TDEE

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total calories your body burns in 24 hours, including basal metabolism plus all physical activity. Computed as TDEE = BMR × activity_factor where the activity factor ranges from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extremely active).

TDEE is your maintenance calorie level — the daily intake that produces zero net weight change. For weight loss, eat below TDEE; for weight gain, eat above. The standard activity multipliers (Harris-Benedict 1919, refined since): sedentary 1.2, lightly active 1.375, moderately active 1.55, very active 1.725, extremely active 1.9.

Most calculators are off because the user picks too high an activity factor. See our guide for the calibration protocol that gets your real TDEE within ~3% in two weeks.