Goes beyond the standard activity multiplier, factors in your job, daily steps, exercise type, frequency, and duration. Get training-day and rest-day macros for fat loss, maintenance, or lean bulk.
Type grams to see calories, or type calories to see grams. Fields update each other automatically.
A TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calculator estimates how many calories you burn in a full day, your BMR plus calories from non-exercise activity (NEAT), exercise (EAT), and digestion (TEF). This calculator goes further than most by asking about your job, steps, and exercise so it can estimate each component separately.
Most calculators use a single "activity multiplier" that lumps job activity, daily movement, and exercise together. That's imprecise. A 200 lb construction worker who lifts 4×/week has very different energy needs than a 200 lb desk worker who lifts the same. By computing NEAT (job + steps) separately from EAT (exercise), you get a more accurate target.
Without a body fat %, this calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the most accurate BMR formula for the general population. With a body fat %, it switches to the Katch-McArdle equation, which is more accurate for lean / trained individuals because it bases BMR on lean body mass.
Average daily calories stay roughly the same across the week, but on training days you eat more carbs (for performance and recovery) and slightly less fat. On rest days you eat fewer carbs and slightly more fat. Protein stays constant. This is a simple, sustainable form of carb cycling that lifters and physique competitors have used for decades.
A pound of body fat is roughly 3,500 calories, so a 500-calorie daily deficit produces about 1 pound of fat loss per week.
Aggressive deficits can work short-term but are harder to sustain and often cost muscle. The calculator clamps any selected deficit to 25% of your TDEE, a size-aware ceiling that protects both small and large individuals (a flat 1,200-calorie floor wouldn't). For most people, 0.5–1% of body weight per week is the sustainable upper limit.
It uses net MET values (MET−1) so workout calories don't double-count BMR, additive NEAT (job baseline + steps scaled to body weight), and macro-aware TEF (~25% for protein, ~8% for carbs, ~3% for fat). It's the most accurate consumer estimate we know how to build, but every body responds differently (±10% is normal, and the calculator shows that range). Real progress comes from tracking your weight over 2–3 weeks and adjusting from there.
Have a question about your numbers, want a real plan built around them, or just want to chat? Drop your info and I'll be in touch.