Calorie Calculator
Every Diet Plan Starts With This Number
Before deciding what to eat, it helps to know how much. Whether the goal is losing fat, building muscle, or holding steady, the starting point is the same: an estimate of how many calories your body actually burns in a day. This calculator builds that number from the ground up — resting metabolism, activity level, and a specific goal — rather than handing you a single generic figure.
The Formula
Men: BMR = 10 × Weight(kg) + 6.25 × Height(cm) − 5 × Age + 5
Women: BMR = 10 × Weight(kg) + 6.25 × Height(cm) − 5 × Age − 161
TDEE = BMR × Activity Multiplier
Daily Calorie Target = TDEE + Goal Adjustment
Activity Multipliers and Goal Adjustments
| Activity level | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Sedentary (little or no exercise) | 1.2 |
| Lightly active (1–3 days/week) | 1.375 |
| Moderately active (3–5 days/week) | 1.55 |
| Very active (6–7 days/week) | 1.725 |
| Extra active (hard exercise + physical job) | 1.9 |
| Goal | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Mild weight loss (~0.25 kg/week) | −250 kcal/day |
| Weight loss (~0.5 kg/week) | −500 kcal/day |
| Maintain weight | 0 kcal/day |
| Mild weight gain (~0.25 kg/week) | +250 kcal/day |
| Weight gain (~0.5 kg/week) | +500 kcal/day |
Why the Adjustment Numbers Look the Way They Do
A pound of body fat stores roughly 3,500 kcal, so a sustained daily deficit or surplus of 500 kcal works out to about a pound a week — the 250/500 kcal adjustments above map to the "mild" and "standard" weekly rate options.
How to Use This Calculator
- Choose Metric or Imperial units.
- Select Male or Female.
- Enter your age, weight, and height.
- Choose your activity level from the dropdown.
- Choose your goal (loss, maintenance, or gain).
- Select Calculate to get your daily calorie target, along with the BMR and TDEE it was built from.
Related Calculations
See the underlying numbers on their own with the BMR Calculator and TDEE Calculator, or split your target into macros with the Macro Calculator.