What Is TDEE?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns in a day, accounting for all activity. It is calculated by multiplying your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) by an activity factor that reflects your lifestyle. Eating at your TDEE maintains your current weight; eating below it creates a deficit for fat loss; eating above it supports muscle gain.
Mifflin–St Jeor Equation
This calculator uses the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, validated in a 1990 study and endorsed by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as the most accurate BMR formula for healthy adults. Male: BMR = 10W + 6.25H − 5A + 5. Female: BMR = 10W + 6.25H − 5A − 161 (W=kg, H=cm, A=years).
Activity Multipliers
Sedentary: ×1.2. Lightly active: ×1.375. Moderately active: ×1.55. Very active: ×1.725. Extra active: ×1.9. These multipliers include the thermic effect of food (TEF), which accounts for roughly 10% of TDEE.
Calorie Targets by Goal
Fat loss: a 500 kcal/day deficit ≈ 0.5 kg/week; 1,100 kcal/day deficit ≈ 1 kg/week. Below 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 kcal (men) risks nutrient deficiency and muscle loss. Muscle gain: a 250–500 kcal surplus ≈ 0.25–0.5 kg/week of scale weight gain, mostly lean mass when training is adequate.
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