TDEE Calculator (for health professionals)
Estimates BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor), TDEE (activity-adjusted), and goal calories for maintenance, weight loss, or weight gain.
Includes a “Pain score” (0–10) indicating how aggressive the plan is vs TDEE.
⚕️
Clinical note: Use as an estimate; adjust to trends & context.
Client details
Goal setup
kg/week
Maintenance uses calories ≈ TDEE. For loss/gain, this tool adjusts calories by rate (using ~7700 kcal per kg) or by a custom kcal/day value.
TDEE is the total number of calories a person burns in a day from all sources of energy use. It’s the most useful “starting number” for planning nutrition goals because it connects someone’s body size + lifestyle to an estimated daily calorie need.
TDEE is usually thought of as four parts:
- BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
Calories burned just to keep the body alive at rest (breathing, circulation, temperature regulation). For many people, this is the largest piece. - TEF (Thermic Effect of Food)
Calories used to digest and process food (often estimated around ~10% of intake, but it varies). - NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)
Everyday movement: walking around, fidgeting, standing, chores, etc. This can vary a lot between people. - EAT (Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)
Planned exercise and sports.
In practice, most calculators estimate TDEE by:
- Estimating BMR (commonly with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation),
- Then multiplying BMR by an activity factor (sedentary → very active).
How TDEE is used for goals
- Weight maintenance: calories ≈ TDEE
- Weight loss: calories < TDEE (a “deficit”)
- Weight gain: calories > TDEE (a “surplus”)
For clinical and coaching use, it’s best to treat TDEE as an estimate, then adjust using real-world outcomes (weight trend, appetite, performance, adherence, and health status).
