Calorie Calculator
Get one clear answer to a simple question: how many calories should you eat a day? Enter your details and pick a goal, and this calculator turns your maintenance calories into a daily target for losing, holding, or gaining weight.
Your daily calories will appear here
Enter your details and goal, then click calculate to see how much to eat each day.
Quick Answer
To find your daily calories, work out your maintenance number (your TDEE), then adjust for your goal. Since about 3,500 calories equal a pound, eating 500 calories a day below maintenance loses roughly a pound a week, and eating 500 above gains about the same. Keep any deficit under about 1,000 calories a day.
How It Works: Formula & Variables
The calculation runs in three steps. First your resting burn, then your maintenance calories, then an adjustment for your goal. W is weight in kilograms, H is height in centimeters, and A is age in years; imperial entries are converted before anything is calculated.
BMR (men) = (10 × W) + (6.25 × H) − (5 × A) + 5
BMR (women) = (10 × W) + (6.25 × H) − (5 × A) − 161
TDEE (maintenance) = BMR × activity factor
Goal calories = TDEE ± daily adjustment
- Sedentary
- ×1.2 — little or no exercise
- Light
- ×1.375 — exercise 1-3 days/week
- Moderate
- ×1.55 — exercise 3-5 days/week
- Active
- ×1.725 — exercise 6-7 days/week
- Very Active
- ×1.9 — hard exercise, physical job
| Goal | Daily calories |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | TDEE |
| Mild weight loss (~0.5 lb/week) | TDEE − 250 |
| Weight loss (~1 lb/week) | TDEE − 500 |
| Mild weight gain (~0.5 lb/week) | TDEE + 250 |
| Weight gain (~1 lb/week) | TDEE + 500 |
The 3,500-calories-per-pound rule and these goal adjustments follow the approach used by Calculator.net's calorie calculator. The BMR step uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation recommended by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Man who wants to lose about a pound a week
A 30-year-old man weighing 180 lb (81.6 kg) at 5'10" (177.8 cm), moderately active. BMR = (10 × 81.6) + (6.25 × 177.8) − (5 × 30) + 5 = 816 + 1,111.25 − 150 + 5 = 1,782. TDEE = 1,782 × 1.55 = 2,762 calories/day to maintain. For a pound a week: 2,762 − 500 = about 2,262 calories/day. (This BMR and TDEE match our TDEE Calculator exactly, since both use the same Mifflin-St Jeor equation and activity factors.)
Example 2: Woman maintaining her weight
A 28-year-old woman weighing 140 lb (63.5 kg) at 5'5" (165 cm), lightly active. BMR = (10 × 63.5) + (6.25 × 165) − (5 × 28) − 161 = 635 + 1,031.25 − 140 − 161 = 1,365. TDEE = 1,365 × 1.375 = about 1,877 calories/day to maintain.
Key Concepts
Maintenance is your anchor: your TDEE is the calorie level that holds your weight steady. Every goal is just a shift up or down from there, so getting maintenance right matters more than any diet trick.
Energy balance sets the pace: since about 3,500 calories equal a pound, a 500-calorie daily gap moves you roughly a pound a week. A smaller 250-calorie gap is gentler and often easier to hold.
BMR is not an eating target: your basal metabolic rate is what you burn at complete rest. Eating at that level underfeeds everything you do on top of resting, which is why we build up to TDEE first.
Want the deeper breakdown? The TDEE Calculator shows the full energy-expenditure picture and a macro split, and the Macro Calculator turns your target into grams of protein, carbs, and fat.
Common Mistakes
Overestimating your activity level: most people move less than they think. If you are between two levels, pick the lower one and adjust upward later if the scale barely moves.
Cutting too aggressively: going more than 20 to 25% below your TDEE, or past a 1,000-calorie daily deficit, risks muscle loss and burnout. Steady beats drastic.
Treating the number as exact: it is a starting point, not a measurement. Track your weight for a few weeks and nudge your target up or down based on what actually happens.
Eating at your BMR: BMR is a resting floor, not a meal plan. Base your intake on TDEE, then adjust for your goal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Start with your maintenance calories, which is your TDEE. To lose weight at a steady pace, eat about 500 calories a day below that number, which works out to roughly a pound a week. To gain, add about 500 a day instead. If you want a gentler pace, a 250-calorie shift moves you at about half a pound a week either way.
A pound of body weight is worth roughly 3,500 calories, so a daily deficit of 500 calories adds up to about a pound of loss per week. This is a rule of thumb rather than an exact law, since your body adapts as you lose, but it is a reliable starting point for setting a target.
Your TDEE is your maintenance number, the calories you burn in a typical day. The TDEE Calculator is the place to understand where that number comes from, including your activity factor and a macro split. This Calorie Calculator takes the next step and turns it into a concrete decision: how much to actually eat for the goal you pick, whether that is losing, maintaining, or gaining.
No. Keep any deficit under about 1,000 calories a day. Losing more than roughly 2 pounds a week tends to cost you muscle rather than just fat, and very aggressive cuts are hard to stick with and can leave you low on energy and nutrients. Slower and steadier holds up far better over months.
Even the best BMR equation lands within about 10% of a measured resting metabolism for roughly 80% of people, and the TDEE step on top usually falls within 10 to 15%. Treat the result as a well-informed starting point, not a precise reading. Follow your weight for a few weeks and adjust your target if the trend does not match what you expected.
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the same one on our BMR and TDEE calculators. It is the equation the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends for adults, which is why we lead with it here.
Related Calculators
TDEE Calculator
See the full energy-expenditure breakdown and macro split behind your maintenance calories.
Macro Calculator
Turn your calorie target into daily protein, carb, and fat grams.
BMR Calculator
Calculate the resting baseline behind your calorie needs.
BMI Calculator
Calculate your Body Mass Index and weight category.
Medical disclaimer
For educational purposes only — not professional medical or nutrition advice. Consult a qualified professional before making dietary or exercise changes.
Sources: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Mifflin-St Jeor recommendation), Calculator.net calorie calculator (energy-balance goal adjustments).