Nutrition
How to calculate your client TDEE (with examples)
A practical guide for nutritionists: what TDEE is, which formula to pick, and how to translate it into a meal plan without recalculating by hand.
Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is the starting point for any well-designed meal plan. Knowing how many calories someone burns per day — basal metabolism plus activity plus digestion — lets you set a deficit, maintenance, or surplus with clinical reasoning, not guesswork.
Which formula to use
Picking the formula matters less than being consistent. Mifflin-St Jeor is the go-to for most healthy adults. Schofield/FAO-WHO is preferable in clinical settings and specific populations. The revised Harris-Benedict still helps when comparing against legacy literature.
- Mifflin-St Jeor: accurate for healthy adults aged 19 to 65.
- Schofield: used in clinical (FAO/WHO) and adapted pediatric guidelines.
- Revised Harris-Benedict: classic, valid for longitudinal comparisons.
- Owen: fast — useful when only weight is available.
From BMR to TDEE
Once you have the basal metabolic rate, multiply by a realistic activity factor. The most common pitfall: overestimating activity. An office job with two workouts per week is still "light" (1.375x), not "moderate".
Translating it into a plan
With TDEE in hand, set the energy balance against the goal: a 10-20% deficit for sustainable loss, exact maintenance for recomposition, or a 5-15% surplus for controlled muscle gain. Distribute macros and let the tool handle portions — you will iterate a lot.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I recalculate TDEE?
Every 4-6 weeks, or whenever weight changes meaningfully (>3-4%) or reported activity shifts.
Is TDEE useful for high-performance athletes?
It is a good starting point, but pair it with training load and performance metrics — not weight alone.
About the author
Equipo Almendra
Editorial · Almendra
The Almendra editorial team brings together nutritionists, engineers, and product managers writing about how to run a modern nutrition practice.
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