Adaptive TDEE spreadsheet: where to get one and how to use it
An adaptive TDEE spreadsheet estimates your maintenance calories from the food you eat and your body-weight trend. Unlike a one-time calculator, it updates as you add more days of data. For a downloadable example, see the 3-Suns spreadsheet fork on GitHub, which includes an Excel file. The r/Fitness discussion of the original sheet explains its inputs and links to other versions. These are third-party resources; MacroCodex does not maintain them.
Looking for the specific nSuns version? See our nSuns TDEE spreadsheet setup page for the sheet linked by The Fitness Wiki.
How to use the spreadsheet
- Save your own copy and check whether it expects pounds or kilograms and calories or kilojoules.
- Enter your calorie intake and body weight regularly, including days when you ate more or less than planned.
- Give the estimate several weeks of data. Look at the trend rather than reacting to one day's weight or TDEE reading.
Water retention, changes in food volume, and incomplete food logs can make the result jump around. The r/Fitness discussion recommends treating the current TDEE estimate with caution and making gradual changes after observing the trend. For the underlying calculation, read our adaptive TDEE guide.
Want the estimate without maintaining a spreadsheet?
MacroCodex gives you an initial TDEE estimate and updates it from your logged calorie totals and body weight. Its Smart Calorie Burn v2 explanation describes a state-space neural-network approach that uses patterns from thousands of users alongside your own logs to produce a highly accurate personalized estimate. It also shows calorie targets for your goal. The app is free, with no ads or subscription; you can pair it with a separate food logger if needed.
In our internal testing, popular Reddit adaptive TDEE spreadsheets were still 300–400 kcal/day off after six to eight weeks of tracking. That is our observed comparison, not a published benchmark or a prediction of how far off every spreadsheet will be. The quality of calorie and weight logs affects either method.
You still need consistent data, whichever method you choose. If you enjoy inspecting formulas and keeping a spreadsheet, use one of the community sheets above. If you want your estimate and targets updated in an app, try MacroCodex. Our free TDEE calculator app guide compares the workflows in more detail.