TDEE and Maintenance Calories Calculator

Key takeaways

• Digesting food uses about 5 to 15% of daily energy on a mixed diet, a bit more when protein is high.^[2]
• When volunteers overate by 1,000 calories a day, two thirds of the rise in energy use came from everyday non-exercise movement.^[3]
• People with obesity in one study sat about two hours a day longer than lean people, a gap worth an estimated 350 calories a day.^[4]
• After large weight loss, resting metabolism can stay lower than expected for years, so maintenance calories should be recalculated.^[6]

In short: TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is the number of calories your body uses in a whole day: at rest, digesting food and moving. Eating about that much keeps your weight steady, which is why it is also called maintenance calories. This calculator estimates it from your size, age, sex and activity; your own food and weight records over two to three weeks give the most accurate number.

TDEE and maintenance calories calculator

Units

US (lb, ft, in)Metric (kg, cm)

Sex (the equations use it)

FemaleMale

Ageyears

Height

ftin

Current weightlb

Activity levelSedentary: little or no exerciseLightly active: light exercise 1-3 days a weekModerately active: exercise 3-5 days a weekVery active: hard exercise 6-7 days a weekExtra active: hard daily training or a physical job

Body fat (optional)%

Optional. If you know it, we also use the Katch-McArdle equation.

Calculate TDEE

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Educational estimate, not medical advice. Talk with a healthcare professional before changing how you eat, move or take medicines.

How this works

TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) = resting energy × activity factor.

Resting energy comes from Mifflin-St Jeor (weight, height, age and sex). If you enter body fat, Katch-McArdle is used for the table instead: 370 + 21.6 × lean body mass in kg.

Limits

• Equations predict the average person of your size, age and sex. Any one person can be 10% or more above or below.
• Built for adults 18 and older. Teens are still growing, so no targets are shown for anyone under 18.
• Katch-McArdle is only as good as the body-fat number; home scales and tape methods can be several points off.
• The most accurate maintenance number comes from your own records: average intake over 2 to 3 weeks of stable weight.

Sources

1. Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr 1990;51:241-247
2. McArdle WD, Katch FI, Katch VL. Exercise Physiology: Nutrition, Energy, and Human Performance (Katch-McArdle equation)

TDEE vs BMR: what is the difference?

Your daily energy use has three parts:

• Basal or resting metabolism (BMR or RMR). The energy that keeps you alive at rest: breathing, circulation, brain, organs. This is what the Mifflin-St Jeor or Katch-McArdle equations estimate.
• Digesting food (the thermic effect of food). On a mixed diet this is about 5 to 15% of daily energy use, a bit higher when meals are rich in protein.
• Activity. Planned exercise plus everything else you do on your feet: walking to the car, cooking, cleaning, fidgeting. Researchers call that second part NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), and it varies a lot between people.

TDEE adds all three together, which is why the calculator multiplies your resting estimate by an activity factor. Our guide to metabolism and weight explains each part and what you can and cannot change.

Everyday movement matters more than you might think

In a classic study, 16 volunteers ate 1,000 extra calories a day for eight weeks. Two thirds of the rise in their energy use came from NEAT, and differences in that everyday movement explained a tenfold difference in how much fat people stored. In another small study, people with obesity sat about two hours a day longer than lean people; the researchers estimated that matching the lean group’s habits could burn about 350 more calories a day. Walking breaks, standing while on the phone and taking stairs add up, and they do not require a gym.

Does age change your TDEE?

Less than you might expect. In a 2021 study in Science that measured daily energy use with the doubly labeled water method in people from 8 days to 95 years old, energy use adjusted for body size and fat-free mass stayed stable from about age 20 to 60 and declined only after that. So if your TDEE estimate drops a little each birthday, that mostly reflects the equation; the bigger changes usually come from moving less or losing muscle, both of which you can work on.

