How to Calculate TDEE by Hand: Step-by-Step With Examples
You can calculate your total daily energy expenditure with a pen and a calculator in about two minutes. The process has four steps: estimate BMR, choose an activity multiplier, multiply, and turn the result into a calorie target.
To calculate TDEE by hand: first compute your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (10 x weight in kg + 6.25 x height in cm - 5 x age, plus 5 for men or minus 161 for women), then multiply it by an activity factor from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extra active), then add or subtract calories for your goal.
Step 1: Calculate your BMR with Mifflin-St Jeor
BMR is the base layer of TDEE: the calories you burn at complete rest. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is the most validated formula for estimating it:
Men: BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age) + 5
Women: BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age) - 161
Using pounds and inches? Convert first: divide pounds by 2.205 to get kilograms, and multiply inches by 2.54 to get centimeters. For a full explanation of the formula itself, see our guide to the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.
Step 2: Choose your activity multiplier
Multiply BMR by the factor that best describes your actual week, not your ideal week:
Sedentary: 1.2, little or no exercise, desk job
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 or training twice a day
This choice is where most hand calculations go wrong, and it is the biggest source of TDEE error. An honest sedentary rating gives a better number than an aspirational very active one. If you are between levels, pick the lower one and adjust later.
Step 3: Multiply BMR by the activity factor
That product is your TDEE. Two worked examples follow.
Example A. A 35 year old man, 180 cm, 80 kg, trains hard 4 days a week and works at a desk. That is moderately active.
BMR = (10 x 80) + (6.25 x 180) - (5 x 35) + 5
= 800 + 1125 - 175 + 5
= 1755 calories per day
TDEE = 1755 x 1.55 = 2720 calories per day
Example B. A 28 year old woman, 165 cm, 60 kg, walks and does light exercise 2 days a week. That is lightly active.
BMR = (10 x 60) + (6.25 x 165) - (5 x 28) - 161
= 600 + 1031.25 - 140 - 161
= 1330 calories per day
TDEE = 1330 x 1.375 = 1829 calories per day
Step 4: Set your calorie target from your goal
TDEE is maintenance: eat exactly it and your weight should stay roughly the same. For a goal, offset from it:
Fat loss: TDEE minus 300 to 500 per day, roughly 0.5 to 1 pound of fat loss per week. Aggressive phases can go to minus 750, but keep them short.
Maintenance: TDEE itself.
Muscle gain: TDEE plus 250 to 500 per day, enough to grow with minimal fat gain.
So the man in Example A who wants to lose fat would eat about 2720 - 500 = 2220 calories per day. The woman in Example B who wants to maintain would eat about 1829. Our guide on how many calories to eat for your goal breaks down each target in detail.
How to check and adjust your result
A hand-calculated TDEE is an estimate, not a measurement. Treat it as a starting point, then calibrate:
Eat at your calculated TDEE for two to four weeks and weigh yourself two or three times a week, in the morning. If your weight is stable, your TDEE is accurate. If you are gaining about a pound a week, your true TDEE is roughly 500 calories below your estimate. If you are losing, it is roughly 500 above. Adjust your target by 100 to 200 calories at a time.
Remember that TDEE is not fixed. It rises when you train more or move more, and it drifts down slowly as you lose weight, because a smaller body costs less to run. Recalculate every few months or after a 10 pound change in either direction.
Skip the arithmetic
Our free TDEE calculator runs these exact steps instantly, including the Mifflin-St Jeor math, the activity multipliers, and goal-based calorie targets for losing, maintaining, or gaining weight.
Calculating TDEE questions
How do I calculate my TDEE for weight loss?
Calculate your TDEE with the four steps above, then subtract 500 calories per day. That deficit adds up to about one pound of fat loss per week, since a pound of body fat stores roughly 3,500 calories. Recheck after a month: if the scale has stalled for two full weeks, trim another 100 to 200 calories or add a daily walk.
How do I calculate TDEE correctly?
The most common mistake is overstating the activity multiplier. Use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for BMR, pick the activity level that describes your real week, and then validate the result against the scale for two to four weeks. Consistency beats precision: a rough number you adjust beats a perfect number you never test.
How many calories does a 70 kg person need?
It depends on height, age, sex, and activity, not just weight. Take a 35 year old man at 70 kg and 175 cm: BMR = (10 x 70) + (6.25 x 175) - (5 x 35) + 5 = 700 + 1093.75 - 175 + 5 = 1624. Moderately active, his TDEE is 1624 x 1.55 = 2517 calories per day. Change any of those stats and the answer changes.
Is burning 500 calories a day considered active?
Burning 500 calories through deliberate exercise most days is solidly moderately active, and often very active if you also have a physical job. For reference, 500 calories is roughly a 50 minute run for an average man or an hour of vigorous lifting. If that is your typical day, a 1.55 to 1.725 multiplier is reasonable.