These are estimates for healthy adults. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or have a medical condition, plan your diet with your doctor or a registered dietitian.
Method: Mifflin-St Jeor equation. Results are estimates and are not medical advice.
How Daily Calorie Needs Are Calculated
The calculation has two steps. First it estimates your basal metabolic rate (BMR), the energy your body uses at complete rest. Then it multiplies BMR by an activity factor to get your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), the number of calories that keeps your weight stable.
- Men: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5
- Women: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age − 161
- Daily needs = BMR × activity factor (1.2 to 1.9)
If you enter US units, pounds are converted to kilograms (1 lb = 0.4536 kg) and feet and inches to centimeters (1 in = 2.54 cm) before the formula is applied.
Example
A 30-year-old woman who is 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) tall, weighs 70 kg (154 lb) and is moderately active: BMR = 700 + 1,062.5 − 150 − 161 = 1,451.5 kcal. Her daily needs are 1,451.5 × 1.55 ≈ 2,250 kcal.
How Many Calories to Lose Weight
A deficit of roughly 3,500 kcal corresponds to about 1 lb (0.45 kg) of body fat, so eating 500 kcal a day below your maintenance level leads to a loss of about 1 lb a week. The calculator never suggests going below 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 kcal for men, because larger deficits make it hard to meet nutrient needs and can lead to muscle loss.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is basal metabolic rate (BMR)?
BMR is the energy your body burns at complete rest to keep you breathing, circulate blood and maintain body temperature. For most people it makes up the largest share of the calories they burn each day.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
A common guideline is about 500 kcal a day below your maintenance calories, which leads to roughly 1 lb (0.5 kg) of weight loss per week. Women are generally advised not to go below 1,200 kcal and men below 1,500 kcal a day without medical supervision.
How accurate is this calorie calculator?
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation predicts resting metabolism within about 10% for most adults. People with a lot of muscle may need more, so treat the result as a starting point and adjust it based on how your weight changes over a few weeks.
Which activity level should I choose?
Count only deliberate exercise and physical work. Most people with an office job who work out three or four times a week fit Moderately active. If you are unsure, choose the lower level, since activity is easy to overestimate.