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Calorie Calculator
Estimate the daily calories you need to maintain, lose or gain weight.
A calorie target is a starting hypothesis, not a prescription. The calculator gives you a number to test against reality for a few weeks, and reality gets the final word.
Getting your number
- Enter your age, sex, height and weight.
- Choose the activity level that matches your actual week.
- Read your maintenance calories — roughly what keeps you where you are.
- Pick a goal to see an adjusted target for losing or gaining.
- Track your weight for two to three weeks and adjust from what actually happens.
How the estimate is produced
The calculator works out your basal metabolic rate using an established equation such as Mifflin–St Jeor, then multiplies it by an activity factor. BMR is the energy your body uses just staying alive; the multiplier accounts for movement, exercise and digestion.
These equations are built from population averages. Individual metabolism varies by around 10% either side, and body composition matters too — muscle costs more to maintain than fat. Two people with identical height, weight and age can genuinely need different amounts.
Making the number useful
- Change one thing at a time, or you will not know what worked.
- Weigh yourself at the same time of day; daily fluctuation of a kilogram or two is water, not fat.
- Judge progress on a weekly average rather than any single morning.
- A deficit of 300–500 calories a day is sustainable; much more usually is not.
- Protein and sleep affect how much of any loss comes from muscle rather than fat.
When to talk to someone qualified
This is a general-purpose estimator, and there are situations where it is the wrong tool. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, managing diabetes, thyroid disease or another medical condition, recovering from an eating disorder, or calculating for a child, the right next step is a doctor or registered dietitian rather than a website. The same applies if you are considering a very low calorie intake for any length of time.
Calorie questions
How many calories do I need each day?
For most adults the maintenance figure lands somewhere between 1,600 and 3,000 calories, depending on size, sex and activity. The calculator narrows that to an estimate for you, but treat it as a starting point to test rather than a fixed requirement.
How big a deficit should I use to lose weight?
Around 300–500 calories a day is the usual advice, producing gradual loss that is easier to sustain and less likely to cost you muscle. Aggressive deficits tend to fail for behavioural reasons long before they fail for physiological ones.
Why has my weight stopped changing?
Partly because a lighter body burns fewer calories, so the deficit you started with shrinks as you lose. Portions also tend to drift upward over time without anyone noticing. Recalculate every few kilograms.
Does it matter where the calories come from?
For weight change, total intake does most of the work. For how you feel, perform and hold onto muscle, composition matters a great deal — particularly adequate protein and fibre.
How accurate is this calculator?
Typically within about 10% for most people. It cannot account for individual metabolic variation, medication or body composition, which is why the honest answer is always to test it against your own results.
