Calorie calculator
Enter your details and pick a goal. See a daily calorie target.
How the calorie target is worked out
The calculator first estimates your basal metabolic rate (BMR), the calories your body uses at rest, with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (Mifflin et al., 1990). It multiplies that by an activity factor to get your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), which is roughly the calories that keep your weight steady. Then it adds or subtracts calories for your goal.
Example: a 35-year-old woman, 5 ft 6 in and 150 lb, who exercises 1 to 3 days a week. Her BMR is 1,392 calories and her TDEE is 1,914. To lose about 1 lb a week she would aim for about 1,414 a day, and to lose about 0.5 lb a week about 1,664.
| Maintenance | Lose 1 lb a week | Lose 0.5 lb a week | Gain 0.5 lb a week | Gain 1 lb a week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,800 | 1,300 | 1,550 | 2,050 | 2,300 |
| 2,000 | 1,500 | 1,750 | 2,250 | 2,500 |
| 2,200 | 1,700 | 1,950 | 2,450 | 2,700 |
| 2,500 | 2,000 | 2,250 | 2,750 | 3,000 |
| 2,800 | 2,300 | 2,550 | 3,050 | 3,300 |
| 3,000 | 2,500 | 2,750 | 3,250 | 3,500 |
The 3,500-calorie rule
A pound of body weight is often estimated at about 3,500 calories, so a 500-calorie daily gap is about a pound a week. It is a rough rule. Weight changes vary, and your body adjusts as you lose or gain.
Lower limits
If a target lands below about 1,200 calories for women or 1,500 for men, the calculator warns you. Those numbers are commonly used as floors for eating without medical supervision. Eating less than that can be risky.
These calculators are for healthy adults. They are not for children, teens, people who are pregnant or nursing, or anyone managing a medical condition or an eating disorder. Talk to a doctor or registered dietitian about your own needs.
For the pieces behind the number, see the TDEE calculator and the BMR calculator. To split calories into carbs, protein and fat, use the macro calculator.
Questions people ask
How many calories should I eat a day?
It depends on your age, sex, size, activity and goal. Enter your details above to get an estimate.
How many calories do I need to lose weight?
Eat fewer calories than you burn. A gap of about 500 a day is often used for about a pound a week. Check the lower limit warning.
How accurate is a calorie calculator?
It is an estimate. Real needs can differ by 10% or more. Track your weight over a few weeks and adjust.
Does the activity level matter?
Yes. It can change the result by hundreds of calories. Choose the level that matches a typical week, and be honest.