TDEE Calculator
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the calories you burn per day, training included. Enter your stats to get maintenance, cut, and bulk targets.
Maintenance calories (TDEE)
2701 kcal
BMR: 1743 kcal
Cut (-500): 2201 kcal
Bulk (+300): 3001 kcal
How it works
We compute your basal metabolic rate with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the same one Liftoff uses when it builds macro goals, then multiply by an activity factor from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (very active).
The cut target sits 500 kcal below maintenance (roughly 1 lb / 0.45 kg of fat per week); the bulk target sits 300 kcal above it, enough to build without excessive fat gain.
Getting the most out of it
Pick the activity level you actually hit
Most lifters with desk jobs are 'Light' or 'Moderate'. Overestimating activity is the most common reason a cut stalls.
Calibrate over two weeks
Eat at the estimate, weigh yourself daily, and average weekly. If weight doesn't move the way it should, adjust by 150-200 kcal and re-check.
Recalculate as you change
TDEE follows your bodyweight. Re-run the numbers every 5 kg / 10 lb or when training volume changes meaningfully.
FAQ
Total Daily Energy Expenditure: your basal metabolic rate plus everything you burn moving, digesting, and training. Eat at it to maintain, below it to lose, above it to gain.
Mifflin-St Jeor, generally the most accurate of the standard BMR equations for the general population, multiplied by a standard activity factor.
Typically within ~10%. Treat the number as a starting point and let two weeks of scale data make the final call.
500 kcal per day below maintenance is a sustainable default, about half a kilogram per week. Bigger deficits work but cost more muscle and more willpower.
A modest surplus, the +300 kcal bulk target here, combined with progressive overload. Bigger surpluses mostly build bigger fat stores.
Track the calories you actually eat.
Liftoff's nutrition tab logs food by search, barcode, or photo, and keeps your macro goals in one place with your training.
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