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Calorie Calculator

Calculate your daily calorie needs based on age, weight, height, activity level, and weight goal.

About the Calories Calculator

Daily calorie needs depend on your body size, age, sex, and how active you are — and your goal (losing, maintaining, or gaining weight) shifts that number further. This calculator estimates your baseline metabolic rate and adjusts it for activity and goal to give you a practical daily calorie target.

How It Works

The calculator first computes your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — the calories your body burns at complete rest — using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, widely regarded as one of the most accurate BMR formulas available. It then multiplies BMR by an activity factor matching your selected activity level to estimate Total Daily Energy Expenditure, and applies a 500-calorie adjustment up or down if your goal is weight loss or gain.

BMR = 10×weight(kg) + 6.25×height(cm) − 5×age + (5 for male, −161 for female); TDEE = BMR × activity factor; Goal adjustment ±500 kcal.

Example

Scenario: A 30-year-old male, 70 kg, 175 cm, moderately active, aiming to maintain weight.

Result: BMR of about 1,649 kcal, scaled up to roughly 2,556 kcal per day at a moderate activity level.

Assumptions & Limitations

  • Uses a standard ±500 calorie per day adjustment for weight loss or gain, which corresponds to roughly one pound of change per week.
  • The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is applied uniformly across all adult ages and body types.
  • Individual metabolism varies due to genetics, muscle mass, and health conditions, so actual needs may differ from this estimate by a meaningful margin.
  • Not intended for children, pregnant or breastfeeding individuals, or people with certain medical conditions affecting metabolism.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why 500 calories for weight loss or gain?
A daily deficit or surplus of about 500 calories is a widely used estimate that corresponds to roughly one pound of body weight change per week, based on the approximate 3,500 calorie energy equivalent of a pound of fat.
What activity level should I choose if I'm not sure?
Most people with a desk job and light exercise a few times a week fall into 'Light' or 'Moderate' — it's better to underestimate activity level slightly than overestimate, since overestimating can stall weight loss progress.
How is this different from the TDEE Calculator?
This calculator builds on the same TDEE math but adds a goal-based calorie adjustment on top, giving you a direct target number for losing, maintaining, or gaining weight.

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