Find how many calories you need each day to maintain, lose or gain weight — from your age, sex, size and activity level, using the dietitian-trusted Mifflin-St Jeor equation.
cm
kg
ft
in
lb
To maintain your weight
2,556
calories per day
Calorie targets by goal
Goal
Rate
Calories/day
Extreme weight loss
~1 kg/week
1,556
Weight loss
~0.5 kg/week
2,056
Mild weight loss
~0.25 kg/week
2,306
Maintain weight
stay the same
2,556
Mild weight gain
~0.25 kg/week
2,806
Weight gain
~0.5 kg/week
3,056
Tip: for health, most adults should not eat below about 1,500 (men) or 1,200 (women) calories a day without medical advice.
How to use the calorie calculator
Enter your sex, age, height and weight, then choose the activity level that best matches your week. The big number is the calories that keep your weight steady; the table shows targets for losing or gaining weight at different speeds. Pick a goal you can stick to.
How the numbers work
Three steps turn your details into a calorie target:
1. BMR (calories at rest, Mifflin-St Jeor)1,649
2. × activity factor (moderate = 1.55)2,556
3. ± calories for your goalyour target
Frequently asked questions
It depends on your age, sex, size and how active you are. The calculator estimates your maintenance calories — the amount that keeps your weight steady — then shows targets above and below it for gaining or losing weight. For the example profile it is around 2,556 calories a day to maintain.
To lose weight you eat fewer calories than you burn. A deficit of about 500 calories a day leads to roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) of weight loss per week; 250 a day is a gentler 0.25 kg. The calculator shows each target so you can pick a sustainable pace.
It first finds your basal metabolic rate with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, multiplies it by an activity factor to get your total daily energy expenditure, then adds or subtracts calories for your goal. Maintenance equals your total daily expenditure.
Generally no. Very low intakes are hard to sustain and can fall short on nutrients. Most guidance suggests not dropping below about 1,500 calories a day for men or 1,200 for women without medical supervision. Slower, steady changes work better long term.
Yes — through the activity level you choose. If you log workouts separately you can pick a lower base level and add exercise calories on top, but the activity multiplier already includes typical training for that level.