How this calorie calculator works
Your body burns calories all day, even when you're asleep. The calculator works out your numbers in four steps, the same way a dietitian would do it on paper.
Your resting burn
First it finds your BMR: the energy you use just breathing, pumping blood and staying warm. It uses the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, which is based on your weight, height, age and sex.
How much you move
Then it multiplies that by your activity level. A desk worker and a builder of the same size can be 700 calories apart. The result is your maintenance number.
Your goal
Next it adds or takes away calories. A pound of body fat holds about 3,500 calories, so eating 500 fewer a day works out to roughly a pound a week.
Your macros
Last, it splits your calories into protein, carbs and fat. Protein is set from your body weight, a bit higher when you're losing weight, fat is about 25% of calories, and carbs fill in the rest.
Your calories for every goal
Here's what to eat each day to lose, keep or gain weight at different speeds, worked out from the details you entered above.
| Goal | Calories a day | In 12 weeks |
|---|
Based on about 3,500 calories per pound of body fat. Targets never go below 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 for men.
What is TDEE?
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It's the total number of calories you burn in a day: what your body uses at rest, plus walking around, working, exercising and even digesting food.
Think of it as your break-even point. Eat about your TDEE and your weight stays the same. Eat less and you lose weight, eat more and you gain. That's why every calorie target on this page starts from your TDEE and then adds or takes away calories for your goal.
How many calories should I eat a day?
Most women need about 1,600 to 2,400 calories a day and most men about 2,000 to 3,000. Here are the ranges from the US Dietary Guidelines by age. The lower end is for people who barely exercise, the higher end for people who are active. For a number that fits you, use the calculator above.
| Age | Women | Men |
|---|
| 19–30 | 1,800–2,400 | 2,400–3,000 |
| 31–59 | 1,600–2,200 | 2,200–3,000 |
| 60+ | 1,600–2,000 | 2,000–2,600 |
Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025 (USDA and HHS). Calories per day.
Daily calorie guidelines in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand
Each country uses a reference number on food labels. These are averages for labelling, not a target for you, but they're a handy comparison.
| Country | Reference intake | Who sets it |
|---|
| United Kingdom | 2,000 kcal women · 2,500 kcal men | NHS |
| United States | 2,000 kcal on food labels | FDA |
| Canada | 2,000 kcal on food labels | Health Canada |
| Australia | 8,700 kJ (about 2,080 kcal) | Food Standards Australia New Zealand |
| New Zealand | 8,700 kJ (about 2,080 kcal) | Food Standards Australia New Zealand |
In Australia and New Zealand, food labels show energy in kilojoules. One calorie (kcal) is about 4.2 kJ, so this calculator also shows your target in kJ.
Questions people ask
How many calories should I eat a day?
Most women need about 1,600 to 2,400 calories a day and most men about 2,000 to 3,000, according to the US Dietary Guidelines. Your own number depends on your age, size and how active you are, which is what the calculator above works out.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
Eat about 500 calories a day less than your TDEE. That usually leads to around 1 pound (0.45 kg) of weight loss a week. Pick "Lose 1 lb a week" above and the calculator does the math for you.
How many calories should a woman eat to lose weight?
Many women lose weight steadily on 1,400 to 1,800 calories a day, but it depends on height, weight and activity. Don't go under 1,200 a day without a doctor's guidance.
How many calories should a man eat to lose weight?
Many men lose weight steadily on 1,800 to 2,400 calories a day, depending on size and activity. Don't go under 1,500 a day without a doctor's guidance.
How many calories do I burn a day?
That's your TDEE. For most adults it's somewhere between 1,600 and 3,000 calories. The calculator above shows yours, and the TDEE calculator breaks it down into resting burn, movement and digestion.
How accurate is this calorie calculator?
For most adults it lands close enough to use as a starting point. Bodies differ, so treat the number as your first guess, follow it for two or three weeks, then adjust by 100 to 200 calories based on what the scale does.
What's the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is what you'd burn lying in bed all day. TDEE adds everything else you do, from walking to the store to a gym session. Your TDEE is always higher than your BMR, and it's the number to plan your eating around.
Is 1,500 calories a day enough to lose weight?
For many women and smaller men, yes. For taller or very active people it can be too low and hard to stick with. Use the calculator to see where 1,500 sits compared with your own TDEE.
Is it safe to eat 1,200 calories a day?
For many people it is too low to keep up, and it makes it hard to get enough protein and nutrients. That is why this calculator never goes below 1,200 calories for women or 1,500 for men. If you want to go lower, talk to a doctor first.
Can teenagers use this calorie calculator?
No. The formula here was built for adults. Teens are still growing, so they should use our teen calorie calculator, which includes the extra energy needed for growth.
