Calorie Calculator

Enter your stats, how active you are, and your goal. You will get a daily calorie target and what to expect at that intake.

How the target is worked out

Your BMR is estimated with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.
It is multiplied by your activity factor to get maintenance calories (TDEE).
A daily adjustment is applied for your goal: −500, −250, 0, +250, or +500 calories.

The rule of thumb is that about 7,700 calories equals one kilogram of body weight (3,500 per pound), so a 500-calorie daily deficit trends to roughly 0.5 kg a week and a 250-calorie deficit to about 0.25 kg. Progress is rarely that smooth week to week because of water and glycogen shifts — judge it over a month, not a morning.

Worked example

A 30-year-old woman, 165 cm, 68 kg, moderately active has a TDEE of about 2,050 calories. Choosing "lose ~0.5 kg/week" sets the target at 1,550 calories/day. That is above the ~1,200 floor, so it is a reasonable cut. If after three weeks her weekly-average weight has not moved, she trims to about 1,400 and re-checks.

Making the deficit stick

Protein first. Around 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg per day keeps you full and protects muscle. Set it with the macro calculator.
Lift weights. Two to four sessions a week signals the body to keep muscle, so the weight you lose is mostly fat.
Volume, fibre, water. Vegetables, fruit and lean protein fill you up for few calories.
Don't rush. A smaller deficit you can hold for months beats a large one you quit in three weeks.

What the calculator does not know

It uses population averages for BMR and activity, so your true maintenance could be 200 to 400 calories either side of the estimate. It also assumes a fairly typical body composition. Treat the first number as a starting point and let two to three weeks of real data correct it.

Related tools

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Frequently asked questions

How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

Enough below your maintenance level (TDEE) to create a steady deficit. A cut of about 500 calories a day loses roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) a week for most people, based on the rough estimate that a kilogram of body fat stores about 7,700 calories. Larger deficits work faster but are harder to sustain and cost more muscle.

Is a 500-calorie deficit safe?

For most healthy adults, yes. As a floor, many guidelines suggest not eating below about 1,500 calories a day for men or 1,200 for women without medical supervision — below that it is hard to get enough protein, fibre and micronutrients. If the calculator suggests less, choose a slower rate.

How fast can I safely lose weight?

Around 0.5 to 1 percent of body weight per week is the usual sustainable range. Someone at 90 kg can aim for roughly 0.5 to 0.9 kg a week; someone at 65 kg should target the slower end. Very overweight people can lose faster early on with medical support.

Why am I not losing weight at my calorie target?

Activity factors and BMR equations are estimates, water weight masks fat loss for days or weeks (especially around higher-carb days, poor sleep, hard training or the menstrual cycle), and calorie labels and portions carry error. Hold the target for two to three weeks, track weekly average weight, and adjust by 100 to 200 calories if the trend is genuinely flat.

Do I need to eat back exercise calories?

If you picked an activity level that already includes your training, no — it is baked in. Only add exercise calories separately if you chose 'sedentary' and log workouts on top, and even then be conservative, since fitness trackers overestimate exercise burn by 20 to 90 percent.

Will eating more protein help while cutting?

Yes, in two ways: it is the most filling macro per calorie, and it protects muscle so the weight you lose is mostly fat. Aim for roughly 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg of body weight per day. The macro calculator sets this for you.

Should I take diet breaks?

Longer cuts (8+ weeks) often go better with a planned week or two back at maintenance calories. It restores some hormonal and psychological slack, and research on 'refeeds' and diet breaks suggests it can preserve more muscle and improve adherence without slowing average fat loss much.

Last reviewed: September 2026. Figures and formulas are checked against their published sources; see the site's data notes.