There are a variety of methods that will help you learn how much energy your body is actually using each day. It is important to keep in mind a few key points about TDEE calculators before you use them:

1. Before you start any weightloss or diet plan you should contact your doctor and consult with them. These tools are not meant to diagnose or cure any diseases and have no way of actually pulling in your life history to get started.
2. There are many formulas out there and many thoughts about which one works best. We've picked one that is widely regarded as the most accurate but none of them are exactly accurate.
3. Although these TDEE calculator tools aren't 100% accurate, the most important thing here is that we are using them as a baseline to get the results we want. So don't get too hung up on that. Consistency will always be more important than any other aspect of your weight loss journey.

Your individual situation is so unique. You might have Yo-Yo Dieted for years. You might have an underlying metabolic issue that slows things down. No one can know those things except for you and your doctor, but that doesn't mean using a free TDEE calculator is fruitless. Get your numbers and learn where you should start. As we discuss in our private membership group all the time, we are just getting a baseline and we will adjust.

If you're new to the world of weight loss and body composition there are a LOT of terms that get thrown around and can leave you a bit confused. For example TDEE or BMR. This section is for you.

TDEE stands for "Total Daily Energy Expenditure" and it's the amount of energy you spend in a day. Basically it's just a summary of all of the areas in which you could possible expend energy during the day. Your TDEE is the sum of four key areas:

1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
2. Non Exercise Adaptive Thermogenesis (NEAT)
3. Exercise Activity (EA)
4. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)

Let's dial in on each of those to make sure you understand them and why they matter so much.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) - BMR is the biggest factor in your TDEE. It's the amount of energy your body has to consume in order to stay alive. Imagine you are in a coma. Your body is using energy just to go about doing all of the amazing things that are happening in you as you read this. That takes energy. Some people might also talk about Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) or Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) which mean slightly little things, but we're talking about the same basic thing. So we're going to go with BMR because... science.

Non Exercise Adaptive Thermogenesis (NEAT) - This is the energy you spend doing things you aren't thinking about like typing on a keyboard, fidgeting, talking, wiggling your toes, etc.  There's another thing called Non Exercise Physical Activity (NEPA) which refers to walking, standing, any non-exercise thing you do but you choose to do that isn't for exercise. We're just going to roll those together here and call them NEAT because exercise is exercise. Just remember, if you think about doing it it's not NEAT.  But don't get too caught up on this distinction, We are thinking Macro here, not Micro. Focus on your TDEE.

Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) - I bet you've never considered that your body has to use energy to break down the food you eat everyday to get more energy, have you? Well it does, and some foods burn more than others (protein) and another important reason to make sure you're eating enough of it. Again, don't get stuck here. This is just meant to be an FYI to understand the information the free TDEE Calculator is going to give you up above.

Exercise Activity (EA) - This one is a straightforward. Did you exercise, or not? This means doing things for the express purpose of burning more energy like walking, walking up the stairs, going to the gym, doing yoga, playing Jiu Jitsu, etc. If you do, you burn energy, but isn't it fascinating that there are so many other ways your body is burning calories?

So here's the formula: TDEE = BMR + NEAT + TEF + EXERCISE

Next, we'll take a look at what these formula's our free TDEE Calculator  are doing to figure this all out.

TDEE, as we know, is the total energy you spend in a day. When we talk about calories in and calories out we really are talking about TDEE and unfortunately there's no way around it: The only way to lose bodyweight is in a caloric deficit. That's why it's important to learn what your TDEE is. When you know that, you know how many calories you need to consume in order to MAINTAIN the weight you currently have. With that number we can adjust your calories to help you gain or lose weight.

TDEE Calculators like the one we have above (we think it's the best) help us ballpark that number. Once we start tracking our daily caloric intake, we can see how our body reacts. Do we go up in weight, down in weight, or does our weight stay the same? Having a baseline helps us learn just how our body reacts and help us gain and adjust our caloric intake to meet our goals (something you'll have to do from time-to-time as you gain and lose weight because your body will consume more or less based on the results you're getting).

There are several factors our TDEE Calculator needs to figure out TDEE. Our TDEE Calculator uses the Revised Harris-Benedict Formula to determine your TDEE and we are working on getting access to the Muller Equation to give you more options to look at.

The Harris-Benedict formula seems to be more accurate with obese people than the other formulas to help you better understand why we picked it. That formula uses several factors:

• Body Weight
• Height
• Age
• Sex

You will note that our calculator gives you an opportunity to enter in a body fat percentage. No worries if you don't know this. Remember, this is just an estimate and we are trying to get a baseline to help you hit your goals. So, don't worry that we're not spot on. Here are some graphics to help you determine your body fat percentage.