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About

Energy balance is the fundamental principle of weight management. To gain, lose, or maintain weight, one must understand their Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). This metric combines your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) - the energy your body burns at complete rest - with the calories burned through daily movement and exercise. This calculator utilizes the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, widely considered the most accurate standard for the general population. It avoids the guesswork often found in generic diet plans by accounting for age, gender, biometrics, and specifically, activity levels. Accuracy in these inputs is key, as overestimating activity level is the most common reason for stalled weight loss progress.

calories tdee bmr weight loss diet

Formulas

The Mifflin-St Jeor equation calculates BMR. For men:

BMR = 10W + 6.25H 5A + 5

For women:

BMR = 10W + 6.25H 5A 161

Total Daily Energy Expenditure TDEE is then derived:

TDEE = BMR × ActivityFactor

Reference Data

Activity LevelMultiplierDescription
Sedentary1.200Desk job, little to no exercise
Lightly Active1.375Light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week
Moderately Active1.550Moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week
Very Active1.725Hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/week
Extra Active1.900Physical job or 2x/day training

Frequently Asked Questions

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories you would burn if you stayed in bed all day doing absolutely nothing. TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) adds your daily movement and exercise to that number. You should base your diet on TDEE, not BMR.
A standard deficit is 500 calories below your TDEE per day, which theoretically results in 1 lb of fat loss per week (3,500 calorie deficit). Aggressive deficits (more than 20-25% of TDEE) can lead to muscle loss and metabolic adaptation.
Metabolic rate naturally slows down as humans age due to a decrease in muscle mass and hormonal changes. The formula adjusts for this natural decline to prevent overestimation of calorie needs for older adults.