Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the estimated calories you burn per day including activity, exercise, and daily movement on top of resting metabolism. Use it as a maintenance calorie target before setting a deficit or surplus for body-composition goals — then adjust based on weekly weight trends.

How is TDEE calculated?

We estimate BMR (usually Mifflin-St Jeor), then multiply by an activity factor from sedentary 1.2 through very active 1.9. Katch-McArdle is available when you know body-fat percentage. Overestimating activity is the most common error — when in doubt, choose a lower factor.

Which activity level am I?

Sedentary is desk work with little exercise. Light is 1–3 days per week, moderate 3–5, active 6–7, and very active is hard training or a physical job. Most people overestimate — start lower and revise after two to four weeks of real-world results.

TDEE for weight loss?

A moderate deficit is about 300–500 kcal below TDEE for many adults, though individual needs vary widely. See the calorie calculator for goal-specific targets. Illness, medications, and hormones can change energy needs — not a substitute for clinical nutrition advice.

Mifflin vs Harris BMR?

Mifflin-St Jeor is the modern default for adults without body-composition data. Harris-Benedict is an older alternative still shown for comparison. Use Katch-McArdle when you know body-fat percentage because it estimates resting metabolism from lean mass rather than height and weight alone.