Should I add workout calories on top?

No; the multiplier already prices in your training week. Adding burned calories back double-counts them.

How accurate is TDEE?

Expect ±10% versus lab measurement. Individual variation in NEAT and genetics dominates, which is why real-world tracking matters.

My weight is stable but TDEE says otherwise; why?

Reported intake is usually underestimated by 20–40%. Your true maintenance equals whatever you actually eat while weight holds steady.

Health

TDEE Calculator

What this does

Work out your total daily energy expenditure from BMR and activity level; the calories needed to maintain your current weight.

Enter your details

Runs in your browser

How to use it

Using the tdee calculator

01
Enter your basics
Sex, weight, height and age feed the underlying BMR equation.
02
Choose an activity level
Match your average week including workouts and day-to-day movement; be conservative if torn between two options.
03
Use TDEE as your anchor
Eat around this figure to maintain; subtract for fat loss or add for muscle gain.

Good to know

Why activity factors beat guessing

People reliably misjudge calories burned by exercise; a hard gym session might cost 300–500 kcal, far less than fitness trackers claim. Activity multipliers bake realistic averages into the math instead of double-counting individual sessions.

Tracking beats predicting

Treat the output as a starting hypothesis. Weigh yourself weekly under consistent conditions for three weeks; adjust intake by 100–200 kcal if the trend disagrees with your goal.

Where the factors come from

1.2; sedentary: little beyond daily living.
1.375–1.55; light to moderate structured exercise.
1.725–1.9; athletes, manual labourers, two-a-days.

How it's calculated

The math behind this calculator

TDEE = BMR × activity factor
BMR = Mifflin-St Jeor; factors 1.2 (sedentary) … 1.9 (very active)

First we calculate basal metabolic rate with Mifflin-St Jeor, then multiply by an activity factor drawn from standard sports-nutrition multipliers ranging from 1.2 for desk-bound routines to 1.9 for heavy daily training or physical labour.

The result approximates maintenance calories; eating near this number holds weight steady, while eating below or above it drives loss or gain over time.

Assumptions & limitations

Activity factor chosen honestly reflects a typical week, not your best week.
Includes exercise plus non-exercise movement (NEAT).
Static equations cannot capture metabolic adaptation during long diets.

Worked example

Our 80 kg, 180 cm, 30-year-old man with a moderately active lifestyle (factor 1.55) maintains weight on roughly 2,759 kcal/day.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Should I add workout calories on top?: No; the multiplier already prices in your training week. Adding burned calories back double-counts them.
How accurate is TDEE?: Expect ±10% versus lab measurement. Individual variation in NEAT and genetics dominates, which is why real-world tracking matters.
My weight is stable but TDEE says otherwise; why?: Reported intake is usually underestimated by 20–40%. Your true maintenance equals whatever you actually eat while weight holds steady.

Keep exploring