TDEE calculator
How many calories a day you burn, and what to eat to hold, lose or gain weight. Tap + and − to set your numbers; hold a button to go faster.
Sex
Body fat (optional)
Activity
3 to 5 days a week
Maintenance
2,740
calories a day
Resting (BMR)
1,768 kcal
Mifflin-St Jeor
BMI
25.2
Overweight
Lose about 0.5 kg a week
2,240 kcal
Lean bulk, about 0.25 kg a week
2,990 kcal
Protein
128–176 g
1.6 to 2.2 g per kg
At each activity level
| Sedentary Desk job, little or no exercise | 2,122 |
|---|---|
| Light exercise 1 to 2 days a week | 2,431 |
| Moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week | 2,740 |
| Heavy exercise 6 to 7 days a week | 3,050 |
| Athlete Twice a day, or a physical job plus training | 3,359 |
Keep it current without thinking about it
Your TDEE moves as your weight and training change. Liftsmith recalculates it on its own from your weigh-ins and how often you actually train, and charts it over time.
Open LiftsmithQuestions
- What is TDEE?
- Total daily energy expenditure: the calories you burn in a day, counting your resting metabolism (BMR), digestion, daily movement and exercise. Eat about this much and your weight holds steady.
- Which formula does this use?
- Mifflin-St Jeor for resting burn, the most accurate of the common equations for most people. Add a body fat reading and it switches to Katch-McArdle, which works from lean mass and suits muscular lifters better. BMR is then multiplied by an activity factor from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (athlete).
- How many calories to lose or gain weight?
- About 500 below TDEE loses roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) a week. For a lean bulk, about 250 above keeps fat gain small while you build muscle. Weigh yourself a few times a week and adjust if the trend doesn't match.
- How accurate is it?
- Any formula is an estimate, often within 10% for most people. Your scale tells the truth: if your weight trend over two to three weeks doesn't match, move your intake up or down by 100 to 200 calories.
- Does Liftsmith keep my TDEE up to date?
- Yes. In the Liftsmith app your TDEE recalculates itself when your weight, age or training changes, reads weight, height and body fat from Health Connect or Apple Health when you allow it, sets your activity level from how many days a week you actually train, and charts it over time.
Your TDEE, kept up to date
Liftsmith recalculates it from your weigh-ins and the days you actually train, and plans your workouts too.
- ✓ Free to start, no account needed
- ✓ Plans every set, rep and weight for you
- ✓ Works offline, on Android, iPhone and the web
- ✓ No ads, ever