When to use the body fat option (Katch-McArdle)

If you know your body fat percentage, the calculator also shows an estimate based on lean body mass. That can help people whose build is unusual for their weight, such as very muscular people. It is only as good as the body fat number, though. In a study of 76 service members, the tape-measure method and bioelectrical impedance both agreed reasonably well with a DXA scan, but accuracy changed with sex and waist size. Our body fat calculator uses the tape-measure method; if you use a smart scale, treat its number as a rough guide.

Find your real maintenance number

Maintenance after weight loss

Once you reach a goal, your TDEE is lower than it was at the start, partly because a smaller body needs less energy and partly because the body adapts. NIH researchers followed 14 contestants from a televised weight-loss competition: six years later, their resting metabolism was still lower than expected for their body size. Most people will not lose weight that fast, but the lesson holds: recalculate at your new weight, keep up strength training to protect muscle, and expect to eat a little less than before to stay there. Our keep it off hub covers maintenance in detail.

Using your TDEE

To lose weight, you eat somewhat below your TDEE; the calorie calculator turns that into ready-made options with safe limits, and the calorie deficit guide explains how big a gap is reasonable. To see a goal date, try the weight-loss timeline calculator. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or take medicines that affect appetite or blood sugar, set targets with your clinician. More tools are on our tools page.

Questions to ask a professional

• Is there a medical reason my energy needs might be different from what the calculator shows?
• Do any of my medicines affect my metabolism or appetite?
• What calorie range should I aim for to maintain my weight after losing weight?
• Would a measured resting metabolic rate test be useful for me?

Frequently asked questions

Is TDEE the same as maintenance calories?

Yes, for practical purposes. TDEE is the energy you use in a day; eating about that much keeps your weight steady.

What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?

BMR is the energy your body uses at complete rest. TDEE adds the energy for digesting food and all your movement, so it is always higher than BMR.

Which activity level should I choose?

Pick the one that matches a typical week, not your best week. If you are between two levels, start with the lower one and adjust from your weight trend.

Should I eat below my BMR to lose weight?

Weight loss comes from eating below your TDEE, not necessarily below your BMR. Very low intakes are hard to sustain and should be supervised by a clinician.

How often should I recalculate my TDEE?

Whenever your weight or activity changes noticeably, for example after every 10 pounds lost or when you start a new exercise routine.

References

1. Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990. doi:10.1093/ajcn/51.2.241 · PMID 2305711 (accessed October 7, 2026) Other
2. Westerterp KR. Diet induced thermogenesis. Nutrition & Metabolism, 2004. doi:10.1186/1743-7075-1-5 · PMID 15507147 (accessed October 7, 2026) Review
3. Levine JA, Eberhardt NL, Jensen MD. Role of nonexercise activity thermogenesis in resistance to fat gain in humans. Science, 1999. doi:10.1126/science.283.5399.212 · PMID 9880251 (accessed October 6, 2026) Other
4. Levine JA, Lanningham-Foster LM, McCrady SK, et al.. Interindividual variation in posture allocation: possible role in human obesity. Science, 2005. doi:10.1126/science.1106561 · PMID 15681386 (accessed October 6, 2026) Other
5. Combest TM, Howard RS, Andrews AM. Comparison of Circumference Body Composition Measurements and Eight-Point Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis to Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry to Measure Body Fat Percentage. Military Medicine, 2017. doi:10.7205/MILMED-D-16-00344 · PMID 28810989 (accessed October 6, 2026) Other
6. Fothergill E, Guo J, Howard L, et al.. Persistent metabolic adaptation 6 years after “The Biggest Loser” competition. Obesity, 2016. doi:10.1002/oby.21538 · PMID 27136388 (accessed October 7, 2026) Other
7. Hall KD, Sacks G, Chandramohan D, et al.. Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. The Lancet, 2011. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60812-X · PMID 21872751 (accessed October 7, 2026) Other
8. Pontzer H, Yamada Y, Sagayama H, et al.. Daily energy expenditure through the human life course. Science, 2021. doi:10.1126/science.abe5017 · PMID 34385400 (accessed October 7, 2026) Other

Facts checked on October 6, 2026

Educational information, not medical advice. Talk with a qualified healthcare professional about your own situation. In an emergency call 911.