Your TDEE — Total Daily Energy Expenditure — is the total number of calories your body burns in a day, including all activity. It is the single most important number for any weight-related goal: loss, gain, or maintenance. Get this number wrong and no diet or training plan will work as expected.
Step 1 — Calculate Your BMR
TDEE starts with your Basal Metabolic Rate — the calories your body burns at complete rest. The most accurate formula for most people is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation:
🧮 Men: BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) + 5
🧮 Women: BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) − 161
Step 2 — Apply Your Activity Multiplier
Multiply your BMR by the factor that best matches your typical week. Be honest — most people overestimate their activity level.
| Activity Level | Description | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | Desk job, little or no exercise | × 1.2 |
| Lightly Active | Light exercise 1–3 days/week | × 1.375 |
| Moderately Active | Moderate exercise 3–5 days/week | × 1.55 |
| Very Active | Hard exercise 6–7 days/week | × 1.725 |
| Extremely Active | Physical job or twice-daily training | × 1.9 |
Step 3 — Apply Your Goal Adjustment
Once you have your TDEE, adjust it based on your goal:
| Goal | Daily Calorie Target | Expected Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Fat loss | TDEE − 300 to 500 | 0.3–0.5 kg/week |
| Aggressive fat loss | TDEE − 500 to 750 | 0.5–0.75 kg/week |
| Maintenance | TDEE | No change |
| Lean muscle gain | TDEE + 200 to 300 | Slow, quality gain |
⚠️ Never go below BMR. Eating fewer calories than your BMR causes muscle loss, hormonal disruption, and metabolic adaptation — making future fat loss harder, not easier.
Recalculate Every 4–6 Weeks
TDEE is not a fixed number. As your weight changes, your BMR changes. Every 5kg lost reduces TDEE by roughly 80–100 calories. If you do not recalculate, your deficit shrinks and progress stalls — which is why most people plateau after 6–8 weeks.
How Accurate Is TDEE?
Formula-based TDEE is an estimate, not a measurement. Individual variation in metabolism means real TDEE can differ by 10–15% from calculated values. Use the formula as a starting point, track your weight for 2–3 weeks, and adjust your calories up or down by 100–150 based on actual results.