TDEE + Macro Calculator

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total number of calories your body burns in a day, accounting for your basal metabolic rate plus all physical activity. It is your maintenance calorie level — the number at which you neither gain nor lose weight. Eating below your TDEE creates a deficit for fat loss; eating above it creates a surplus for muscle gain.

A deficit of 500 calories per day below your TDEE leads to roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) of fat loss per week, which is widely considered the safest sustainable rate. A 750-calorie deficit produces ~0.75 kg/week. Deficits larger than 1,000 calories per day risk muscle loss and metabolic adaptation. This calculator determines your personal TDEE using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and sets your target automatically based on your goal weight and deadline.

High-protein splits (35-40% protein, 30-35% carbs, 25-30% fat) are most effective for preserving lean muscle during a calorie deficit. Protein requires more energy to digest (the thermic effect of food) and keeps you fuller for longer. For muscle gain, moderate protein (25-30%) with higher carbs (45-50%) fuels training performance. This tool lets you choose from preset splits or enter a custom ratio.

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the number of calories your body burns at complete rest — just to keep your organs functioning. TDEE multiplies your BMR by an activity multiplier: sedentary (×1.2), lightly active (×1.375), moderately active (×1.55), very active (×1.725), or extremely active (×1.9). Most people underestimate their activity level; when in doubt, choose one level lower than you think.

Mifflin-St Jeor is the most accurate BMR formula for the general population, validated across multiple studies. For men: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) + 5. For women: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) − 161. This calculator uses Mifflin-St Jeor by default. The older Harris-Benedict equation overestimates BMR by approximately 5%.

Enter your current weight, goal weight, and a target deadline — the tool calculates whether your required daily deficit is safe and achievable. As a reference: losing 5 kg at a 500 kcal/day deficit takes approximately 10 weeks. Losing 10 kg takes about 20 weeks at the same rate. The tool flags timelines that require unsafe deficits (above 1,000 kcal/day) and suggests a more realistic deadline.

That depends on how you calculated your TDEE. If you used an activity multiplier that already accounts for your workouts (e.g. 'moderately active'), do not eat back exercise calories — they're already included. If you used 'sedentary' and track workouts separately, eating back 50-75% of burned calories is a common approach to avoid over-fuelling while still supporting recovery.