Calorie Calculator
How many calories a day keep your weight steady, and how many to lose or gain at a steady pace.
Result…
How it's calculated
BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor) = 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age + 5 (men) or − 161 (women) Maintenance = BMR × activity factor (1.2 / 1.375 / 1.55 / 1.725 / 1.9) Goal = maintenance ± 250, 500 or 1,000 kcal (≈ 7,700 kcal per kg of fat)
Your maintenance calories are your resting burn scaled by how active you are. A deficit of about 500 kcal a day loses roughly half a kilogram (one pound) a week at first; the body adapts, so progress slows and the numbers need revisiting. Treat the result as a starting point and adjust by what the scale does over a few weeks.
Your numbers, step by step
About the Calorie calculator
This calorie calculator estimates how many calories a day keep your weight steady, and how many to eat to lose or gain at a steady pace. It starts from your resting energy use (BMR), worked out with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation from your sex, age, weight and height. It then scales that by how active you are to give your maintenance calories, also called TDEE. A goal adds or subtracts a fixed amount each day. The result is a starting point, not a prescription: bodies adapt, so check what the scale does over a few weeks and adjust. Your BMR and BMI are worth a look alongside it.
How to use it
- Choose Metric or Imperial under “Units”, then your “Sex”.
- Enter your “Age”, “Weight” and “Height”.
- Pick the “Activity” level that matches a typical week, from Sedentary to Very active.
- Choose a “Goal”: maintain, lose 0.25–1 kg a week, or gain 0.25–0.5 kg a week.
- Read your daily calories, with your maintenance (TDEE), BMR and the lose and gain figures below.
Worked example
A 30-year-old man who weighs 70 kg, is 175 cm tall and exercises moderately (3–5 days a week) has a BMR of about 1,649 kcal and maintenance needs of about 2,556 kcal a day. To lose 0.5 kg a week, the target is about 2,056 kcal a day. A woman with the same age, size and activity level maintains on about 2,298 kcal.
Updated
Questions people ask
How many calories should I eat a day?
Your maintenance calories are your BMR multiplied by an activity factor from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (very active). Eat about that to stay the same weight, less to lose and more to gain.
How is BMR calculated here?
With the Mifflin-St Jeor equation: 10 × weight in kg + 6.25 × height in cm − 5 × age, then + 5 for men or − 161 for women.
How big a deficit do I need to lose 0.5 kg a week?
About 500 kcal a day below maintenance, based on roughly 7,700 kcal per kilogram of body fat. Progress usually slows as your body adapts, so revisit the numbers every few weeks.
Which activity level should I choose?
Pick the one that matches an ordinary week, not your best week. Overestimating activity is a common reason the result feels too high.
Is this calorie target right for everyone?
No. It is an estimate for healthy adults. It is not suitable in pregnancy, for children or with medical conditions. Speak to a doctor or registered dietitian before making large changes to how you eat.