TDEE Calculator UK

TDEE Calculator UK: How Many Calories Do You Burn a Day?

Work out your Total Daily Energy Expenditure in stones and pounds or kilograms, using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, and see the calorie target that matches a steady, NHS-recommended rate of weight loss.

Reviewed by Hassan Khan, Clinical Pharmacist and Independent Prescriber (GPhC 2067135)

TDEE Calculator

Enter your details below. Your TDEE is the number of calories you burn in a typical day, including everything from breathing to exercise. Eat about that much and your weight stays the same; eat less and you lose weight.

Your results

—TDEE: calories burned per day (maintenance)
—BMR: calories burned at complete rest
—Daily calories for about 0.5 kg (1 lb) a week loss
—Your BMI from the same figures

Calorie targets at different rates of weight loss

GoalDaily caloriesDeficit per day

Estimates from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which research has found to be the most accurate of the common formulas for adults. Real-world figures vary by around 10% either way. The NHS weight loss plan is built around daily allowances of about 1,400 kcal for women and 1,900 kcal for men; very low calorie diets (under 800 kcal a day) should only be followed with medical supervision.

What is TDEE and why does it matter for weight loss?

Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body uses in a day. It is the single most useful number for anyone trying to manage their weight, because weight change comes down to the gap between the calories you eat and the calories you burn. Eat roughly your TDEE and your weight holds steady. Eat consistently less and you lose weight; eat consistently more and you gain it.

BMR: the engine idling

Your Basal Metabolic Rate is what you burn lying still for 24 hours: breathing, circulation, keeping warm, repairing tissue. For most adults it is 60–75% of total daily calories.

Activity: everything else

Walking, housework, your job and planned exercise add on top of BMR. The calculator applies a multiplier from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extremely active) to turn BMR into TDEE.

Food: the thermic effect

Digesting food itself burns about 10% of the calories you eat. The activity multipliers already include this, so there is nothing to add.

How this TDEE calculator works

The calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, published in 1990 and recommended by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as the most reliable predictive formula for healthy adults:

  • Men: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) + 5
  • Women: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) − 161

BMR is then multiplied by an activity factor to give TDEE. Your stones, pounds, feet and inches are converted to metric behind the scenes, so you can enter whichever units you normally use.

Which activity level should I pick?

LevelMultiplierTypical week
Sedentary1.2Desk-based work, driving, little walking, no planned exercise
Lightly active1.375On your feet some of the day, or light exercise or walking 1–3 times a week
Moderately active1.55Exercise or sport 3–5 times a week, or an active job such as retail or teaching
Very active1.725Hard exercise most days, or a physically demanding job
Extremely active1.9Manual labour plus daily training, or athletes in heavy training

Most people overestimate their activity level. If you have a desk job and go to the gym two or three times a week, “lightly active” is usually the honest choice. If your weight is not changing over a few weeks at the calories you are eating, the number you are eating is your real TDEE, whatever the calculator says.

Using your TDEE to lose weight safely

The NHS recommends losing weight at a steady rate of 0.5 to 1 kg (1 to 2 lb) a week. A deficit of roughly 500 to 600 calories a day below your TDEE achieves that for most adults, which is why the NHS weight loss plan is built around a daily deficit of about 600 kcal.

  • Maintain: eat around your TDEE.
  • Steady loss (about 0.5 kg a week): TDEE minus 500 kcal a day.
  • Faster loss (about 1 kg a week): TDEE minus 1,000 kcal a day, only if that still leaves you a sensible daily intake (the NHS plan uses about 1,400 kcal for women and 1,900 kcal for men) and ideally with support from a healthcare professional.

As you lose weight your TDEE falls, because a lighter body needs fewer calories. Re-run the calculator every 5 kg or so, or whenever progress stalls for three or four weeks, and adjust your target.

When to get help rather than diet alone. If your BMI is 30 or over, or 27 or over with a weight-related condition such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnoea, NHS guidance supports clinician-led weight management rather than calorie counting on your own. Speak to your GP, or use our free online eligibility check to find out whether our pharmacist-led weight management clinic may be suitable for you.

TDEE Calculator FAQs

What is TDEE?
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure: the total number of calories your body burns in 24 hours. It combines your Basal Metabolic Rate (the energy used at complete rest), the energy used to digest food and the energy used in all movement, from walking to the shops to a gym session. It is sometimes called your maintenance calories, because eating this amount keeps your weight stable.
How is TDEE calculated?
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. 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. That BMR is multiplied by an activity factor between 1.2 (sedentary) and 1.9 (extremely active) to give your TDEE. Stones, pounds, feet and inches are converted to metric automatically.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the energy your body needs just to stay alive at rest, with no movement or digestion. TDEE is BMR plus everything else you do in a day. For a typical adult, BMR is around 60 to 75% of TDEE. You should never eat below your BMR for long without medical supervision, and your weight-loss calorie target should always be set from TDEE, not BMR.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight based on my TDEE?
Subtract 500 to 600 calories a day from your TDEE to lose about 0.5 kg (1 lb) a week, which is the steady rate the NHS recommends. A 1,000 kcal daily deficit gives roughly 1 kg a week but is only sensible if it still leaves you a reasonable intake: the NHS weight loss plan uses daily allowances of about 1,400 kcal for women and 1,900 kcal for men, and very low calorie diets under 800 kcal a day should only be followed with medical supervision.
How accurate is a TDEE calculator?
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation predicts measured resting metabolic rate to within 10% for roughly 7 to 8 in 10 adults, which makes it the most accurate of the commonly used formulas. The biggest source of error is the activity level you choose, so be honest about it. Treat the result as a starting point: if your weight is steady after three to four weeks at a given intake, that intake is your true TDEE.
Should I eat back the calories I burn exercising?
Not if you have already chosen an activity level that includes your exercise. The multiplier accounts for your typical week of training, so adding exercise calories on top counts them twice. Fitness trackers and gym machines also tend to overestimate calories burned. If you do an unusually long or hard session, a small extra snack is reasonable, but the weekly average is what matters.
Does my TDEE change as I lose weight?
Yes. A lighter body needs fewer calories to run, and your body also becomes a little more efficient as you diet, so TDEE typically falls by 50 to 100 calories for every 5 kg lost. This is the main reason weight loss slows over time. Recalculate every 5 kg, or whenever progress stalls for a few weeks, and lower your calorie target in line with the new figure.
Can I use this TDEE calculator in stones and pounds?
Yes. This is a UK TDEE calculator, so you can enter your weight in stones and pounds and your height in feet and inches, or switch either field to kilograms and centimetres with the toggle. The maths is done in metric and the results are shown in kilocalories (kcal), the unit used on UK food labels.

Need more than a number?

If calorie counting alone has not worked, our pharmacist independent prescribers run an online weight management clinic with a clinical assessment, a personalised plan and regular check-ins. Adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 or more with a weight-related health condition, are usually eligible.

Check my eligibility GPhC-registered pharmacy · pharmacist independent prescribers · UK-based. Completing the check does not commit you to anything.