Understanding TDEE: Calculating Your Daily Calorie Needs

If you're trying to lose fat, build muscle, or maintain your current weight, the most important number you need to know is your TDEE – Total Daily Energy Expenditure.

It’s the total number of calories your body burns in a day—and it’s the foundation for building any successful fitness or nutrition plan.

What is TDEE?

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure.

It’s the total number of calories your body burns in 24 hours, including everything from sleeping and breathing to workouts, walking, and even digesting food.

TDEE is made up of four key components:

• BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) – the calories you burn at rest
  
• NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) – the calories burned from daily movement
  
• TEF (Thermic Effect of Food) – the calories burned during digestion
  
• EAT (Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) – calories burned during structured workouts

When you add all of those together, you get your TDEE.

Why TDEE Matters

Your TDEE tells you how many calories you need to maintain your current weight.

• If you eat more than your TDEE, you’ll gain weight over time.
  
• If you eat less than your TDEE, you’ll lose weight.
  
• If you eat at your TDEE, you’ll maintain your current weight.

Whether your goal is fat loss, muscle gain, or maintenance, TDEE is your calorie compass.

How to Calculate Your TDEE

Step 1: Calculate Your BMR

First, use the Mifflin-St Jeor formula:

For men:
BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age in years) + 5
For women:
BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age in years) – 161

Step 2: Multiply Your BMR by an Activity Factor

Once you’ve calculated your BMR, you need to account for how active you are to estimate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). Use the following multipliers based on your activity level:

• Sedentary (little to no exercise): BMR × 1.2
  
• Lightly Active (light exercise 1–3 days/week): BMR × 1.375
  
• Moderately Active (moderate exercise 3–5 days/week): BMR × 1.55
  
• Very Active (hard exercise 6–7 days/week): BMR × 1.725
  
• Extra Active (physically demanding job + daily training): BMR × 1.9

Choose the multiplier that best represents your current lifestyle, not your ideal one. This gives you a realistic estimate of how many calories you burn each day.

Example:
Let’s say you’re a 33-year-old male, 85 kg, 180 cm tall, moderately active.

Step 1:
BMR = (10 × 85) + (6.25 × 180) – (5 × 33) + 5
= 850 + 1125 – 165 + 5 = 1815 kcal

Step 2:
TDEE = BMR × 1.55 = 1815 × 1.55 = ~2,812 kcal

That’s how many calories you burn in a day when accounting for all your daily movement, exercise, and bodily functions.

TDEE for Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, or Maintenance

Once you know your TDEE, you can adjust your calorie intake based on your goal:

🔥 Fat Loss

• Eat 15–25% below your TDEE
  
• Example: If TDEE is 2,800 kcal, aim for ~2,100–2,400 kcal
  
• Ensure high protein intake to preserve muscle mass

💪 Muscle Gain

• Eat 10–20% above your TDEE
  
• Example: If TDEE is 2,800 kcal, aim for ~3,000–3,300 kcal
  
• Prioritize resistance training and progressive overload

⚖️ Maintenance

• Eat at or very close to your TDEE
• Perfect for recomposition or post-diet stabilization

Common Mistakes with TDEE

• Overestimating activity – Many people pick a higher multiplier than they actually need
• Not updating TDEE – As your weight or activity level changes, so will your TDEE
  
• Relying only on fitness trackers – They often overestimate calorie burn
  
• Ignoring NEAT and TEF – These "hidden" burn factors matter more than you think

TDEE is a Moving Target

Your TDEE isn’t a fixed number forever.

It can change due to:

• Weight loss or gain
  
• Hormonal shifts
  
• Increases or decreases in daily movement
  
• Changes in training frequency or intensity

That’s why it’s important to recalculate or adjust your TDEE every 4–6 weeks based on progress and how your body is responding.

 
Final Thoughts: TDEE = Your Metabolic GPS

Knowing your TDEE gives you the power to make informed decisions about your nutrition. It takes the guesswork out of dieting and allows you to adjust based on actual data—not just hope.

Whether you're trying to lean out, bulk up, or just stay fit year-round, your TDEE is the number you should know.

 
Want to learn how each part of TDEE works? Check out my deep dives on:

👉 BMR – Your body’s baseline calorie burn
👉 NEAT – The underrated fat-loss tool
👉 TEF – How your food choices burn calories
👉 EAT – The calories you burn through structured exercise