Daily Calorie Calculator
Work out how many calories you need per day to maintain, lose or gain weight. Uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and your activity level. Metric and imperial.
| Lose weight (~1 lb/week) | 2056 kcal |
|---|---|
| Gain weight (~1 lb/week) | 3056 kcal |
| BMR (at rest) | 1649 kcal |
A 500-kcal daily deficit or surplus is about 1 lb (0.45 kg) per week, since a pound of fat is roughly 3,500 kcal. Don't drop below ~1,200 (women) or ~1,500 (men) without medical guidance.
⚕️ This is an educational estimate, not medical advice. Formulas are population averages and can't account for your full health picture — talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before making decisions about diet, weight or training.
How this calculator works
We estimate your resting metabolism with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, multiply by an activity factor to get your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), then subtract or add 500 calories for weight loss or gain — roughly 1 lb (0.45 kg) per week, since a pound of fat is about 3,500 kcal.
These are starting estimates. Track your weight for two to three weeks and adjust: if it isn't moving the way you want, nudge calories by 100–200 per day rather than making a big change.