UK weight-loss calculator
TDEE calculator
Estimate your total daily energy expenditure, roughly how many calories you burn in a day once your activity is taken into account.
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I’m , , cm tall, and I weigh st lb. Most weeks I’m .
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Enter your details to see your estimated total daily energy expenditure.
What does my TDEE mean?
Your TDEE is an estimate of the total energy you use in a day. Eat around that figure and your weight should hold roughly steady; eat consistently below it and you should lose weight over time. It is the number every calorie target on this site is built from.
It is made of two parts: the energy your body uses at rest, and everything you do on top of that.
- Basal metabolic rate
- The energy used keeping you alive at complete rest. For most people this is the majority of the total, often around 60 to 70%.
- Activity
- Deliberate exercise, but also walking, standing, fidgeting and the energy used digesting food. This part varies enormously between people.
How is TDEE calculated?
We estimate your basal metabolic rate with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation[American Journal of Clinical Nutrition], then multiply it by a factor for your activity level.
TDEE = BMR × activity multiplierThese are the multipliers used. They are the conventional set used across consumer calculators, and they are stored in one place in our code so every calculator on this site uses identical values.
| Activity level | Multiplier | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Desk job, little or no exercise |
| Lightly active | 1.375 | Light exercise 1-3 days a week |
| Moderately active | 1.55 | Exercise 3-5 days a week |
| Very active | 1.725 | Hard exercise 6-7 days a week |
| Extra active | 1.9 | Physical job, or training twice a day |
How accurate is this?
The activity multiplier is the weak link. The BMR equation is reasonably well established, but the jump between "lightly active" and "moderately active" is a 13% difference in your daily total (around 300 kcal for many people) and most of us overestimate how active we are.
If you are between two levels, pick the lower one
Overestimating activity is the single most common reason a calorie target does not produce the expected result. Starting lower and adjusting upwards after a few weeks of real data is more reliable than guessing high.
The honest use of a TDEE figure is as a starting point. Track your weight over three or four weeks, see what actually happens, and adjust. Your own data beats any equation.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between TDEE and BMR?
BMR is what you would burn lying completely still all day. TDEE is BMR plus everything else: moving, exercising, even digesting. TDEE is always the larger number, and it is the one to use when setting a calorie target.
Should I eat my TDEE to lose weight?
No. Eating at your TDEE should roughly maintain your current weight. To lose weight you need to eat below it. The NHS suggests a reduction of around 600 kcal a day[NHS Better Health].
Does my TDEE change as I lose weight?
Yes, and this catches a lot of people out. A smaller body needs less energy, so your TDEE falls as you lose weight, which means a calorie target set at the start gradually becomes less of a deficit. It is worth recalculating every few weeks.
Should I eat back the calories my watch says I burned?
Be careful here. Your activity multiplier already includes your usual exercise, so adding tracker calories on top counts the same activity twice. Wearable estimates of calories burned are also among the least accurate things they measure.
Sources
- A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
- Calories and weight loss, NHS Better Health
Important information
The calculators on this site provide general information and estimates. They are not medical advice and they do not diagnose any condition.
Everyone is different, and individual energy needs vary for reasons these equations cannot capture. If you have a health condition, take medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have any concerns about your weight, speak to your GP, pharmacist or a registered dietitian.