TDEE Calculator
Free TDEE / maintenance calorie calculator using Mifflin-St Jeor. Estimate daily calories, BMR, weight-loss targets, lean-gain targets, and macros for your challenge.
TDEE Calculator
Units
About you
Only used for the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.
Activity and goal
Light exercise 1 to 3 days/week or regular walking.
Optional details
Calorie targets
75-day estimate: 0 lb change equivalent.
Body fat estimate
Macro preview
Based on 0 calories/day.
Macro preview sets protein first, then 25% of calories from fat, with the rest from carbs.
What TDEE Means for a 75-Day Challenge
TDEE is your estimated total daily energy expenditure. In plain terms, it is the number of calories you burn in a full day. Knowing that number gives you a starting point before you begin tracking meals, workouts, water, weigh-ins, and recovery habits.
For a 75-day wellness challenge, maintenance calories are your baseline. From there, you can choose a gentle deficit, a moderate deficit, or a small surplus that fits your training and recovery.
How This Maintenance Calorie Calculator Works
The calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for BMR, then multiplies BMR by your activity level to estimate TDEE. Activity multipliers are still estimates, so the maintenance range shows a practical 10% band around the main number.
If you enter body fat percentage, the tool also shows a Katch-McArdle comparison. That formula uses lean body mass, so it is most useful when your body fat estimate is reasonably accurate.
How to Use Your Calorie Target
Use maintenance if you want body weight to stay steady. A gentle deficit is slower and easier to repeat. A moderate deficit moves faster but usually needs better sleep, protein, and workout recovery. A lean-gain target adds a small surplus for people training hard.
Watch your average weight trend for 2 to 4 weeks before changing the number. If you want your daily checklist next to your calorie target, Reset75 can track your challenge habits, progress photos, and stats in one place.
TDEE Calculator Limitations
Your true calorie needs can shift with body weight, step count, training load, sleep, menstrual cycle, food tracking accuracy, and metabolic adaptation. Treat this result as a starting target, not a rule you have to follow forever.
For more planning, use the macro calculator for macro splits, the water intake calculator for hydration, and the body weight progress tracker to compare your target against real trend data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about tdee calculator
What is TDEE?
TDEE means total daily energy expenditure. It estimates how many calories you burn in a full day, including rest, daily movement, digestion, and exercise.
Is TDEE the same as maintenance calories?
Yes, for everyday planning. Your TDEE is your estimated maintenance target, meaning the calorie intake that should keep your average weight fairly stable over time.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
A TDEE calculator gives you a starting point. Body composition, step count, workouts, food tracking accuracy, sleep, and stress can all move the real number, so test it for 2 to 4 weeks and adjust from your weight trend.
Which activity level should I choose?
Choose the level that matches your whole day, not just your workouts. If you train hard but sit most of the day, lightly active or moderately active is often more realistic than very active.
Should I use Mifflin-St Jeor or Katch-McArdle?
Use Mifflin-St Jeor by default because it only needs height, weight, age, and formula sex. If you know your body fat percentage, Katch-McArdle gives you a second estimate based on lean mass.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight during a 75-day challenge?
A gentle 250 cal/day deficit is easier to stick with. A moderate 500 cal/day deficit is more aggressive and works out to about 10 lb over 75 days before real-world variation. The calorie deficit calculator can help compare weekly paces.
Why am I not losing weight even if I eat below my calculated TDEE?
Common reasons include under-counted food, bigger weekends, lower daily movement, water retention from new training, and a lower TDEE after weight loss. Check your averages before cutting calories again.
How often should I recalculate my maintenance calories?
Recalculate every 2 to 4 weeks, after a 10 to 15 lb weight change, or whenever your training and daily movement change. For macro planning, pair this with the macro calculator.