Calorie Calculator

Use our free calorie calculator to find out exactly how many calories you should eat per day. Enter your details to get your maintenance calories, a weight-loss target, a muscle-gain target, and a personalized macro split.

Calculate Your Daily Calories

Gender

How Many Calories Should You Eat Per Day?

Most moderately active adults need between 2,000 and 2,800 calories per day to maintain their weight. For weight loss, eat 300 to 500 fewer than your maintenance number. For muscle gain, eat 200 to 300 more. Use the calculator above for your exact personal number.

How This Calculator Works

First we estimate your basal metabolic rate with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the formula researchers consider most accurate. Then we multiply by your activity level to get your TDEE (maintenance calories), and adjust for your goal. Finally we split your target into macros: protein at 2 grams per kilogram of body weight, fat at 25 percent of calories, and the rest as carbohydrates.

Calorie Calculation Example

Take a 30-year-old woman who is 165 cm tall, weighs 65 kg, is lightly active, and wants to lose weight. Her BMR = 10 x 65 + 6.25 x 165 – 5 x 30 – 161 = 1370 kcal. Her TDEE = 1370 x 1.375 = 1884 kcal. With a moderate deficit of 500 kcal, her daily target = 1384 kcal. Her macros: protein 130g, fat 38g, carbs 131g.

Daily Calorie Targets by Goal

  • Lose weight (moderate): TDEE minus 500 kcal, about 0.5 kg per week
  • Lose weight (aggressive): TDEE minus 750 kcal, faster but harder to sustain
  • Maintain weight: eat at your TDEE
  • Gain muscle: TDEE plus 200 to 300 kcal with high protein

Do not drop below 1,200 calories per day (women) or 1,500 (men) without medical supervision. Very low intakes risk muscle loss, fatigue, and nutrient gaps. To find your personal daily target, use our free calorie deficit calculator.

What About Macros?

Calories decide whether you gain or lose weight, but macros decide what that weight is. Aim for about 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to protect muscle while dieting. Keep fat at 20 to 30 percent of calories for hormones and satiety. Fill the rest with carbohydrates to fuel training. Our TDEE calculator explains the energy-expenditure side in more depth.

Limitations

This calculator estimates; it does not measure. Real needs vary with muscle mass, sleep, stress, and daily movement. Treat the target as a starting point: follow it for two to three weeks, watch the scale trend, then adjust by 100 to 200 kcal.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

Eat 300 to 500 kcal below your TDEE. For most people that means roughly 1,600 to 2,200 kcal per day, but your exact number depends on your size and activity. Calculate it above for a personal target.

How many calories should I eat to gain muscle?

Eat 200 to 300 kcal above your TDEE with at least 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. A small surplus builds muscle with minimal fat gain.

How many calories should I eat per meal?

Divide your daily target by your meal count. On a 2,100 kcal target with 3 meals, that is about 700 kcal per meal. Keep protein even across meals for best results.

How many calories do I need while breastfeeding or pregnant?

Breastfeeding adds roughly 300 to 500 kcal per day; pregnancy adds about 340 kcal in the second trimester and 450 in the third. These are additions on top of your maintenance, so calculate your base first.

Is 1,200 calories a day enough?

For most adults, no. Very low calorie diets should only be followed with medical supervision. Most women should not go below 1,200 and most men not below 1,500 without a doctor involved.

Should I eat back the calories I burn exercising?

Generally no, because your activity level already includes your exercise. Eating back watch or app estimates usually double counts and erases your deficit.

How accurate is this calorie calculator?

The Mifflin-St Jeor equation lands within about 10 percent of measured values for most adults. Treat the result as a starting point and adjust based on two to three weeks of scale data.

Why am I not losing weight eating at my target?

The usual causes: an overestimated activity level, untracked snacks and drinks, or water-weight masking fat loss. Drop one activity level, track everything for a week, and reassess.

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