What is Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)?
Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories you burn in a day from basal metabolic rate, physical activity, and digestion.
In simple terms, TDEE is your maintenance calories — what you need to eat daily to maintain your current weight
over time and stay healthy.
A TDEE calculator helps estimate your maintenance calories so you can plan weight loss, weight gain, or
recomposition with clearer daily calorie targets.
What TDEE includes
- BMR (basal metabolic rate): calories used at complete rest.
- Physical activity: NEAT + EAT from daily movement and exercise.
- TEF (thermic effect of food): calories used to digest and store food.
Depending on lifestyle and diet, physical activity (NEAT + EAT) often varies the most day to day, while TEF changes mainly with total intake and macros.
TDEE calculation example
To estimate TDEE, add together BMR, physical activity calories, and TEF:
- BMR: 1,600 kcal/day
- Physical activity: NEAT + EAT: 600 kcal/day
- TEF: 240 kcal/day
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) = 1,600 + 600 + 240 = 2,440 kcal/day
How this TDEE calculator works
The calculator starts with your BMR, adds activity calories, and then models TEF (the calories your body uses to digest food). If you choose a PAL/activity multiplier, the result is a population-average estimate where TEF is typically treated as part of the overall multiplier — which is why the calculator exposes TEF inputs only when you enter manual activity calories.
The results also show a net calorie goal for use in tracking apps. Net calories are calculated as TDEE minus activity calories (BMR + TEF), so you can log exercise separately and earn more food calories on days you train.
Interpreting maintenance calories
- Your TDEE is an estimate of daily calorie needs, not a perfect number.
- Use maintenance calories as a starting point, then adjust based on scale trends.
- If your goal is fat loss, start with a small deficit (e.g., 200–500 kcal/day) and adjust based on your weekly trend. For weight gain, do the same with a small surplus. The calculator gives you a starting point — your real-world trend is the feedback loop.
- Update inputs after big changes in weight, activity, or body fat.
Tracking intake and body weight over 2–4 weeks is the best way to calibrate your TDEE.
Tips for more accurate daily calorie needs
- Keep your activity mode consistent for a week before comparing results.
- Use manual activity calories when you have reliable wearable or workout data.
- Check that your TEF method matches your macro tracking habits.
Want to apply your TDEE estimate? Head back to the calculator and run a new calculation to see your maintenance calories and intake delta.