Eatery tools
TDEE calculator: your maintenance calories
Enter your age, height, weight and activity level to find how many calories you burn in a day, then see what to eat to lose weight, stay balanced or gain.
How to use your TDEE when you eat out
- Pick the goal that fits you and save it as your Goal tracker targets.
- Split the day into meals. Three meals a day means roughly a third of your calories at each one.
- Check restaurant menus by calories and protein, and add what you’re considering to the Goal tracker.
Your TDEE is the budget for the whole day. A restaurant meal is just one slice of it, so knowing the number before you order is what makes the choice easy.
How the TDEE calculator works
- BMR: Mifflin–St Jeor, from age, sex, height and weight.
- TDEE: BMR times an activity multiplier (1.2, 1.375, 1.55 or 1.725).
- Lose weight: TDEE minus 500 calories. Gain: TDEE plus 300.
Estimates for adults 18 and over, not medical advice. Check with a doctor or registered dietitian before making big changes, especially if you are pregnant, nursing or managing a medical condition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is TDEE?
TDEE is your total daily energy expenditure: the calories you burn in a day, counting your resting burn plus everything you do. Eating at your TDEE holds your weight steady.
How is TDEE calculated?
This calculator finds your resting burn (BMR) with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation from your age, sex, height and weight, then multiplies it by an activity factor from 1.2 (mostly sitting) to 1.725 (very active).
Is TDEE the same as BMR?
No. BMR is what you burn at rest. TDEE adds the calories from moving, exercising and digesting food, so it is always higher than your BMR.
How many calories below my TDEE should I eat to lose weight?
A common starting point is 500 calories a day below your TDEE, which is about a pound a week. This calculator never suggests going below 1,200 calories for women or 1,500 for men.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
It is an estimate. Two people with the same numbers can burn quite different amounts. Treat the result as a starting point, track your weight for two to three weeks, and adjust.
Do I need an account to use it?
No. Your answers stay in your browser and nothing is tied to a name or email. When you want your targets on your phone, scan the QR code or download Eatery: Eating Out Made Easy on the App Store.
