TDEE Calculator: Our Best, Most Accurate TDEE Calculator [Free] (2024)

We think this is our best TDEE Calculator ever. It may be the most accurate TDEE Calculator online. It's designed to help you work out how many calories you burn every day. TDEE stands for Today Daily Energy Expenditure which is your BMR (or Basal Metabolic Rate) multiplied by your activity level. There are 5 levels of daily activity and 5 levels of exercise you can select which can accurately calculate within a margin of error how many calories you burn on an average day. TDEE Calculations are the backbone of fat loss, muscle gain, and weight maintenance -ensure you are accurately calculating TDEE with our free TDEE Calculator.

Atlas Says: When trying to lose weight/lose fat or bulk up/gain muscle you should use this TDEE Calculator regularly to maintain an accurate estimate of your daily calorie needs. As your weight increases or decreases, so too will the number of calories you need.

How is this different from BMR?

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the minimum amount of calories your body needs to stay alive at rest, whereas TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the amount of energy you burn doing your normal daily activities, including walking, working, and exercising. Your TDEE is, therefore, your BMR + activity.

Atlas Says: BMR essentially just shows how many calories your body needs to be alive as if you were in a coma. TDEE is your total number of calories required in 24 hours. Try our BMR Calculator to discover your Basal Metabolic Rate.

How do you work out activity levels?

This tool breaks down activity levels into 2 parts: your job and your exercise. Each has 5 levels and when used together it can give you an accurate daily activity level. With exercise activity level from no exercising to exercising twice a day and job activity levels from a sedentary such as a desk job to extremely active like a farmer, you'll be able to find a combination that suits your needs.

Atlas Says: A fitness tracker will help you track more accurately how many calories you burn every day.

What formulas do you use to work out TDEE?

There are two formula's we use in this Total Daily Energy Expenditure Calculator, they are Mifflin-St Jeor and Katch-McArdle. If you include body fat percentage then the calculator uses the accurate Katch-McArdle formula. However, if you do not add your body fat percentage, then the calculator falls back to using the Mifflin-St Jeor formula (which is still very accurate).

Mifflin-St Jeor Formula

Male = ( ( 10 x Weight in KGs ) + ( 6.25 x Height in CMs ) - ( 5 x Age ) + 5 ) x Activity Level
Female = ( ( 10 x Weight in KGs ) + ( 6.25 x Height in CMs ) - ( 5 x Age ) - 161 ) x Activity Level

Katch-McArdle Formula

Male & Female = ( 370 + ( 21.6 x ( Weight in KGs - (Body Fat % x Weight in KGs) ) ) ) x Activity Level

Atlas Says: These formulas give an estimation of the number of calories you burn every day. It's best to say that there is a margin of error of 10%, so regularly check and tweak to provide better results.

How do you calculate goals?

There are 3 goals available as part of our accurate TDEE Calculator. Lose fat, maintain, and gain muscle. Each option alters the calorie opt-out. Maintain is your TDEE calories as is, lose fat is 80% of your TDEE calories, and gain muscle is 120%.

Atlas Says: A goal is a rough rule of thumb to help you understand how many calories you need to lose, maintain, or gain weight.

What else does your free TDEE Calculator do?

This TDEE Calculator works out your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calories, BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) calories, a full-calorie chart for all 25 activity level combinations, BMI (Body Mass Index) score, MMP (Maximum Muscular Potential) weight, and your Body Composition stats (Lean Mass VS Fat Mass).

Atlas Says: Our TDEE Calculator is free to use. If you find it useful, please share, like, and follow.

TDEE Calculator and why calculating TDEE is important

The single most important reason for calculating TDEE is to do with accurately estimating how many calories your body requires depending on your body composition and daily activity levels.

Once you have this number, then you can use it as the backbone for your training and nutrition goals.

Calculating TDEE for fat loss. If you are trying to reduce the amount of body fat then you will require a deficit against your TDEE calculation. For the example of calculating TDEE for fat loss, if your TDEE is 2500 calories, then a 10% calorie deficit will mean that you need to roughly eat 2250 calories a day to ensure you are in a caloric deficit. The 10% deficit used here is manageable, a deficit of between 10% to 20% is recommended for reducing body fat - too many calories will also mean muscle loss.

Calculating TDEE for muscle gain. Conversely, if you are trying to gain muscle then you will require a calorie surplus against your TDEE calculation. For the example of calculating TDEE for muscle gain, if your TDEE is 2500 calories, then a 10% calorie surplus will mean that you need to roughly eat 2750 calories a day to ensure you are in a caloric surplus. The 10% surplus used here is manageable, a surplus of between 10% to 20% is recommended for muscle gain- too many calories will also mean fat gain.

Please also note that these TDEE calculator examples are when combining nutrition with resistance and cardio training for maximum benefit.

Atlas Says: TDEE calculations are the backbone for fat loss, muscle gain, and weight maintenance. What is measured, can be improved.

Why should you use our best, most accurate TDEE Calculator for free?

We have been working hard to bring you our best, most accurate TDEE Calculator in this latest version of Atlas. Cue the sales pitch...but it's free.

It's really important that our TDEE Calculator is not just accurate but also better than any other on the entire web. We may just have done exactly that!

Below are some great reasons we think you should use our TDEE Calculator over any of those other inferior calculators online.

