TDEE calculator
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) estimates how many calories you burn in a day including work, walking, and workouts—built from Mifflin–St Jeor BMR and standard activity multipliers. It is a planning number, not a lab measurement. Use it with food logging and weight trends, not as a single-day truth. All math runs in your browser.
Understanding TDEE
Learn when TDEE matters most, how to interpret your result, and mistakes that derail progress. Our complete guide covers activity assumptions, adjustments, and practical planning.
Read the full TDEE guideHow to use this result
- Start with this as a baseline, then adjust after 2-3 weeks of trend data.
- Pick activity level from your average week, not your best week.
- Use moderate deficits/surpluses instead of aggressive swings.
BMR vs TDEE: what you are seeing
BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the estimate of calories you would burn at complete rest. TDEE takes that value and multiplies it by a factor for how much you move—desk job vs manual labor, steps, and structured exercise. If you only ate your BMR while still walking to work, you would likely feel underfed because TDEE is the fuller picture for most planning.
Activity multipliers are population averages. Two people both “moderate” on paper can differ: one cycles to work, the other sits all day. Treat the output as a bracket, then refine with two to three weeks of consistent tracking.
Practical next steps
- If you want to change weight, pair TDEE with a modest calorie target and monitor trend, not single days.
- Revisit TDEE when body weight or training load changes a lot—both shift burn.
- Use professional guidance for athletes, pregnancies, eating disorders, or metabolic conditions.
Common mistakes
- Picking “very active” because of one hard weekend—it should match your typical week.
- Expecting TDEE to match your watch—wearables and formulas use different inputs.
- Ignoring that stress, sleep, and medications change expenditure without changing height or weight on the form.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is rest; TDEE adds an activity layer on top. For daily food targets, TDEE is usually the more practical starting point.
Why is my result different from another site?
Other sites may use different BMR equations (Harris–Benedict) or different activity labels. Consistency within one system matters more than the exact first number.
Method and sources
MapleKit estimates BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then applies standard activity multipliers to estimate TDEE. For a detailed interpretation workflow and adjustment strategy, read our complete TDEE guide.
- Mifflin-St Jeor equation references in clinical nutrition literature.
- General activity-multiplier guidance used in sports nutrition practice.
Related tools
- BMR calculator — resting burn only, with the same underlying equation.
- Calorie calculator — example deficits and surpluses from maintenance-style math.
- How to choose the right calculator
Medical disclaimer: Educational use only. Not a substitute for individualized medical or nutrition advice.