Your Details
Activity Level
Your Results
Calorie Goals
Macro Calculator
How It Works
▼Mifflin-St Jeor (Default)
Considered the most accurate formula for most people. Published in 1990.
Male: BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age) + 5
Female: BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age) - 161
Harris-Benedict (Revised)
One of the oldest and most widely used BMR equations, revised by Roza and Shizgal in 1984.
Male: BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 x weight in kg) + (4.799 x height in cm) - (5.677 x age)
Female: BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 x weight in kg) + (3.098 x height in cm) - (4.330 x age)
Katch-McArdle
Uses lean body mass instead of total weight, making it more accurate for people who know their body fat percentage.
BMR = 370 + (21.6 x lean body mass in kg)
Lean body mass = weight x (1 - body fat % / 100)
TDEE Calculation
Your TDEE is calculated by multiplying your BMR by an activity factor:
Sedentary (little/no exercise): BMR x 1.2
Lightly Active (1-3 days/week): BMR x 1.375
Moderately Active (3-5 days/week): BMR x 1.55
Very Active (6-7 days/week): BMR x 1.725
Extra Active (physical job + exercise): BMR x 1.9
Macro Calculation
Macros are calculated from your target calories using these calorie-per-gram values:
Protein: 4 calories per gram
Carbohydrates: 4 calories per gram
Fat: 9 calories per gram
How to Use the TDEE & Macro Calculator
What This Tool Does
This calculator estimates your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) -- the total number of calories your body burns each day through basic bodily functions, physical activity, and digestion. It also breaks those calories into macronutrient targets (protein, carbs, and fat) based on your fitness goal. Whether you want to lose fat, build muscle, or maintain your current weight, knowing your TDEE is the starting point for any nutrition plan.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Choose your unit system (imperial or metric), then enter your gender, age, weight, and height.
- Select the activity level that best matches your typical week. Be honest -- overestimating activity is the most common mistake and leads to eating too many calories.
- Pick a BMR formula. Mifflin-St Jeor is the default and most accurate for most people. If you know your body fat percentage, try Katch-McArdle for a lean-mass-based estimate.
- Click "Calculate TDEE" to see your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and TDEE.
- Scroll down to the Macro Calculator section. Choose a goal (maintenance, cutting, or bulking) and a macro split to see your daily gram targets for protein, carbs, and fat.
Key Concepts
Your BMR is the number of calories your body needs at complete rest -- just to keep your organs functioning. Your TDEE multiplies BMR by an activity factor to account for exercise and daily movement. To lose weight, eat below your TDEE (a 500-calorie deficit loses roughly one pound per week). To gain muscle, eat above it (a 250-500 surplus supports lean mass gain with minimal fat).
Tips and Common Mistakes
- Do not set your activity level to "Very Active" just because you go to the gym. That level is for people who train hard six to seven days a week.
- Recalculate every 10-15 pounds of weight change, since your TDEE shifts as your body weight changes.
- Track your actual weight trend over two to three weeks. If you are not losing or gaining as expected, adjust calories by 100-200 per day rather than making drastic changes.
- Protein is the most important macro for body composition. Aim for at least 0.7 grams per pound of body weight regardless of your chosen split.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is the energy your body burns at complete rest -- lying in bed all day. TDEE adds your daily activity and exercise on top of BMR. You should base your calorie targets on TDEE, not BMR, because BMR alone does not account for the calories you burn moving around and exercising.
Which formula should I use?
Mifflin-St Jeor is the most validated formula for the general population and is the recommended default. If you know your body fat percentage, Katch-McArdle can be more accurate because it uses lean body mass. Harris-Benedict is an older formula that tends to slightly overestimate for some people.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
TDEE calculators provide a solid starting estimate, typically within 10% of your true expenditure. Individual variation in metabolism, NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), and genetics means you should treat the number as a starting point and adjust based on real-world results over two to four weeks.
Should I eat back the calories I burn during exercise?
If you selected an activity level that includes your exercise, your TDEE already accounts for those calories. Eating them back on top of your TDEE would put you in a surplus. Only eat back exercise calories if you set your activity to "Sedentary" and want to manually add workout calories.
What macro split is best for weight loss?
A higher-protein split like 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30% fat works well for most people cutting weight. The extra protein helps preserve muscle mass during a calorie deficit. However, the most important factor is total calorie intake -- the specific macro split matters less than consistently hitting your calorie target.