"How many calories do I burn a day?" depends less on your BMR formula than on one dropdown menu most people fill in without much thought: activity level.
Total daily energy expenditure calculator, the multiplier that matters most
TDEE is just BMR × an activity multiplier — Sedentary (×1.2) up to Very Active (×1.9). For a 1,780 calorie BMR, Moderate activity (×1.55) gives 2,759 calories, while Light (×1.375) gives 2,448 — a 311 calorie/day gap from just one level of difference.
Maintenance calories calculator, why "Moderate" isn't the safe default
If your job is desk-bound and you exercise 3 days a week, you're often actually "Light," not "Moderate" — the difference between "some structured exercise" and "an active lifestyle overall." Picking the flattering option instead of the accurate one is the single biggest source of error in a TDEE estimate.
How many calories do I burn a day, and why it changes
TDEE isn't fixed — it shifts with your weight, body composition, and actual activity level. Recalculate every 4-6 weeks, or whenever your weight changes by more than 5-10 pounds, rather than treating one number as permanent.
