Article
What is TDEE
TDEE is an estimate of energy for a full day: Mifflin-St Jeor BMR multiplied by a PAL activity factor. This page explains the number. The TDEE calculator is the form that returns it.
The worked examples match the TDEE calculator. The base without a multiplier is on the BMR page.
What TDEE means
TDEE, total daily energy expenditure, is an estimate of kilocalories an adult uses in a typical day: rest plus movement from work and training.
First comes BMR, basal metabolic rate: energy at rest. Then that base is multiplied by PAL from a simplified weekly table. The result is a maintenance estimate at those numbers. It is not a meal plan and not medical advice.
Terms on this page. BMR is the resting base. PAL is the activity factor from the list 1.2 / 1.375 / 1.55 / 1.725 / 1.9. Mifflin-St Jeor is the BMR equation from mass in kilograms, height in centimeters, age, and sex. The unit kcal means kilocalories. The CalcBoxer calculator rounds BMR, multiplies by PAL, and rounds again.
How TDEE differs from BMR
BMR describes rest. TDEE describes a day with movement. Eating at BMR when TDEE is 1898 kcal is already a deficit, because 1898 is BMR 1380 times 1.375.
| Question | BMR | TDEE |
|---|---|---|
| What the number includes | Heart, breath, and heat at rest | BMR plus work and training from a typical week |
| Formula on CalcBoxer | Mifflin-St Jeor | Rounded BMR × PAL |
| Example: man 30, 80 kg, 180 cm | 1780 kcal | About 2759 kcal at PAL 1.55; about 2136 kcal at PAL 1.2 |
| Same man at 176 lb and 71 in | About 1780 kcal | About 2760 kcal at PAL 1.55 |
| Where to compute it | The BMR page | The TDEE calculator, with a daily target and pace |
Apps often mix the base with the day. Here the split is strict: base first, then the multiplier. Protein grams do not come from this calorie total; they are on the protein requirement calculator.
How CalcBoxer computes TDEE
The calculator computes BMR with Mifflin-St Jeor, then multiplies by PAL. Mass must be in kilograms and height in centimeters. Pounds and inches convert before the same formula. Age must be between 16 and 120. This is an adult estimate.
BMR = 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age, then +5 (male) or −161 (female).
TDEE = rounded BMR × PAL, then rounded to a whole kilocalorie.
A 30-year-old man at 80 kg and 180 cm: 800 + 1125 − 150 + 5 = 1780 kcal. At PAL 1.55: 1780 × 1.55 = 2759 kcal. At PAL 1.2, with no training: 1780 × 1.2 = 2136 kcal. The gap between those multipliers at the same base is 623 kcal.
A 28-year-old woman at 65 kg and 165 cm: BMR about 1380 kcal. At PAL 1.375, TDEE is about 1898 kcal. That is not BMR. The nearest round U.S. pair, 143 lb and 65 in, gives about 1897 kcal.
176 lb and 71 in, with the same remaining numbers as the 30-year-old man at PAL 1.55, give a TDEE of about 2760 kcal, because the converted mass and height are not exactly 80 kg and 180 cm.
| PAL | Typical week | At BMR 1780 kcal |
|---|---|---|
| 1.2 | Desk job, no exercise | 2136 kcal |
| 1.375 | Exercise 1–3 days/week | 2448 kcal |
| 1.55 | Exercise 3–5 days/week | 2759 kcal |
| 1.725 | Exercise 6–7 days/week | 3071 kcal |
| 1.9 | Physical job and daily training | 3382 kcal |
Read the list as a typical week, not as one walk. A factor of 1.9 does not describe three gym visits on a desk job. A wrong PAL moves the result more than a few pounds on the scale.
Worked examples from the calculator
Maintenance: 1780 × 1.55
Man, 30, 80 kg, 180 cm, PAL 1.55. TDEE and the maintenance target are about 2759 kcal. The week is 2759 × 7 = 19,313 kcal.
The same person at 176 lb and 71 in: TDEE about 2760 kcal, week 19,320 kcal.
A 500 kcal deficit
Subtract 500 from 2759. The daily target is about 2259 kcal, the week 15,813 kcal. A 500 kcal pace is about 0.45 kg per week, because 500 × 7 / 7700 ≈ 0.45, or about 1 lb per week. From 2760 the target is 2260 kcal and 15,820 kcal per week.
