TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is your total daily calorie burn. It includes your basal metabolic rate (calories burned at rest) and the calories spent through physical activity and daily movement. This is your maintenance level: eating below creates a deficit (cutting), eating above creates a surplus (bulking).

How many calories should I eat to gain muscle?

For optimal muscle gain, eat 200–400 kcal above your maintenance (TDEE). A moderate surplus limits fat gain while providing enough energy for muscle synthesis. A very high surplus (more than 500 kcal) mostly drives fat gain.

How often should I recalculate my calorie needs?

Recalculate your TDEE every 4 to 8 weeks, or whenever your weight has changed by more than 3–4 kg. Your basal metabolism shifts with body weight and composition. If your weight stalls for 2–3 weeks despite a calculated deficit, drop your intake by 100–150 kcal before recalculating from scratch.

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Calorie Calculator

Calculate your maintenance calories (TDEE) and daily needs by goal: bulking, maintenance or cutting.

Your data

Sex

Age (years)

Weight (kg)

Height (cm)

Activity level

What is TDEE?

Your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is your total daily energy burn: the number of calories your body uses in 24 hours, factoring in basal metabolism and physical activity.

This is the starting point of any serious nutrition plan. Eating below it = calorie deficit (cutting). Eating above it = calorie surplus (bulking). Eating at it = maintenance.

Basal metabolic rate (BMR)

Your basal metabolic rate is the calories your body uses at rest to maintain vital functions: breathing, circulation, thermal regulation, brain activity. It typically accounts for 60–75% of your total burn.

This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor formula, considered the most accurate for non-obese individuals. It factors in weight, height, age and sex.

How to use your TDEE

Once you know your TDEE, here are the recommended adjustments by goal:

Bulk : TDEE + 200 to 400 kcal. A moderate surplus limits fat gain while enabling muscle growth.
Maintain : TDEE ± 100 kcal. Useful to stabilize weight while preserving muscle mass.
Cut : TDEE − 300 to 500 kcal. Too aggressive a deficit risks losing muscle mass.

Limits of the calculation

These formulas are estimates. Your real TDEE depends on factors hard to quantify: exact muscle mass, NEAT (non-exercise spontaneous activity), hormonal variation, insulin sensitivity. Use these numbers as a starting point, then adjust based on your actual weight trend over 2–3 weeks.

Next step: split your calories → Macro Calculator

For a program built around these numbers → Create my program