TDEE Calculator

How to use this TDEE estimate

A TDEE calculator is a starting point for maintenance calories, not a laboratory measurement. e1RM uses Mifflin-St Jeor to estimate resting energy expenditure, then multiplies that number by a practical activity factor. That gives a daily calorie target that should be tested against real bodyweight trends over the next two to three weeks.

The most common mistake is treating the result as fixed truth. If your average bodyweight is rising faster than expected, intake is above maintenance. If it is falling, intake is below maintenance. Use seven-day average weigh-ins instead of one noisy morning scale number, then adjust by 100-200 calories at a time.

Lifters should also separate training performance from scale movement. A hard block with more volume can temporarily raise water weight and appetite. A deload can drop water weight without actual fat loss. TDEE is most useful when you pair it with gym performance, waist measurement trends, and a stable weighing routine.

• Best for maintenance planning
• Use two weeks of trend data before changing
• Do not eat back every exercise-calorie estimate

Practical example

If you are using the TDEE Calculator, enter the most repeatable inputs you have, write down the result, then check it against two weeks of real training or bodyweight data. A calculator is useful when it gives you a starting number and a way to adjust, not when it pretends one formula can remove uncertainty.

Limitations

e1RM calculators are planning tools for healthy adults. They do not replace medical advice, coaching judgment, federation rules, or lab testing. Use conservative inputs when recovery is poor, technique is changing, or the result would push you into loads you have not recently handled.