle of wellness, refinement, and quality. We created this free TDEE calculator as a tool for the health-conscious individual who, like us, values precision and quality. It's designed to be the most accurate, user-friendly, and aesthetically pleasing calculator on the web—completely free, with no ads.
This tool uses the Mifflin-St Jeor and Katch-McArdle formulas, widely considered the gold standard for metabolic calculation. We hope it empowers you to take control of your nutrition and achieve your wellness goals.