TDEE Calculator

At the Weight Loss Simplified link above you’ll get a full explanation of how to lose weight and body fat with your TDEE numbers.  But here’s a quick breakdown of TDEE specifically:

Your TDEE is comprised of your basal metabolic rate (BMR) plus additional energy burned through physical activity and the food you eat.

TDEE or Total Daily Energy Expenditure is a compilation of your:

– BMR

– TEF – the energy burned through food absorption (TEF – The thermic effect of food – when we eat it takes energy to absorb and utilize this food and a rough approximation is it costs around 10% depending on the macronutrient profile in your diet i.e fats,carbs,protein etc)

– And your physical activity.

To calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) you’d multiply your BMR (which you have from the above calculator) by activity multipliers:

We can use an equation with activity multipliers to calculate our TDEE – one of the best is the Katch-McArdle equation.

*Note:  these multipliers are said to OVER estimate your energy expenditure so by modifying them slightly as listed below it will allow you to not be stuck in too small a calorie deficit to see results.

And these calculations are not 100% accurate but simply a valuable way to create a baseline that you can deduct calories from to put yourself into a daily calorie deficit (negative energy balance to lose weight and body fat)

The modified Katch-McArdle equation (thanks to muscleforlife) 

1.1 = sedentary (little or no exercise)

1.2 = light activity (light exercise/sports 1 to 3 days per week)

1.35 = moderate activity (moderate exercise/sports 3 to 5 days per week)

1.45 = very active (hard exercise/sports 6 to 7 days per week)

1.6 to 1.8 = extra active (very hard exercise/sports 6 to 7 days per week and physical job)

Example: 

Male subject / very active): BMR of 2000 calories

2000 X 1.45 = TDEE of 2900 calories daily as a baseline.

Then deduct 20-25% from this to give yourself a daily deficit:

2900 – 580 (20%) = 2320 calories per day to be consumed

*Adjust and play around with this formula and see what works best for you.