Woman, 28, PAL 1.375
65 kg and 165 cm: TDEE about 1898 kcal, BMR about 1380 kcal. A 500 kcal deficit gives a target of about 1398 kcal, just above BMR. A 750 kcal deficit would be 1148 kcal, below BMR. At 143 lb and 65 in, TDEE is about 1897 kcal and a 750 kcal deficit is about 1147 kcal.
A 250 kcal surplus and goal weight
Man, 45, 95 kg, 175 cm, PAL 1.725: TDEE about 3146 kcal. A 250 kcal surplus gives a target of about 3396 kcal. From 95 kg to 100 kg: 5 × 7700 / (250 × 7) ≈ 22 weeks. The estimate is linear and ignores adaptation.
Daily target, pace, and 7700 kcal per kilogram
The TDEE calculator also returns a daily target: TDEE when you maintain, TDEE minus pace for fat loss, TDEE plus pace for a surplus. Pace is 250, 500, or 750 kcal per day. The week is that target times 7.
The mass-change estimate uses 7700 kcal per kilogram, about 3500 kcal per pound. A week count appears only when you enter a goal weight in the matching direction. From 65 kg to 60 kg at 500 kcal: 5 × 7700 / (500 × 7) = 11 weeks.
A long stretch below BMR is usually a poor idea. Take a deficit from TDEE, not from BMR. Another app can differ by a few hundred kilocalories if the base is Harris-Benedict or the PAL is different. Direction and order of magnitude should still match.
This does not replace medical advice. Pregnancy, illness, and children use other tables.
Typical mistakes
| Mistake | What goes wrong | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| You pick PAL 1.9 on a desk job with three workouts. | TDEE comes out too high. | 1.55 is closer. Leave 1.9 for physical work plus daily training. |
| You eat at BMR and call it maintenance. | Versus TDEE that is already a deficit. | Maintenance is at TDEE. BMR is the base without a multiplier. |
| You treat the result as a meal plan or as weight two months out. | The calculator does not plan meals. Weeks to goal are linear. | A two- or three-week average of body weight says more than one day. |
| You use the same numbers for a teenager. | Mifflin and this PAL table are for adults. | Age in the calculator must be 16 to 120. |
Before you take the daily number
- BMR comes from Mifflin-St Jeor, not from Harris-Benedict.
- PAL describes a typical week, not one workout.
- The daily target is TDEE plus or minus a pace of 250, 500, or 750 kcal.
- The mass estimate uses 7700 kcal per kilogram and ignores adaptation.
- The result is informational. Protein grams are on a separate page.
Frequently asked questions
What TDEE does a 30-year-old man at 176 lb and 71 in have at PAL 1.55?
About 2760 kcal per day. The metric pair 80 kg and 180 cm gives about 2759. BMR is about 1780 kcal. At PAL 1.2 the same BMR would be about 2136 kcal. That is a maintenance estimate, not a meal plan.
Is 1897 kcal for a 28-year-old woman at 143 lb and 65 in, PAL 1.375, the same as BMR?
No. Her BMR is about 1380 kcal. 1897 is already BMR times activity after converting pounds and inches. The metric pair 65 kg and 165 cm gives about 1898 kcal.
Which PAL if I sit at a desk and train three times?
1.55 is often closer than 1.9. Leave 1.2 for a week with no exercise. 1.9 is heavy physical work plus daily training.
What is the daily target at TDEE 2760 with a 500 kcal deficit?
About 2260 kcal per day and 15,820 kcal per week. The metric pair 2759 − 500 is 2259 and 15,813 per week. That pace is about 1 lb per week.
Should I eat below BMR?
Staying below BMR for a long time is usually a poor idea. Take a deficit from TDEE. At TDEE 1898 kcal from 65 kg and 165 cm, a 750 kcal deficit would be 1148 kcal. At 143 lb and 65 in that deficit is about 1147 kcal.
Where does the week count to goal weight come from?
From the kilogram difference times 7700, divided by pace times 7. From 65 kg to 60 kg at 500 kcal: 5 × 7700 / (500 × 7) = 11 weeks. The estimate ignores adaptation.
Does this work for a teenager?
Not on this site. Mifflin and this PAL table are for adults. The calculator rejects age under 16.
Where are the protein grams?
On the protein requirement calculator. This article and the TDEE calculator report energy, not protein grams.
Sources
TDEE on CalcBoxer is Mifflin-St Jeor BMR multiplied by PAL. That is an estimate, not a diet prescription.