TDEE calculator
Estimate daily calorie needs with the same BMR formulas and activity multipliers used by TrueCal's setup flow.
Total daily energy expenditure is an estimate of how many calories you burn in a day. The calculator starts with BMR, then applies an activity multiplier or custom active-calorie amount. If you enter body-fat percentage, it uses Katch-McArdle; otherwise it uses Mifflin–St Jeor.
What this estimate means
TDEE is a starting estimate, not a verdict. Formula math can be useful for picking an initial calorie target, but measured intake and weight trend beat any calculator once you have real data. Use the result for a first pass, then adjust based on what actually happens over two to four weeks.
The cut and bulk numbers use TrueCal's default goal rates from setup: one pound per week for loss and half a pound per week for gain. Loss targets also apply the same minimum-calorie and max-deficit guardrails used by the app.
Why TrueCal still matters
A calculator can estimate the budget, but the hard part is matching the food you ate to the calories you consumed. TrueCal helps there: log a meal from a sentence or photo, review the result, and keep a consistent record without turning every meal into spreadsheet work.
For related references, browse calories in common foods, see how TrueCal logging works, compare tracking features, or open TrueCal.