TDEE Explained: How Many Calories Do You Really Burn?
TDEE, your total daily energy expenditure, is the number of calories you burn in a day. Eat about that much and your weight stays roughly steady; eat less and you lose, eat more and you gain. Knowing what goes into it helps you use calculators sensibly.
The four parts of your daily burn
Resting metabolism (BMR or RMR). The energy your body uses just to stay alive: breathing, circulation, keeping warm, running your brain. For most people it's the largest part, often around 60 to 70% of the total.
Digesting food. Breaking down and storing food costs energy, roughly 10% of what you eat. Protein costs more to digest than carbs or fat.
Exercise. Planned workouts. For many people this is a smaller share than they expect.
Everyday movement. Walking, standing, chores, fidgeting. This varies hugely between people and is one reason two people of the same size can burn very different amounts.
How calculators estimate it
Our macro calculator estimates resting metabolism with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation from your sex, age, weight and height, then multiplies it by an activity factor from 1.2 (mostly sitting) to 1.9 (very physical job plus training).
That's a reasonable starting point, but it's an estimate. People with the same inputs can differ by a few hundred calories, and choosing the wrong activity level is the most common source of error. When unsure, pick the lower level.
Find your real number
- Eat consistently at the calculator's maintenance number for two to three weeks.
- Weigh yourself several mornings a week under the same conditions, and look at the weekly average, not single days.
- If the average is stable, that's close to your TDEE. If it drifts down or up, adjust by 100 to 200 calories and repeat.
Why TDEE changes
As you lose weight, you burn a little less, because a smaller body costs less to run and move. That's why progress slows over time, and why recalculating every 4 to 5 kg (about 10 lb) of change is a good habit.
Calorie tracking isn't right for everyone. If it makes you anxious or you have a history of disordered eating, please talk to a healthcare professional.
