Calorie Calculator
Find how many calories you burn each day and how much to eat to lose, keep, or gain weight.
Daily calories to Lose 0.5 kg a week
– kcal / day
- Maintenance
- –
- BMR
- –
This target is under calories a day, the usual safe minimum without medical supervision. Choose a slower pace or add activity.
Enter your age, weight, and height to see your numbers.
Choose a goal
Daily macros
Based on your target. Protein and carbs have 4 kcal per gram, fat has 9.
How it works
- 1. BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age, then +5 for men or −161 for women.
- 2. Maintenance (TDEE) is BMR × your activity factor, from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extra active).
- 3. Goal adds or removes about 1,100 kcal a day per kilogram a week (7,700 kcal per kg ÷ 7 days).
Estimates for healthy adults. Not suitable during pregnancy or for people with medical conditions; ask a doctor or dietitian.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories do I need a day?
It depends on your size, age, sex, and how active you are. This calculator estimates your basal metabolic rate (BMR) with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiplies it by an activity factor to get your maintenance calories, also called TDEE.
What are BMR and TDEE?
BMR is the energy your body burns at complete rest to stay alive. TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) adds everything else you do in a day, from walking to workouts. Eating at your TDEE keeps your weight steady.
How many calories should I cut to lose weight?
A deficit of about 550 calories a day leads to roughly 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) of weight loss a week, because one kilogram of body fat holds about 7,700 calories. Losing 0.25 to 1 kg a week is a sensible pace for most adults.
What is the lowest calorie intake that is safe?
Without medical supervision, most guidance advises women not to go below about 1,200 calories a day and men not below about 1,500. The calculator flags goals that fall under these levels.
Why add body fat percentage?
If you know your body fat percentage, the calculator switches to the Katch-McArdle formula, which is based on lean body mass. It is more accurate for very muscular or very lean people.