Free body composition & weight tool
TDEE Calculator and Maintenance Calories
TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure, is your basal metabolic rate multiplied by an activity factor, and it is the calorie level at which weight is expected to hold steady. A 35-year-old woman, 5 ft 7 in and 165 lb, has a BMR near 1,476 kcal; at a lightly active 1.375 that is about 2,030 maintenance calories a day. Enter your own numbers below.
Prepared by Prospyr · Reviewed October 3, 2026 · Free, no sign-up, runs in your browser
Only needed for Katch-McArdle. Leave blank if you do not have a measured value.
Maintenance calories (TDEE)
2,030kcal/day
Estimated daily energy use at your activity level, with Mifflin-St Jeor BMR of 1,476 kcal.
| Daily gap | Calories | ≈ per week |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | 2,030 | 0 |
| -250 kcal | 1,780 | -0.5 lb |
| -500 kcal | 1,530 | -1 lb |
| -750 kcal | 1,280Below your BMR | -1.5 lb |
| -1000 kcal | 1,030Below your BMR | -2 lb |
How the weekly figure is worked out
gap × 7 ÷ 3,500
A common rule of thumb, not a forecast. Real change slows as weight falls.
Estimates only. This is not medical or dietary advice; talk with a clinician or registered dietitian before changing how much you eat.
TDEE formula and activity factors
TDEE = BMR × activity factor. BMR comes from the BMR calculator equations; the factor reflects how much you move.
| Activity level | Factor | Typical description |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Desk job, little exercise |
| Lightly active | 1.375 | Exercise 1 to 3 days a week |
| Moderately active | 1.55 | Exercise 3 to 5 days a week |
| Very active | 1.725 | Hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week |
| Extra active | 1.9 | Physical job plus training |
These are the multipliers most calculators use. The FAO/WHO/UNU expert report gives the research version, physical activity level (PAL), as ranges: 1.40 to 1.69 for sedentary or light lifestyles, 1.70 to 1.99 for active, and 2.00 to 2.40 for vigorous. It notes that values above 2.40 are difficult to maintain over a long period.
Worked example: maintenance calories
A 35-year-old woman, 5 ft 7 in and 165 lb, who exercises two or three days a week.
- BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor): 10 × 74.84 + 6.25 × 170.18 − 5 × 35 − 161 = 1,476 kcal
- Lightly active: 1,476 × 1.375 = 2,030 kcal maintenance
- Moderately active: 1,476 × 1.55 = 2,288 kcal maintenance
Moving from one activity level to the next changes the answer by roughly 250 kcal, which is why the activity choice matters as much as the BMR equation. Pick the level you actually keep up in a normal week.
Calorie deficit calculator: reading the table
The table lists maintenance and four daily gaps, with the calories left and the arithmetic weekly change. With 2,000 kcal maintenance:
| Daily gap | Calories | Weekly change (3,500 kcal/lb) |
|---|---|---|
| −250 | 1,750 | 0.5 lb |
| −500 | 1,500 | 1 lb |
| −750 | 1,250 | 1.5 lb |
| −1,000 | 1,000 | 2 lb |
The weekly figure is gap × 7 ÷ 3,500. It is a short-term rule of thumb: the 2011 Lancet model by Hall and colleagues shows weight responds slowly and expenditure adapts as weight falls. The CDC describes about 1 to 2 pounds a week as a gradual, steady pace. A row marked "Below your BMR" is only a comparison, not advice.
Further reading and related tools
The NIH's NIDDK Body Weight Planner models weight change over time and is a better fit for long-range planning than a static deficit table. Pair this tool with the protein intake calculator and the weight loss percentage calculator to track progress.
Practices that run weight programs can keep visit notes and measurements together in Prospyr charting; see med spa software for the full picture.
Frequently asked questions
What is TDEE?
TDEE is total daily energy expenditure: the calories your body uses in a day, including resting metabolism, movement, exercise and digesting food. It is estimated here as BMR times an activity factor. Intake equal to TDEE is what people call maintenance calories.
How do I calculate maintenance calories?
Estimate BMR with an equation such as Mifflin-St Jeor, then multiply by an activity factor from 1.2 to 1.9. For a BMR of 1,476 and a factor of 1.55, maintenance is 1,476 × 1.55 = 2,288 kcal a day. The result is an estimate; tracked weight over several weeks is the check.
What are the activity multipliers?
The calculator uses the commonly used set: 1.2 sedentary, 1.375 lightly active, 1.55 moderately active, 1.725 very active and 1.9 extra active. They are conventions rather than lab values. The FAO/WHO/UNU 2001 report groups lifestyles by physical activity level: 1.40 to 1.69 sedentary or light, 1.70 to 1.99 active, and 2.00 to 2.40 vigorous.
How does a calorie deficit calculator work?
It subtracts a daily gap from maintenance calories. A 500 kcal gap on a 2,000 kcal maintenance level is 1,500 kcal. The weekly figure uses the rule of thumb of 3,500 kcal per pound (7,700 per kilogram): 500 × 7 ÷ 3,500 = 1 lb per week. It is arithmetic, not a forecast.
Why does the 3,500 calorie rule overestimate long-term loss?
Because the body adapts. Hall and colleagues' 2011 Lancet model found weight responds slowly to a change in intake, with half times of about a year, and that energy expenditure adapts during weight loss. A static 3,500 kcal per pound rule ignores that, so the table is a short-term guide.
Which BMR equation does the TDEE calculator use?
Mifflin-St Jeor by default. You can switch to revised Harris-Benedict, or to Katch-McArdle if you enter a body fat percentage. The three usually differ by less than 100 kcal for the same person.
Is it safe to eat below my BMR?
This tool cannot say. It flags rows where the calories fall below your estimated BMR so you can see the comparison, and it makes no recommendation. Anyone planning a large change in intake should talk with a clinician or registered dietitian first.
Sources and scope
- FAO/WHO/UNU. Human energy requirements: Report of a Joint Expert Consultation, Rome, 2001 (Table 5.3, physical activity levels)
PAL ranges by lifestyle: 1.40-1.69, 1.70-1.99, 2.00-2.40. The 1.2 to 1.9 multipliers in the calculator are the commonly used convention, not from this report.
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr 1990 (PubMed 2305711)
Peer-reviewed. The default BMR equation.
- Hall KD, et al. Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. Lancet 2011 (PMC3880593)
Peer-reviewed. Weight responds slowly to a change in intake and expenditure adapts during weight loss, so fixed per-pound rules are rough.
- CDC. Steps for Losing Weight
Gradual, steady loss of about 1 to 2 pounds a week.
- NIDDK. Body Weight Planner (niddk.nih.gov)
NIH tool for modeling calorie and activity changes over time. Further reading.
Estimates from published equations and common activity multipliers. Not medical or dietary advice, and no promise of a result; check with a clinician or registered dietitian before changing intake.