ENERGY EXPENDITURE ENGINE

TDEE Calculator

Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)—the exact number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period based on your metabolism and daily movement.

Instant TDEE Calculator

Calculate baseline maintenance calories instantly

Maintenance TDEE

2,399 kcal

Fat Loss (-1 lb/wk)

1,899 kcal

Muscle Lean Bulk

2,649 kcal

Static formulas are only a rough starting guess! Real human metabolism adapts continuously. Log daily scale weight & intake to track your real adaptive TDEE.

What Is TDEE?

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) represents the cumulative energy in calories that your body expends every day. Eating at your TDEE maintains your current bodyweight. Eating below creates a deficit for fat loss, while eating above creates a surplus for muscle hypertrophy.

The 4 Components of Your Daily Energy Expenditure

60% – 70% OF TDEE

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

The baseline energy required to power essential autonomic survival functions at complete rest: respiration, brain activity, cellular repair, and cardiovascular circulation.

15% – 30% OF TDEE

Non-Exercise Activity (NEAT)

All movement that is not deliberate exercise: daily walking steps, pacing, posture adjustments, household chores, and fidgeting.

5% – 15% OF TDEE

Exercise Activity (EAT)

Deliberate cardiovascular training, resistance training workouts, and structured sports sessions.

8% – 12% OF TDEE

Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)

The metabolic cost of breaking down, digesting, and absorbing macronutrients. Dietary protein requires the highest metabolic cost (~20-30% of its calories).

Why Static Formulas Are Only a Starting Point

Standard formulas like Mifflin-St Jeor provide a population average. However, your individual metabolism is dynamic: as your body weight changes, your NEAT shifts and metabolic adaptation occurs.

To dial in your true expenditure without guessing, you can track your daily weight and calories over 2–4 weeks to compute your Adaptive TDEE.