Enter your details to estimate: BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). Everything runs locally in your browser.
About this TDEE calculator
“TDEE” stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It is an estimate of how many calories you burn in a full day when you combine your body’s basic needs with your activity. This number is commonly used as a starting point for nutrition planning: maintaining weight, aiming for gradual fat loss, or supporting weight gain. TDEE is not a lab measurement here—it is a practical estimate built from two steps: first estimate your BMR, then apply an activity multiplier to approximate daily life and training.
The first step is BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), which estimates how many calories your body would use at rest to maintain essential functions (breathing, circulation, temperature regulation…). This tool uses the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, a widely used formula based on age, sex, height, and weight. In simplified form: BMR = 10×weight(kg) + 6.25×height(cm) − 5×age + (5 for men / −161 for women).
The second step is to account for activity. Daily calories increase with work, steps, and structured exercise, so the calculator multiplies your BMR by a standard factor (for example 1.2 for sedentary, 1.55 for moderate activity). The result is your TDEE. Real-world energy needs can vary due to genetics, body composition, sports, sleep, stress, temperature, and tracking accuracy. Use this estimate as a baseline, then adjust based on your progress over a few weeks.
Privacy is a key principle of Universe Tools: all calculations run 100% locally in your browser. Your inputs are not uploaded, stored, or shared.
Tip: if your goal is weight change, many people start with a modest adjustment (for example a small deficit or surplus) and monitor trends rather than day-to-day fluctuations.
What is this calculator for?
This tool estimates your daily calorie needs (TDEE) in two steps: it first calculates your BMR (resting calories) using the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, then multiplies it by an activity factor to approximate your total daily energy expenditure. Results are indicative and not medical advice.
Who is this useful for?
It’s useful if you want a simple baseline for maintenance, fat loss, or weight gain. Many people use TDEE to set a starting calorie target, then adjust based on real progress over 2–4 weeks.
Concrete examples
- Maintain weight: start near your estimated TDEE.
- Fat loss: start with a small deficit (example: ~10–20% below TDEE) and track trends.
- Weight gain: start with a small surplus (example: ~5–15% above TDEE).
- Plateau: if weight doesn’t move for 2–3 weeks, adjust calories or activity slightly.
Common mistakes
- Choosing an activity level that doesn’t match real life (steps + job + training).
- Changing calories daily based on scale fluctuations (water, glycogen, salt, stress).
- Ignoring protein/fiber and focusing only on total calories.
- Assuming the estimate is “exact” (it’s a starting point, not a lab test).
Alternatives and limitations
BMR formulas are approximations and don’t fully capture body composition (muscle mass vs fat mass), adaptation during dieting, or individual metabolic differences. The best approach is: use this estimate as a baseline, then calibrate with consistent tracking (body weight trend, waist, performance).
Educational summary
BMR estimates calories your body burns at rest. TDEE estimates your full-day needs by multiplying BMR by an activity factor. Like other Universe Tools pages, everything runs locally and nothing is uploaded.