Calories & Nutrition
What Is TDEE? Total Daily Energy Expenditure Explained
TDEE is the total number of calories your body burns each day. Here's how it breaks down and how to use it.
8 min read·Updated 25 June 2026
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HealthGood Editorial Team
Last updated 25 June 2026
Reviewed by HealthGood Editorial Standards Board
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period, from your basal metabolism right through to walking to the kitchen and digesting your food.
The four components of TDEE
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — energy used at complete rest, around 60–70% of TDEE for most people.
- Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) — calories burned digesting and processing food, about 10%.
- Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT) — deliberate workouts.
- Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) — fidgeting, walking, standing, daily movement.
How TDEE is estimated
Most calculators estimate BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiply by an activity factor between 1.2 (sedentary) and 1.9 (very intense daily training). The result is your estimated TDEE.
How to use your TDEE
Eat roughly at your TDEE to maintain weight. Eat below it to lose weight; above it to gain. Adjust gradually based on what your body actually does over a few weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Related calculators
Related guides
References
- World Health Organization — Body mass index (BMI). https://www.who.int
- NHS — Healthy weight and BMI. https://www.nhs.uk
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — Healthy Weight, Nutrition, and Physical Activity. https://www.cdc.gov
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure. Am J Clin Nutr (1990).