TDEE Calculator — Daily Calorie Needs (Free)

Sex

Age (years)

Weight (kg)

Height (cm)

Activity level

What is TDEE?

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — every calorie your body burns in 24 hours.

It is made up of four parts:

BMR (60–70%) — calories burned at complete rest to run your organs, brain and cells.
TEF (~10%) — the thermic effect of food, energy spent digesting what you eat.
EAT — exercise activity: your runs, rides, walks and gym sessions.
NEAT — everything else: fidgeting, standing, walking to the shop, housework.

The formula used here

This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which research consistently finds more accurate than the older Harris-Benedict formula for most people:

Sex	BMR formula
Male	(10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) − (5 × age) + 5
Female	(10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) − (5 × age) − 161

Your BMR is then multiplied by an activity factor from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (athlete) to give TDEE.

Why your real TDEE will differ

Any formula is an estimate. Body composition, genetics, hormones, medication, sleep and NEAT all shift the number, and activity multipliers are broad buckets. Treat the result as a starting point, then adjust based on real-world data: if your weight is flat for two weeks, that is your true maintenance level.

That is exactly the loop Trakon is built for — automatic activity tracking for calories out, AI food scanning for calories in, and weight trend charts to see which way you are actually moving.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?

BMR is the calories you would burn lying in bed all day doing nothing. TDEE is BMR plus digestion, daily movement and exercise. TDEE is always higher, typically 1.2 to 1.9 times your BMR.

How many calories below TDEE should I eat to lose weight?

A deficit of 15–25% below TDEE is a common, sustainable range. Roughly 7,700 kcal equals 1 kg of body fat, so a 500 kcal daily deficit gives about 0.45 kg per week. Aggressive deficits risk muscle loss and rebound.

Is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation accurate?

It is the most accurate of the widely used predictive equations, but it still carries roughly a 10% error margin for any given individual because it cannot account for body composition. Use it as a starting estimate and refine with tracked data.

Should I recalculate my TDEE as I lose weight?

Yes. A smaller body burns fewer calories, so your TDEE drops as you lose weight. Recalculate every 4–5 kg of change, or whenever progress stalls for more than two to three weeks.

Related tools & guides

BMR CalculatorYour resting metabolic rate Calorie Deficit CalculatorTurn a deficit into a weekly loss rate Macro CalculatorSplit your calories into protein, carbs and fat What is a calorie deficit?The mechanism behind fat loss

Start tracking with Trakon

Free on iOS and Android. GPS activity tracking, AI food scanning and progress charts in one app.

The Trakon app is listed in the stores as “DailyCal – Food Calorie Tracker”. Why?