TDEE Calculator: your daily calorie burn
Uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — the clinical-standard formula for basal metabolic rate. Includes activity multipliers from sedentary to athletic.
Daily Calorie (TDEE) Calculator
How many calories your body burns daily, using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.
Why TDEE matters more than “cut your calories”
Without TDEE, calorie advice is meaningless. “Eat 1200 calories to lose weight” is great if your TDEE is 1800. It’s starvation if your TDEE is 2400. The same number can either work or wreck depending on what your body actually burns.
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation
Women: BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) − 161
Men: BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) + 5
TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier (1.2 sedentary → 1.9 athlete).
Common mistakes Indians make with TDEE
- Overestimating activity — “I walk to the kitchen” is not moderate exercise. Default to sedentary unless you do structured workouts 3+ days/week.
- Not recalculating — TDEE drops as you lose weight. The plateau at week 8-12 is your body needing less, not your diet failing.
- Eating “clean” but above TDEE — Quinoa and ghee are great, but 1.5 tbsp ghee/day adds 200 calories. Volume matters, even with healthy food.
Using your TDEE
Once you have your TDEE, plug it into the macro calculator to get your protein, carb, and fat split. Together they form the quantitative backbone of any nutrition plan.
Common questions about TDEE
What is TDEE?
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total number of calories your body burns in 24 hours — combining your basal metabolic rate (BMR, what you'd burn at rest) and activity multiplier (work, exercise, daily movement). It's the foundation of any rational nutrition plan: eat below TDEE to lose fat, at TDEE to maintain, above TDEE to gain muscle.
Which formula does this use, and is it accurate?
We use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which has been validated as the most accurate BMR predictor across populations (within ±10% for 80% of adults). Older formulas like Harris-Benedict overestimate BMR by 5-10% in modern populations. Mifflin-St Jeor is what most clinical dietitians use as the starting point.
Why is my TDEE lower than online calculators say?
Most US calculators use Harris-Benedict (which over-estimates) and assume higher base activity levels. For sedentary Indian office workers, real TDEE is often 200-400 calories below what generic calculators show. This is the #1 reason calorie-counting fails for Indian adults — they're eating at what they think is maintenance but is actually a surplus.
How accurate is the activity multiplier?
The activity multipliers are the biggest source of error. Most people overestimate their activity. 'Moderate' (1.55) means 3-5 days/week of structured exercise PLUS active daily life — not just 30 min of yoga 3x/week. When in doubt, drop one level. You can always increase calories if you lose weight too quickly.
When should I recalculate TDEE?
Every 4-5 kg of weight change. Smaller bodies burn fewer calories, so as you lose weight your TDEE drops. Recalculating prevents the common plateau where 'the same diet stops working' — your body now needs less. Athletic adults gaining muscle should recalculate every 6 months as lean mass increases TDEE.
Numbers are easy. Translating them into Indian meals is the hard part.
Knowing your TDEE doesn’t tell you how to eat to it sustainably. Our weight-loss program builds that around your actual life and food preferences.