Question 1

What is TDEE?

Accepted Answer

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It's basically how many calories your body burns in a whole day, including everything from just being alive to walking around and exercising. If you eat this amount, your weight stays the same. Eat less and you lose weight. Eat more and you gain.

Question 2

What is BMR?

Accepted Answer

BMR is your Basal Metabolic Rate. It's how many calories you'd burn if you did absolutely nothing all day, just laid in bed. This covers things like breathing, your heart beating, and keeping your organs running. For most people, this makes up the majority of daily calorie burn. Your TDEE takes your BMR and adds in your activity on top of it.

Question 3

What affects my metabolism?

Accepted Answer

A bunch of things. Your age matters because metabolism tends to slow down as you get older. Weight and how much muscle you have play a big role too, since muscle burns more calories than fat. Height, whether you're male or female, and how active you are all factor in. Genetics and hormones also affect it, but those are harder to measure.

Question 4

Why does activity level matter so much?

Accepted Answer

It makes a huge difference. Someone who sits at a desk all day might burn 1,800 calories, while someone with the same body who's on their feet and exercising regularly could burn 2,800 or more. Just going from sedentary to lightly active can add a few hundred calories to your daily burn.

Question 5

How accurate is this calculator?

Accepted Answer

It's an estimate. The formula we use (Mifflin-St Jeor) is pretty good for most people, usually within about 10% of your actual metabolic rate. But everyone's different. The best way to use it is as a starting point. Try eating at that number for a few weeks, see what happens to your weight, and adjust from there.

Question 6

How do I use my TDEE to lose weight?

Accepted Answer

Eat less than your TDEE. If you cut 300-500 calories a day, you'll probably lose about half a pound to a pound per week. That's a good pace for most people. Going too aggressive usually backfires. You get hungry, lose muscle, and your body adapts by burning fewer calories. Start with a moderate deficit and see how it goes.

Question 7

How do I use my TDEE to gain weight?

Accepted Answer

Eat more than your TDEE. If you're trying to build muscle, aim for about 200-300 extra calories a day while lifting weights. You don't need a huge surplus. Eating way over your TDEE just means more of that extra food turns into fat instead of muscle.

Question 8

Should I eat exactly at my TDEE?

Accepted Answer

If you want to maintain your weight, that's the idea. But since TDEE is an estimate, you might need to tweak it. Weigh yourself over a few weeks. If you're slowly gaining, eat a little less. If you're losing, eat a little more. Small changes of 100-200 calories usually do the trick.

Question 9

How often should I recalculate?

Accepted Answer

Whenever something changes. If you've lost or gained 10+ pounds, your TDEE is different now. Same if your activity level changes a lot. If you're actively dieting, it's worth rechecking every couple months. Smaller bodies burn fewer calories, so your target goes down as you lose weight.

Question 10

Why is my number different from other calculators?

Accepted Answer

Different calculators use different formulas and define activity levels differently. A difference of 100-200 calories between sites is normal. We use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation because studies show it's the most accurate for most people, but it's still just math trying to estimate biology.

Question 11

Is eating too little dangerous?

Accepted Answer

It can be. Going really low on calories (under 1,200 for women or 1,500 for men) can cause problems like nutrient deficiencies, muscle loss, hormonal issues, and your metabolism slowing down. If you want to try a very low calorie diet, talk to a doctor first. For most people, a moderate deficit works better and is way more sustainable.