Health & Fitness
Calorie Calculator
Find your daily calorie target for losing weight, maintaining, or gaining muscle.
Your daily calorie targets
🎯 Maintain weight
Your maintenance level
2,693kcal
🔻 Mild loss (~0.5 lb/week)
2,443kcal
🔻 Weight loss (~1 lb/week)
2,193kcal
🔻 Aggressive loss (~2 lb/week)
Not recommended long-term
1,693kcal
🔺 Lean bulk (~0.5 lb/week)
2,993kcal
🔺 Aggressive bulk (~1 lb/week)
3,193kcal
Breakdown
BMR (resting calories)
1,737kcal
TDEE (total daily)
2,693kcal
How this works
Your daily calorie target is your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) adjusted for your goal. We compute TDEE from your BMR using Mifflin-St Jeor, then multiply by an activity factor. For weight loss, we subtract a calorie deficit; for gain, we add a surplus.
The 500 calorie/day deficit produces ~1 lb of fat loss per week (3,500 kcal ≈ 1 lb). For sustainable progress, do not go below 75% of your TDEE without professional guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories should I eat per day?▾
Most adults need 1,800–2,800 calories per day to maintain weight, depending on sex, age, body size, and activity level. Use the calculator above for a personalized estimate. To lose 1 lb/week, eat ~500 calories below maintenance; to gain ~0.5 lb/week, eat ~300 above.
How is my calorie target calculated?▾
We use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (1990) — the most accurate formula on average. It computes your BMR (basal metabolic rate) from your sex, age, height, and weight, then multiplies by an activity factor (1.2–1.9) to get your TDEE.
Is a 1,200 calorie diet safe?▾
Generally not without medical supervision. The minimum recommended daily intake is around 1,500 kcal for women and 1,800 kcal for men. Going lower for extended periods can cause muscle loss, hormonal issues, and metabolic adaptation. We do not recommend deficits below 25% of TDEE.
How fast can I safely lose weight?▾
A safe and sustainable rate is 0.5–1% of body weight per week. For most adults that means 1–2 lb (0.5–1 kg) per week. Faster loss is mostly water and muscle, not fat, and is harder to sustain.
Should I eat back exercise calories?▾
If you used the activity multiplier above (which already includes exercise), no — adding more would double-count. If you set yourself to "Sedentary" because you want to track exercise separately, then yes, add back ~50–75% of calories burned during workouts.