The TDEE Calculator (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is a helpful way to estimate your ‘daily metabolism.’ That is, how many calories your body is likely to burn on a given day. This will vary depending on the amount of exercise and movement that you perform each day.

Knowing your energy expenditure will help you estimate your daily caloric needs. If you wish to start a cut (weight loss), plan to eat 300-500 calories below your TDEE daily. If you want to build (bulk), plan to eat 150-500 calories over your maintenance. To maintain, aim to eat right around your TDEE daily.

This is only an estimate. Your actual metabolic needs may be higher or lower than what is shown. This is, however, a helpful starting point.

Here’s the short version: If you aren’t seeing the results that you want, increase or decrease your caloric deficit, surplus, or maintenance by 100-200 calories a day for a full week. Do this week to week until you are getting the results that you want.

And here’s the longer version: Remember, the scale will not always move in a linear fashion. Scale weight has more factors than calories in, calories out. You need to also account for inflammation, bloat, salt balance, glucose (carb fed vs carb underfed), and etc. These things can change on the daily and swing the scale up and down by several pounds at a time.

The best way to overcome this is to A) weigh yourself daily but B) only make determinations and decisions based on your weekly average weight. For instance, if you are on a weight loss journey you may get really bummed out when the scale jumps 2 pounds overnight. You don’t need to let it effect you mentally - just keep tracking your weight all week. At the end of the week, if you see a loss from last week you’re doing great! If you see no change or a gain, then you may now consider making an adjustment to your daily movement and/or caloric intake to continue in the right direction next week.

Remember: Scale weight is an imperfect metric for what is actually going on with your physique. I advise taking measurements (waist, thighs, chest, arms, etc) in order to get a more accurate picture of what changes are actually happening to your physique. Weekly photographs can also be a very helpful way to document your fitness journey.

A good calorie counting app like Macro Factor or My Fitness Pal will help you record your calories. That said, accuracy begins with how carefully you are measuring your calories in the first place. I highly recommend using a food scale for easy and accurate measurement.

Yes and no. Getting familiar with the caloric make up of foods you commonly eat is going to be very valuable (and eye opening). I highly recommend it.

However, 70% of the results you probably want will come through prioritizing protein and natural, unprocessed foods. Unprocessed foods will satiate, nourish, and stabilize your hormones and hunger naturally.

If you’re looking for an easy way to balance your health choose whole, natural foods and high protein first. Eat more of them to build, and a little less overall to cut.