How to calculate your TDEE and macros

Total daily energy expenditure includes resting needs, movement and digestion. Calculators use age, height, weight and activity to give an initial number; they cannot know your exact needs.

Keep intake reasonably consistent for a few weeks and watch weight trends, training performance and hunger. Make small adjustments if the trend misses your goal. The NIH Body Weight Planner illustrates how energy needs change over time.

Protein can come from fish, eggs, meat, tofu or dairy; carbohydrate from rice, noodles, bread and fruit; fat from cooking oil, nuts and other ingredients. Sauces, oil and serving size can substantially change a Vietnamese dish's totals.

Log the portion you actually eat, split mixed dishes into ingredients when useful, and treat database numbers as estimates. Medical nutrition needs call for individual advice.