Calorie calculator
Estimate daily calories for maintenance, weight loss, or weight gain.
What this calculator covers
Use this calorie calculator to estimate a daily intake target for maintaining weight or for a simple gain-or-loss planning scenario.
The result is built in layers, starting with resting metabolism and then adding an activity multiplier before the goal adjustment is applied.
The gain-loss shortcut is intentionally simple, so it is best treated as a starting estimate rather than a prediction of exact weekly change.
Frequently asked questions
- What formula does this calculator use for resting metabolism?
- It uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which estimates basal metabolic rate from weight, height, age, and biological sex. Mifflin-St Jeor is widely cited in nutrition research as a reasonably accurate population-level estimate for adults.
- Why does the calculator ask for biological sex?
- The Mifflin-St Jeor formula has different constants for male and female, reflecting average differences in muscle mass and fat distribution. The field is used only as a formula input, not as an identity label.
- How accurate is the 500 kcal/day adjustment for weight loss or gain?
- The 500 kcal/day figure is a well-known planning shortcut based on the rough caloric value of a pound of body fat. In practice, metabolic adaptation, water retention, and individual variation mean actual results differ from the projection. Treat the output as a starting point to adjust based on observed progress over several weeks.
- What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
- BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the calories your body uses at complete rest. TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) multiplies BMR by an activity factor to account for movement throughout the day. The calorie target is built on TDEE, then shifted up or down by the goal adjustment.
Tool
Run the calculation
Result
RESULT · CALORIES
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Primary result
2,720 kcal/day
The estimated calorie target is 2,720 kcal/day after turning a TDEE of 2,720 kcal/day into a maintain plan with a 0 kcal adjustment.
- Estimated BMR
- 1,755 kcal/day
- Estimated TDEE
- 2,720 kcal/day
- Goal adjustment
- 0 kcal/day
- Daily calorie target
- 2,720 kcal/day
Step-by-step solution
- 1.Estimate BMR first, then multiply it by the 1.550 activity factor to get a maintenance baseline of 2,720 kcal/day.
- 2.Apply the goal adjustment of 0 kcal/day for maintenance.
- 3.Round the resulting daily target to 2,720 kcal/day.
Walkthrough
Visual walkthrough
The calorie target calculator layers a simple gain-loss adjustment on top of a TDEE maintenance estimate.
01
Estimate maintenance calories
1,755 × 1.550 = 2,720
Maintenance calories come from resting metabolism multiplied by the selected activity level.
02
Apply the goal adjustment
2,720 + 0
The calculator uses a flat 500 kcal/day adjustment to model roughly one pound per week of gain or loss.
03
Read the daily target
The rounded result is a planning estimate, not a replacement for clinical or coaching guidance.
2,720 kcal/day