Which activity level should you choose?
About 80% of people overestimate their activity by one tier — a gap of roughly 250 kcal/day. Answer three questions and this quiz will pick your honest multiplier.
The 60-second activity quiz
Answer the three questions above to get your multiplier.
The five standard activity levels
| Level | Multiplier | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Desk job, no structured exercise |
| Light | 1.375 | 1–3 days/week light activity |
| Moderate | 1.55 | 3–5 days/week real training |
| Heavy | 1.725 | 6–7 days/week hard training |
| Athlete | 1.9 | Two-a-days or physical labor |
These come from the classic research of Harris and Benedict's activity categories. A “real training day” means structured exercise at meaningful effort — not brisk walks counted as “Moderate”.
When your multiplier lands between two standard tiers, pick the lower one if your goal is weight loss, and the higher one if you are building muscle. Or use the quiz result directly with the TDEE calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Which activity level should I choose for TDEE?
Match structured training days per week to the tier description above — and remember that the extra tier up costs about 250 kcal/day of error.
Does walking to the kitchen count as activity?
No. The multipliers already assume a normal baseline of daily movement for each tier. Only structured exercise and occupation changes matter.
I work out 7 days a week but take it easy. Am I “Heavy”?
Probably not. Effort matters as much as frequency. An easy seven-day week is closer to “Light” than “Heavy”.