What is TDEE?
Total daily energy expenditure is everything you burn in 24 hours: your BMR plus daily movement, exercise and digestion. Eat below TDEE and you lose weight; eat above it and you gain. Every cutting and bulking plan is just arithmetic around this one number.
How the calculator works
We start from your Mifflin-St Jeor BMR and multiply by five standard activity factors — from 1.2 for a desk-bound week to 1.9 for two-a-day training. The result table shows your maintenance calories at each level, plus a 20% deficit target for cutting and a 10% surplus for bulking at the moderate-activity row.
Common use cases
- Setting a cutting calorie target that keeps training intact
- Sizing a lean bulk without ballooning
- Reconciling a plateau — most 'maintenance' guesses are 200–400 kcal off
Formula & honesty
Activity multipliers are blunt instruments: most people overestimate theirs. If in doubt pick the lower factor, run two weeks, and adjust by the scale trend — the calculator starts you close, the mirror and the scale finish the job.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which activity factor should I pick?
Desk job + 3 gym sessions is 'light' (1.375) for most people. Only very physical jobs or two-a-day training justify 1.725+.
How fast should I lose weight on a cut?
0.5–1% of body weight per week preserves muscle; that is the −20% target shown in the results.
Does TDEE include workout calories?
Yes — that is what the activity multiplier covers. Do not add exercise calories again on top.
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