Maintenance calorie (TDEE) calculator
How many calories you burn in a day, and so how many keep your weight where it is.
Maintenance calories
2,760kcal/day
Resting burn of 1,780 kcal × 1.55 for your activity level.
By activity level
- Mostly sitting2,490 kcal
- Lightly active2,760 kcal
- Active3,120 kcal
- Very active3,560 kcal
How TDEE is calculated
Two steps. First your resting burn (BMR), with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation:
- Men: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5
- Women: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age − 161
A 2005 review found it the most accurate of the common equations, within 10% of measured resting burn for most people. Then BMR is multiplied by an activity factor between 1.4 and 2.0, inside the ranges of the FAO/WHO/UNU report on human energy needs.
Check your maintenance calories against the scale
Eat at the estimate for two to three weeks, weigh yourself most mornings, and compare weekly averages. If they hold steady, that is your maintenance.
If they move, adjust: a steady 0.5 kg a week (about 1 lb) means you are roughly 550 kcal a day away from maintenance. To eat below it on purpose, use the calorie deficit calculator; to see what a single workout adds, the calories burned calculator.
TDEE and maintenance calories FAQ
What is TDEE?
Total daily energy expenditure: everything you burn in a day, from resting metabolism to digestion, walking and training. Eat that many calories and your weight holds steady, which is why it is also called maintenance calories.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is what you burn at complete rest. TDEE is BMR multiplied by an activity factor for everything else you do, usually 1.4 to 2 times BMR.
Should I include my workouts in the activity level?
Yes. Choose the level that describes your week including training, and don't add workout calories on top, or you count them twice.
Why is the lowest activity factor 1.4 and not 1.2?
1.2 is close to lying in bed all day. The FAO/WHO/UNU expert report puts even sedentary lifestyles at 1.40 to 1.69 times BMR, so 1.4 is the lowest level here.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
Mifflin–St Jeor predicted resting burn within 10% of the measured value for most people in a 2005 review, and the activity level adds its own guess. Treat the number as a starting point and correct it with two or three weeks of weigh-ins.
Sources
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1990;51(2):241–247.
- Frankenfield D, Roth-Yousey L, Compher C. Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate in healthy nonobese and obese adults: a systematic review. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2005;105(5):775–789.
- FAO/WHO/UNU. Human energy requirements: report of a joint FAO/WHO/UNU expert consultation. FAO Food and Nutrition Technical Report Series 1. Rome; 2004.
Built by Max Van Strydonck, Founder of VERTEX. Last reviewed .