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Nights & rotating schedules · Free

Shift Worker TDEE Calculator

Shift work scrambles sleep, meal timing and NEAT. This page still uses standard TDEE math — then helps you pick an activity tier that matches the week you are actually living.

Sleep-first
priority over perfect macros
Weekly avg
judge weight across the roster
Light/mod
common accurate tiers
Meal windows
plan around the shift

Your stats

Standard inputs first — the age adjustment is applied below.

Biological sex
yrs
lb
Height
ft
in
%

Shift pattern

Rough correction for how chaotic the week is.

−2%
Current pattern

Slight downward nudge — rotating sleep often lowers spontaneous movement.

Estimates are typically within ±10%. Track your weight for two weeks and adjust by 100–200 kcal.

The context

TDEE when your clock is not 9–5

The formula does not know you slept four hours after a double. That shows up as lower NEAT, higher hunger and noisier weight. Use weekly averages across a full roster cycle.

Keep deficits modest on brutal rotations. Fixing sleep and a protein anchor often beats another 200 kcal cut.

Why the formula drifts

Shift-work realities

Plan for the roster, not an ideal Monday.

01

Sleep debt

Cuts recovery and next-day movement.

02

Vending-machine defaults

Pre-pack meals for the shift you actually work.

03

On-shift walking

Some jobs are surprisingly high NEAT — count it in the tier.

04

Caffeine & appetite

Can mask hunger then rebound later.

05

Water & schedule

Expect noisier daily weight; trust weekly means.

06

Stress load

May suppress or spike intake — track honestly.

Method

How this calculator gets to your number

Same Mifflin-St Jeor (or Katch-McArdle) engine as the homepage — with one extra step for this use case.

Run it with my numbers
  1. 1

    Resting burn (BMR)

    Mifflin-St Jeor from age, sex, height and weight. Enter body fat and we switch to Katch-McArdle for leaner or muscular bodies.

  2. 2

    Activity multiplier

    Match the whole week — not your hardest training day. A one-tier mistake usually adds or subtracts 200–400 kcal.

  3. 3

    Shift pattern

    A small, transparent adjustment for this page’s audience. We keep factors conservative so you can verify with a two-week weight average.

Pick a direction

Goals that survive a roster

Consistency > intensity.

Eat near TDEE

Maintain through chaos

— —kcal / day

Hold weight while stabilizing sleep and meal timing.

Get my number
−250–350 kcal

Slow cut

— —kcal / day

Only when sleep is acceptable most nights.

Get my number
Small surplus

Build in off-season

— —kcal / day

Use stable roster blocks for hypertrophy pushes.

Get my number

Highest return first

Shift-proof habits

Pack systems, not willpower.

  1. #1

    Protein target per wake period

    Anchor intake to your day, not the clock on the wall.

  2. #2

    Blackout sleep kit

    Earplugs, mask, cool room — recovery is calorie math.

  3. #3

    Same weigh-in ritual

    After your main sleep, before caffeine when possible.

  4. #4

    Recalculate when roster changes

    A new shift pattern is a new lifestyle.

FAQ

Questions about TDEE shift worker

Short, direct answers. If yours is missing, ask and we will add it.

Ask a question

Use average weekly activity, not one dramatic night. Verify with weight averages across the full rotation.

Keep going

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