TDEE & Macro Calculator

What is TDEE?

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the total number of calories your body burns in a day. It combines your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which is the energy your body needs just to keep you alive at rest, with the additional calories burned through daily activity and exercise. Knowing your TDEE is the foundation of any nutrition plan because it tells you exactly how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. From there, you can create a deficit for fat loss or a surplus for muscle gain.

This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which is considered the most accurate BMR formula for modern populations. Published in 1990, it replaced the older Harris-Benedict equation and has been validated across multiple studies. The equation factors in your weight, height, age, and sex to estimate your resting metabolic rate, then multiplies by an activity factor to estimate your total daily burn.

How do macros work?

Macronutrients are the three main categories of nutrients your body uses for energy: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Each macro provides a different number of calories per gram. Protein and carbs each provide 4 calories per gram, while fat provides 9 calories per gram. The balance of these macros in your diet affects your body composition, energy levels, workout performance, and recovery.

Rather than just counting total calories, tracking macros gives you more control over your results. Two people eating the same number of calories can have very different outcomes depending on whether those calories come primarily from protein, carbs, or fat. A higher protein intake preserves muscle during a cut, while adequate carbs fuel intense training and support recovery.

Protein needs for different goals

Protein is the most important macro for body composition. This calculator sets protein at 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight during a caloric deficit (cutting) and 1.8 grams per kilogram during maintenance or a surplus (bulking). The higher protein target during cutting helps preserve lean muscle mass when your body is in an energy deficit. Research consistently shows that higher protein intakes during weight loss result in more fat loss and less muscle loss compared to lower protein diets with the same calorie target.

Fat is set at 25% of total calories, which supports hormone production, vitamin absorption, and cell membrane health. Dropping fat below this level can negatively affect testosterone, estrogen, and other hormones critical for performance and recovery. The remaining calories are allocated to carbohydrates, which fuel high-intensity exercise and replenish glycogen stores in your muscles.

How to track your macros

Tracking macros does not need to be complicated. Start by logging your meals for a few days to understand your baseline eating patterns. Focus on hitting your protein target first, since most people under-eat protein. Then fill in your carb and fat targets based on your remaining calorie budget. Over time, you will develop an intuitive sense for portion sizes and macro content of common foods, and you will not need to log every meal.

Consistency matters more than perfection. Hitting your targets within 5-10% on most days is enough to see meaningful results. Do not stress about a single day that goes off track. Instead, look at your weekly averages and adjust if needed. Weight fluctuations of 1-2 pounds day to day are normal due to water retention, sodium intake, and meal timing.

Why calorie quality matters

While hitting your macro targets is important, the quality of your food choices also plays a role. Whole foods like lean meats, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats provide micronutrients, fiber, and phytochemicals that support your health, digestion, and performance. Highly processed foods can technically fit your macros but tend to be less satiating, can spike blood sugar more dramatically, and may lack important micronutrients.

A practical approach is to aim for 80-90% of your calories from whole, minimally processed foods and leave 10-20% for foods you enjoy that may not be as nutrient-dense. This flexibility makes your diet sustainable long-term, which is the single most important factor in achieving your goals.

Related tools

Use our body fat percentage calculator to estimate your current body composition, or check your fitness level to see how your strength and endurance compare to benchmarks for your age and sex.

Track your macros automatically with Cora

Set these macros as your daily targets in Cora and track every meal with AI-powered food logging. Snap a photo of your plate or describe what you ate, and Cora will estimate the macros instantly. Over time, Cora learns your patterns and adjusts your targets based on your progress, training load, and body composition changes. Download Cora to turn these numbers into a personalized, adaptive nutrition plan.