TDEE Calculator: Our Best, Most Accurate TDEE Calculator [Free] (1) 100% Completely Free - You heard it right, our TDEE Calculator is completely free to use now and forever.

TDEE Calculator: Our Best, Most Accurate TDEE Calculator [Free] (2) Absolutely No Sign Up Forms - We don't want your data. Not your email address, not your name, address, or even your credit card details.

TDEE Calculator: Our Best, Most Accurate TDEE Calculator [Free] (3) Instant Online Body Insights - Unlike some of the other fitness calculators we show your results instantly online. Get instant access to your TDEE Calculator results.

TDEE Calculator: Our Best, Most Accurate TDEE Calculator [Free] (4) Accurate TDEE Calculator - Because we think this is our best TDEE Calculator it has to be super accurate, so we did just that and made it so.

TDEE Calculator: Our Best, Most Accurate TDEE Calculator [Free] (5) Privacy Friendly - As we don't ask you to sign up or for any of your personal details, our tool is privacy friendly.

TDEE Calculator: Our Best, Most Accurate TDEE Calculator [Free] (2024)

FAQs

What is the most accurate TDEE calculator? ›

There are several equations you can use to calculate your TDEE, but the Forbes Health TDEE Calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation because experts from the American Council on Exercise (ACE) consider it to be the most accurate.

How accurate is the TDEE calculator? ›

In numbers, the calorie estimations should be within ~10% IF you are honest about your activity level. If someone needs about 2,300 calories per day, the calculator could be off by 230ish calories. Over the course of 1 month, this is equal to ~7,000 calories (2lbs).

What is the most realistic calorie calculator? ›

FAQ #1: What is the best calorie calculator? If you don't know your body fat percentage, the Mifflin-St Jeor calorie calculator equation tends to produce the most accurate results. If you know your body fat percentage, the Katch-McArdle equation is the most accurate.

How many calories below your TDEE should you eat to lose weight? ›

Your TDEE represents the number of calories required to maintain your current weight. To lose weight, you typically aim for a calorie intake that's 10-20% lower than your TDEE. This ensures a gradual and sustainable rate of weight loss, generally recommended at about 0.5 to 1 kilogram (1 to 2 pounds) per week.

Does walking count as exercise in TDEE? ›

That activity can be exercise in the form of workouts at the gym, yoga, pilates, or running. That activity can also be walking, cleaning, or playing with your kids in the park. The TDEE requires you to include your activity level - and that activity can be anything that requires you to move around.

How many calories do 10,000 steps burn? ›

What is 10000 Steps Equal To? “But,” continues Jamie, “if you walk briskly for 30 minutes and include enough activity throughout the day to reach the combined total of 10,000 steps, you're burning about 400 to 500 calories a day, which means you're losing one pound each week.”

Is eating 1,200 calories a day realistic? ›

It may be safe and effective for some people, but 1,200 calories per day is not enough for others and can lead to malnourishment. The number of calories a person needs each day depends on several factors, including age, sex, activity level, and body size.

Can I live on 1200 calories a day? ›

A prolonged 1,200 calorie-per-day diet can slow metabolism, so it is best to only do it short-term. There are risks to consuming too few calories, including: Not getting adequate nutrition. Anxiety.

What is the most accurate food calorie calculator? ›

A quick look at the best calorie counter apps
  • Best overall: MyFitnessPal.
  • Best free features: Lose It!
  • Best fully free: FatSecret.
  • Best for specific diets: Cronometer.
  • Best for weight loss: Noom.
  • Best for building healthy habits: Lifesum.
  • Best for diet quality: MyNetDiary.
  • Best for simplicity: Calory.
Mar 7, 2023

How many calories to lose 2 pounds a week? ›

Generally to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day, through a lower calorie diet and regular physical activity. Depending on your weight, 5% of your current weight may be a realistic goal, at least for an initial goal.

Will I lose weight if I stay under 1500 calories a day? ›

The 1,500-calorie diet is where a person limits their caloric intake to 1,500 calories. By eating a 1,500-calorie meal plan and exercising regularly, people can create a calorie deficit, leading to weight loss.

Will I lose weight if I eat under 400 calories a day? ›

In summary, if you think that your body will respond well to eating only 400 calories of food a day (and you're not too fussy about how it tastes) and doing 3-4 hours of exercise each day then go for it - you will lose weight.

What is the most accurate calorie deficit calculator? ›

Research has found the Mifflin St. Jeor formula to be more accurate than similar calorie estimation methods such as the Harris-Benedict formula. You should use this calorie calculator in all circ*mstances except when: You're following the book The Leangains Method. You're on a ketogenic diet.

What is the best formula to calculate TDEE? ›

Calculating TDEE using the formula TDEE = BMR x Activity Factor involves two steps:
  1. Step 1: Calculate your BMR using the following formula. BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) - 5 x age (years) + 5. ...
  2. Step 2: Multiply your BMR by your activity factor to calculate your TDEE.

What is the most accurate way to calculate daily calories? ›

A fairly accurate way to calculate your daily calorie needs is to determine basal metabolic rate (BMR) using multiple factors, including height, weight, age and gender, then multiply the BMR by an activity factor to determine your total daily energy expenditure (calories).

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