Calorie Calculator — Find Your Daily Calorie Target
Use this free calorie calculator to find out exactly how many calories you need each day based on your age, weight, height, gender and activity level. Get your BMR, TDEE, recommended macros and a personalised calorie target for your goal — whether that’s losing weight, gaining weight or maintaining.
Calorie Calculator
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How to Use the Calorie Calculator
Choose metric or imperial units. Enter your age, gender, weight and height. Select your activity level — be honest here as this has the biggest impact on your result. Choose your goal and click Calculate for your full calorie and macro breakdown.
How Daily Calories Are Calculated
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — the most accurate formula for estimating calorie needs for most people. It calculates your BMR first then multiplies by your activity level to get your TDEE.
BMR 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
BMR vs TDEE — What's the Difference?
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the number of calories your body burns at complete rest — just to keep your heart beating, lungs breathing and organs functioning. Most people’s BMR is between 1,400 and 1,800 calories.
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is your BMR multiplied by your activity level. It represents the total calories you actually burn in a day including exercise, walking and daily movement. This is your maintenance calorie level — eat above it to gain weight, below it to lose weight.
How Many Calories to Lose Weight?
A calorie deficit of 500 calories per day leads to approximately 0.5kg of fat loss per week. This is generally considered a safe and sustainable rate. More aggressive deficits can cause muscle loss and fatigue.
A deficit of 250 calories per day gives slower but more sustainable weight loss of around 0.25kg per week — better for people who want to maintain muscle mass or find larger deficits hard to sustain.
What Are Macros?
Macros (macronutrients) are the three main nutrients your body uses for energy — protein, carbohydrates and fat. Each macro contains different calories per gram: protein and carbs contain 4 calories per gram while fat contains 9 calories per gram.
Hitting your calorie target matters most for weight management — but the macro split affects body composition, energy levels and hunger. Higher protein generally helps preserve muscle during weight loss and keeps you fuller for longer.
FAQs
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
Eat 500 fewer calories than your TDEE per day to lose approximately 0.5kg per week. This calculator automatically adjusts your target based on your goal.
What is BMR?
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the number of calories your body burns at complete rest. It’s calculated based on your age, gender, weight and height using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.
What is TDEE?
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is your BMR multiplied by your activity level. It represents total daily calorie burn including exercise and movement — your maintenance calorie level.
How accurate is this calculator?
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is considered the most accurate BMR formula for most adults. However individual results vary based on muscle mass, metabolism, hormones and other factors. Use the result as a starting point and adjust based on real-world results over 2-3 weeks.
How much protein should I eat per day?
A common recommendation for active people is 1.6-2.2g of protein per kg of bodyweight. This calculator uses 2g per kg as a standard target which suits most goals including weight loss and muscle building.
Is 1200 calories too low?
For most adults yes — eating below 1,200 calories (women) or 1,500 calories (men) is generally not recommended without medical supervision as it can cause nutrient deficiencies and muscle loss.
Is this calculator free?
Yes completely free with no sign-up needed.