Total Daily Energy Expenditure
Your real maintenance calories — BMR plus everything else (work, exercise, fidgeting). The number you'd eat to neither gain nor lose weight.
Your TDEE
2635 kcal/day
Eat this much to maintain weight. Eat less to lose, more to gain.
Cut (-500)
2135
kcal/day
Maintain
2635
kcal/day
Bulk (+250)
2885
kcal/day
CalPilot
Your number is set. CalPilot keeps you on it.
Log meals by photo or voice and watch the day fill toward your target. Free download.
What's TDEE?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure = BMR × activity multiplier. It's your actual maintenance number — what you burn including everything from walking to the kitchen to lifting weights.
Activity multipliers explained
- 1.2 — Sedentary: desk job, no formal exercise, minimal walking
- 1.375 — Light: 1-3 sessions/week of moderate activity
- 1.55 — Moderate: 3-5 sessions/week, decent training intensity
- 1.725 — Very active: 6-7 sessions/week, physical job
- 1.9 — Athlete: 2-a-day training, professional/hard physical labor
Most people overestimate by one tier. Be honest — choose the lower one if uncertain.
TDEE estimates aren't perfect
±10-15% is normal between individuals at the same height/weight. After 4 weeks of tracking, you'll know your real number better than any calculator. Use the calculator as a starting estimate; adjust based on actual weight trend.