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Calorie Calculator

Find your daily calorie needs for weight loss, maintenance, or muscle gain.

Complete Guide

Overview

A calorie is the unit of energy your body uses to function. Understanding your daily caloric needs is the foundation of any diet plan. Too few calories and you lose both fat and muscle; too many and you gain fat. This calculator finds your personal target based on your stats and goal.

How to Use

Enter gender, age, height, and weight.

Select your activity level honestly.

Choose your goal: Lose Weight (–500 kcal deficit), Maintain, or Gain Muscle (+500 kcal surplus).

Click Calculate for your daily calorie target.

Formula & Calculation

Target Calories = TDEE + Goal Adjustment
Lose: –500 kcal/day ≈ 0.5 kg loss/week
Gain: +500 kcal/day ≈ 0.5 kg gain/week

Benefits of Using This Calculator

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Goal-Based Results

Tailored to whether you want to lose, maintain, or gain.

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Science-Backed

Uses Mifflin-St Jeor + activity multipliers.

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Instant Calculation

No complex tracking required to start.

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Diet Planning

Foundation for any meal plan or diet strategy.

Pro Tips

Track food with an app like MyFitnessPal to stay on target.
Reassess calories every 4–6 weeks as your weight changes.
Never go below 1200 kcal (women) or 1500 kcal (men) without medical supervision.

In-Depth Guide

Calorie Calculator: How Many Calories Do You Need Per Day?

How many calories should you eat? A generic 2000 kcal target may be too much for one person and too little for another. This calculator gives you a personalised daily number based on your actual body stats, activity level, and goal.

What Is a Calorie?

A calorie (kilocalorie) is a unit of energy. When you eat more energy than you burn, the excess is stored. When you eat less, stored energy (primarily fat) is released. Getting this balance right is the core of body weight management.

The Formula

Step 1 — BMR (Male): (10×W) + (6.25×H) − (5×A) + 5
Step 1 — BMR (Female): (10×W) + (6.25×H) − (5×A) − 161
Step 2 — TDEE: BMR × Activity Multiplier
Step 3 — Goal: Weight Loss: −500 kcal | Maintenance: 0 | Muscle Gain: +500 kcal

Worked Example

Female, 27 years, 62 kg, 164 cm, lightly active, goal: weight loss.

BMR = 620 + 1025 − 135 − 161 = 1349 kcal
TDEE = 1349 × 1.375 = 1855 kcal
Target = 1855 − 500 = 1355 kcal/day

Get your personalised target instantly with our Calorie Calculator.

Goal-Based Calorie Targets

Goal	Adjustment	Expected Rate
Weight Loss	TDEE − 500 kcal/day	~0.45 kg fat/week
Maintenance	TDEE exactly	Weight stays stable
Muscle Gain	TDEE + 200–500 kcal/day	Gradual lean mass gain

Why Getting This Right Matters

Precision beats guessing. Most people underestimate food intake by 20–30% when estimating portions.
Prevents muscle loss. Too aggressive a deficit causes lean mass breakdown alongside fat loss.
Sets realistic expectations. A 500 kcal/day deficit × 52 weeks = roughly 24 kg of fat loss per year — but only if maintained consistently.

Practical Tips

Never go below your BMR. Eating below your resting metabolic rate for extended periods harms both metabolism and health.

Track food accurately. Use a food scale and logging app — volume estimates are notoriously inaccurate.

Recalculate every 4–6 weeks. Weight loss reduces TDEE — not adjusting is the most common cause of plateaus.

Final Thoughts

Your daily calorie target is the cornerstone of any body composition plan. With the right number, everything else — macros, meal planning, and progress tracking — falls into place.

Get your personalised target with our free Calorie Calculator in under a minute.