You can build a TDEE calculator in Google Sheets using the Harris-Benedict formula, then embed it on your fitness blog as an interactive web calculator using GSheetPress. This lets visitors calculate their daily calorie needs directly on your site without any coding required.
• Use the Harris-Benedict formula in Google Sheets to calculate BMR and TDEE • Set up input cells for weight, height, age, sex, and activity level • Embed the sheet as an interactive calculator on your fitness blog using GSheetPress • No coding is required — GSheetPress handles the embed automatically • A TDEE calculator page drives consistent organic traffic for fitness bloggers
Build a TDEE Calculator from Google Sheets

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels

If you run a fitness blog, few tools drive more consistent search traffic than a working TDEE calculator. Every day, thousands of people search for a way to find out how many calories they need to maintain, lose, or gain weight — and if your site gives them that answer interactively, they stay longer, trust you more, and come back. In this tutorial, you'll learn exactly how to build a TDEE calculator using the Harris-Benedict formula in Google Sheets, and then embed it as a live, mobile-friendly calculator on your website using GSheetPress — no code, no plugins, no developer needed.

What Is TDEE and Why Does It Matter for Fitness Bloggers?

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories a person burns in a day, accounting for their basal metabolic rate (BMR) plus physical activity. It's the gold-standard number used by nutritionists, personal trainers, and fitness enthusiasts to set calorie targets for fat loss, muscle gain, or maintenance.

For fitness bloggers, a TDEE calculator is one of the highest-value tool pages you can publish. It answers a specific, high-intent question, it's useful enough to be bookmarked and shared, and it naturally supports content around dieting, macros, and training programs. The challenge has always been building one without hiring a developer — until now.

The Harris-Benedict Formula Explained

The Harris-Benedict equation is one of the most widely used formulas for estimating BMR. The revised 1990 Mifflin-St Jeor version is considered slightly more accurate, but Harris-Benedict remains highly recognized and trusted. Here are the formulas:

  • Men: BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 × weight in kg) + (4.799 × height in cm) − (5.677 × age in years)
  • Women: BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 × weight in kg) + (3.098 × height in cm) − (4.330 × age in years)

Once you have BMR, you multiply it by an activity multiplier to get TDEE:

  • Sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR × 1.2
  • Lightly active (1–3 days/week): BMR × 1.375
  • Moderately active (3–5 days/week): BMR × 1.55
  • Very active (6–7 days/week): BMR × 1.725
  • Extra active (physical job or twice daily training): BMR × 1.9

Setting Up Your Google Sheet Calculator

Open a new Google Sheet and set it up with clearly labeled input cells and formula cells. Here's a recommended layout:

Input Cells (Column A = Labels, Column B = User Inputs)

  • A1: Sex | B1: Male or Female (use a dropdown via Data Validation)
  • A2: Age (years) | B2: [user enters number]
  • A3: Weight (kg) | B3: [user enters number]
  • A4: Height (cm) | B4: [user enters number]
  • A5: Activity Level | B5: dropdown with the five options above

Formula Cells (Column A = Labels, Column B = Results)

In cell B7, enter your BMR formula using an IF statement to handle sex:

=IF(B1=