TDEE: Your Questions Answered
These are the questions people ask most often about tdee. Each answer is short; follow the links for the full detail.
What does a tdee calculation tell me?
Estimates total daily energy expenditure.
What is the formula?
TDEE = BMR × activity factor.
What do I need to enter?
Sex, Weight (kg), Height (cm), Age, Activity level.
Is this a medical assessment?
No. These are general estimates. Speak to a doctor or polyclinic for advice about your health.
Can you show an example?
For example, with these inputs:
- Sex: Male
- Weight (kg): 65
- Height (cm): 168
- Age: 35
- Activity level: Light (1–3 days/week)
the calculator returns:
- Daily calories to maintain weight: 2,104 kcal
Any tips?
- Singapore's heat and humidity raise fluid needs, especially when exercising outdoors.
- Small, steady changes are easier to sustain than dramatic targets.
- Formulas give estimates for the average person; your doctor can account for your history and body composition.
Background
Simple measurements such as weight, height and waist circumference are widely used to screen for health risks because they are cheap and easy to repeat. They are not diagnoses, but tracked over time they show whether lifestyle changes are working.
Singapore's tropical climate means you lose more fluid through sweat, even when you are not exercising. Thirst, urine colour and how you feel are good guides, and needs rise during outdoor activity or heat waves.
Programmes such as the National Steps Challenge and the Healthy 365 app have made tracking activity common. Turning those numbers into distance, pace or calories helps set realistic goals for events like IPPT or a 10 km run.
Related calculations
- Calories Burned Calculator: Estimates calories burned with MET values.
- BMI Calculator (Asian Cut-offs): Singapore's Health Promotion Board uses lower BMI cut-offs for Asians because health risks rise at lower BMIs.
- BMI Calculator (WHO): Calculates BMI with the international WHO categories.
- BMR Calculator: Estimates calories your body burns at rest.
Try it yourself with the TDEE Calculator.
Run your own numbers: TDEE Calculator