Calorie Calculator
Daily calories to maintain your weight, or a target with a reduction or increase you choose, with clear warnings.
About you
Filled in with example values. Replace them with your own.
Your goal
Optional
Uses Katch-McArdle for BMR, which accounts for lean body mass.
Results update as you type.
Result
Maintenance: about 2,759 kcal a day (maintenance 2,759, BMR 1,780)
Maintenance calories
2,759kcal a day
An estimate, not medical advice. These numbers are rough estimates from general equations, not a diet plan. Energy needs differ between people and change as your weight, activity and age change. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or have or have had an eating disorder, talk to a doctor before counting calories.
- Maintenance (TDEE)BMR × 1.55
- 2,759 kcal
- BMRMifflin-St Jeor
- 1,780 kcal
- Per week
- 19,313 kcal
Compared (kcal a day)
How it’s calculated
BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor)
10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age + 5 = 1,780 kcal
Maintenance
1,780 × 1.55 = 2,759 kcal
Important
This calculator gives a general estimate from a published formula. It is not a diagnosis and not medical advice, and it cannot take your health, medicines or history into account. It is not a diet plan. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or have or have had an eating disorder, talk to a doctor before counting calories.For advice about your weight, diet or health, talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian. See theDisclaimer.
How the calorie calculator works
First it estimates your maintenance calories, the energy you use in a day, in the same way as the TDEE Calculator: your basal metabolic rate (BMR) from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, or Katch-McArdle if you enter body fat, times an activity multiplier.
If you want to eat less or more than that, you choose the daily change yourself, in kcal or as a percentage of maintenance. The calculator never suggests an amount. It warns you if the result falls below your estimated BMR or into the very-low-calorie range.
The formula
Maintenance = BMR × Activity multiplier
Target = Maintenance − Your reduction (or + Your increase)
The BMR equations and activity multipliers are explained on the BMR and TDEE calculator pages.
Worked example
A man, 30, 180 cm, 80 kg, moderately active:
- BMR: 10 × 80 + 6.25 × 180 − 5 × 30 + 5 = 1,780 kcal
- Maintenance: 1,780 × 1.55 = 2,759 kcal a day
- With a reduction of 500 kcal that he chose: 2,759 − 500 = 2,259 kcal a day, still above his BMR
Limitations
- Maintenance is an estimate from average equations; your real energy use can be noticeably higher or lower.
- Energy needs change as your weight and activity change, so the numbers need updating over time.
- It says nothing about what to eat: nutrients, protein and food quality are not covered.
- For adults only; not for pregnancy, breastfeeding or medical conditions affecting metabolism.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I cut to lose weight?
This calculator does not recommend an amount. The right change depends on your health, your starting point and your goals, so it is a question for a doctor or registered dietitian. You choose the reduction, and the calculator shows where it puts you compared with your estimated maintenance and BMR.
Why does it not tell me how fast I will lose weight?
Fixed rules such as “a set number of calories per kilogram” assume the body keeps using the same energy as you eat less. In reality it adapts, so predictions from such rules tend to drift from what happens. Rather than show a figure that may mislead, the calculator leaves it out.
What does the very-low-calorie warning mean?
Diets of 800 kcal a day or less are classed as very-low-calorie diets and are only used under medical supervision. If your target falls this low, please talk to a doctor before following it.
Why compare the target with BMR?
BMR is the energy your body uses at complete rest. A target below it means eating less than you would use lying still all day, which is a large reduction worth discussing with a professional first.
How is this different from the TDEE Calculator?
The TDEE Calculator estimates maintenance calories only. This calculator starts from the same estimate and lets you add or take off an amount of your choice.