Calorie Calculator

Eat fewer calories than your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). A deficit of about 500 calories a day is a common, sustainable target — roughly 0.45 kg (1 lb) of fat per week. The calculator shows your maintenance figure plus mild, moderate and aggressive deficit options so you can pick a realistic pace.

Aim for a modest surplus — around 250–500 calories above your TDEE — paired with resistance training and enough protein (roughly 1.6–2.2 g per kg of body weight). A "lean bulk" minimises fat gain; very large surpluses mostly add fat rather than muscle.

Basal Metabolic Rate is the number of calories your body burns at complete rest to keep essential functions running — breathing, circulation, cell repair and brain activity. It typically accounts for 60–70% of the calories you burn each day.

Total Daily Energy Expenditure is your BMR multiplied by an activity factor. It estimates everything you burn in a day, including exercise and daily movement, and is the number your intake is compared against to lose, maintain or gain weight.

1,200 calories is the lower bound often quoted for women and is quite restrictive — many people need more to meet nutrient needs and avoid muscle loss. Sustained very-low-calorie intakes should only be followed under professional supervision. The calculator flags targets below the recommended minimum.

For most people the Mifflin-St Jeor equation is the most accurate of the common formulas. Harris-Benedict is the older standard and tends to read slightly higher. Katch-McArdle can be more accurate for lean, muscular individuals because it uses body-fat percentage to estimate lean mass.

The RDA minimum is 0.8 g per kg of body weight, but active people benefit from 1.2–2.0 g/kg, and those building muscle often aim for up to ~2.2 g/kg. The calculator shows a minimum, optimal and muscle-building target based on your weight.

A rate of 0.5–1 kg (1–2 lb) per week is widely considered safe and sustainable. Faster loss increases the risk of muscle loss, nutrient gaps and rebound weight gain. Slower, consistent deficits are easier to maintain long term.

Yes — weight loss is driven primarily by a calorie deficit, which you can create through diet alone. Exercise helps by increasing the calories you burn, preserving muscle, and improving overall health, but it is not strictly required to lose weight.

Calorie cycling varies your intake from day to day while keeping the same weekly average — for example, eating more on training days and less on rest days. Some people find it easier to stick to and it can help with social eating. The weekly plan above offers a constant and a zigzag option.

A calorie is a unit of energy, so 100 calories of protein and 100 calories of carbohydrate contain the same energy. However, protein has a higher thermic effect (your body burns more digesting it) and is more satiating, which is why higher-protein diets often help with fat loss.

Maintenance calories equal your TDEE — the point where intake matches expenditure and weight stays stable. Calculate your BMR, multiply by your activity factor, and the result is roughly what you need to maintain your current weight.

Yes. BMR tends to decline with age, partly due to loss of muscle mass, so older adults generally need fewer calories than younger ones of the same weight and height. The formulas here include age as a direct input.

As you lose weight your body needs fewer calories (a smaller body burns less), and metabolism can adapt slightly to lower intake. The deficit that once worked may now be maintenance. Recalculating your calories at your new weight usually restarts progress.

Yes — recalculate every 4–5 kg (about 10 lb) of change. Your BMR and TDEE drop as you get lighter, so an out-of-date target gradually becomes too high to keep losing (or too low to maintain).

Wearables estimate calorie burn and can be off by 20–40%, especially for non-step activities. They are useful for tracking trends over time but should not be treated as exact. Base your intake on a calculated TDEE and adjust using real-world results.

Yes. Many people add calories on training days to fuel performance and recovery, then eat slightly less on rest days — a form of calorie cycling. As long as your weekly average matches your goal, day-to-day variation is fine.

Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so more muscle raises your resting calorie burn — though the effect per kilogram is modest (around 13 kcal/day). The bigger benefit of muscle is during and after exercise, plus better body composition.

Alcohol provides about 7 calories per gram — nearly as much as fat (9) and almost double carbohydrate or protein (4). These calories add up quickly and offer no nutritional value, which is why alcohol can stall weight loss.

Calorie counting is an estimate, not an exact science: food labels are allowed a margin of error, portion sizes vary, and absorption differs between foods. It is still one of the most effective tools for awareness and weight control when used consistently rather than perfectly.

A common guide is about 30–40 ml per kg of body weight, adjusted up for heat and exercise. The calculator estimates roughly 35 ml/kg; thirst, urine colour and activity are good day-to-day cues.

Total carbohydrate counts all carbs; net carbs subtract fibre (and sometimes sugar alcohols) because they are not fully digested for energy. Low-carb and keto dieters often track net carbs, while general calorie counting uses total carbohydrate.