Find out exactly how many calories your body burns every day â€" and use that number to lose weight, gain muscle, or simply eat right.
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period. It's the single most important number for anyone who wants to manage their weight.
Think of your TDEE as your body's daily energy budget. Every calorie you eat either goes toward fuelling your body (matching your TDEE) or becomes a surplus (stored as fat) or a deficit (burned from stored fat).
Your TDEE is calculated in two steps: first your BMR, then multiplied by an activity factor.
We use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which is the most accurate formula for most people:
| Activity Level | Multiplier | Who This Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2× | Office jobs, minimal walking, no exercise |
| Lightly Active | 1.375× | Light exercise 1â€"3 days/week, some daily walking |
| Moderately Active | 1.55× | Gym 3â€"5 days/week, active lifestyle |
| Very Active | 1.725× | Hard exercise 6â€"7 days/week, physically demanding job |
| Super Active | 1.9× | Athlete-level training, physically intense occupation |
Most working Indians fall in the Sedentary to Lightly Active range â€" especially those in IT, education, or office-based roles. Don't overestimate your activity level; this is the most common mistake.
| Macronutrient | Calories per gram | Common Indian Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrates | 4 kcal/g | Rice, roti, dosa, poha, bread |
| Protein | 4 kcal/g | Dal, paneer, chicken, eggs, curd |
| Fat | 9 kcal/g | Ghee, oil, nuts, coconut |
| Alcohol | 7 kcal/g | Beer, whisky, wine |
| Fibre / Water | ~0 kcal/g | Vegetables, salads |
Use the calculator above. This is your maintenance number.
For weight loss: subtract 300â€"500 calories from TDEE. For muscle gain: add 200â€"300 calories.
Use an app like HealthifyMe or Cronometer to log meals.
If you're not losing weight after 2 weeks, reduce by another 100â€"150 calories.
| Daily Deficit | Weekly Loss | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 250 kcal/day | ~0.25 kg | Very sustainable, ideal for beginners |
| 500 kcal/day | ~0.5 kg | Recommended sweet spot |
| 750 kcal/day | ~0.75 kg | Aggressive but doable for overweight individuals |
| 1000 kcal/day | ~1 kg | Only for supervised weight loss; risk of muscle loss |
Muscle burns 3× more calories at rest than fat tissue. Resistance training raises your TDEE permanently.
Hypothyroidism is very common in India, especially among women, and can reduce BMR by 15â€"20%. If you're eating well below your calculated TDEE and still not losing weight, a thyroid test is a good idea.
BMR drops roughly 1â€"2% per decade after age 20, largely due to gradual muscle loss (sarcopenia).
NEAT is the energy burned from all non-exercise movement. It can vary by 600â€"800 kcal/day between individuals and is a huge hidden factor in TDEE.
| Profile | Approx. TDEE | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 25-yr male, 70 kg, IT job, no gym | ~1900â€"2000 kcal | Sedentary multiplier |
| 25-yr female, 58 kg, IT job, no gym | ~1550â€"1650 kcal | Sedentary multiplier |
| 30-yr male, 75 kg, IT job + gym 4x/week | ~2500â€"2650 kcal | Moderately active |
| 30-yr female, 62 kg, teacher + walks daily | ~1900â€"2050 kcal | Lightly to moderately active |
| 35-yr male, 80 kg, field sales job | ~2600â€"2800 kcal | Very active |
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories your body burns at complete rest — just keeping your organs running. TDEE is BMR multiplied by your activity level. TDEE is always higher than BMR and is the more practical number for planning your diet.
The Mifflin-St Jeor formula used here has about ±10% accuracy for most people. Track your weight for 2–3 weeks while eating at your calculated TDEE, then adjust based on what actually happens.
Your TDEE already accounts for your weekly average activity. You don't need to eat less on rest days unless you calculated using a very high activity multiplier.
Several reasons: water retention (especially early on), the body’s metabolic adaptation to lower calorie intake, slight inaccuracies in food tracking. Be patient — consistent 4-week trends matter more than weekly fluctuations.
Absolutely. TDEE is calorie-based, not diet-specific. The key difference is that vegetarians need to be more intentional about protein — combining dal, paneer, curd, tofu, and legumes to hit protein goals.
Recalculate every 4–6 weeks during a weight loss phase, or whenever your weight changes by more than 3–4 kg. As you lose weight, your BMR decreases, so your calorie target must adjust downward.
The formula is the same, but on average Indians tend to have a higher body fat percentage at the same BMI. Starting conservatively (one step lower on the activity scale) and adjusting empirically is a good approach.