Calorie Calculator

Type your sex, age, height, weight and how active you are, and choose a goal. The calculator estimates your resting energy (BMR) with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, multiplies it by your activity level for your maintenance calories (TDEE), and gives the calories a day for losing, keeping or gaining weight, with every goal listed side by side. Below, your target turns into grams of protein, carbohydrates and fat for a balanced, higher-protein or lower-carb split. It warns when a target falls under the commonly advised minimum.

How it works

Calorie Calculator is a web page that does its work on your own device. Everything you type or choose is worked out by your browser and never sent to a server, so nothing is stored and there is nothing to delete. There is no account, no sign-up and no limit on how often you use it.

Straight to one job

BMR Calculator · TDEE Calculator · Macro Calculator

How your calories are estimated

The calculator first estimates your basal metabolic rate (BMR), the energy your body uses at rest, with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the formula dietitians most often use for adults:

• Men: BMR = 10 × weight in kg + 6.25 × height in cm − 5 × age + 5
• Women: BMR = 10 × weight in kg + 6.25 × height in cm − 5 × age − 161

It then multiplies the BMR by an activity factor, from 1.2 for a desk job with little exercise to 1.9 for a physical job or training twice a day, to get your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE): the calories that keep your weight where it is. A 35-year-old woman who is 5 ft 5 in and 150 lb has a BMR of about 1,376 calories; with moderate exercise her maintenance is about 2,133.

Losing or gaining weight

A pound of body weight is often taken as about 3,500 calories, so eating 500 fewer calories a day than your maintenance works out to roughly a pound a week. Real results drift from this rule: the body adapts as weight changes, water weight moves first, and people differ. Treat the targets as a starting point, weigh yourself over several weeks and adjust. Health guides commonly advise not going below about 1,200 calories a day for women and 1,500 for men without a doctor or dietitian involved, and aiming for a loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week at most.

Macros

Protein and carbohydrates carry 4 calories per gram and fat 9. The macro split turns your calorie target into grams of each. The balanced split sits inside the ranges in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (10–35% of calories from protein, 45–65% from carbohydrates and 20–35% from fat); the higher-protein and lower-carb splits are common alternatives that some people find easier to stick to.

Limits

The equation is an estimate for adults and can be off by 10% or more for a given person, especially for very muscular people, older adults and anyone with a medical condition. It is not meant for pregnancy, breastfeeding or children. Talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before a large change in diet.

What it does

• Calories a day to lose, keep or gain weight
• BMR by the Mifflin-St Jeor equation
• Maintenance calories (TDEE) for five activity levels
• Every goal side by side, 0.5 to 2 lb a week
• Macros in grams for three splits
• US (lb, ft) or metric (kg, cm)
• Warns below the commonly advised minimum

Questions

How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

About 500 a day below your maintenance calories for a pound a week. A 35-year-old woman, 5 ft 5 in and 150 lb, moderately active, maintains on about 2,133 a day, so about 1,633 loses roughly a pound a week.

What is BMR?

Basal metabolic rate, the calories your body uses at rest for breathing, circulation and keeping warm. It is usually 60–70% of what you burn in a day.

What is TDEE?

Total daily energy expenditure: your BMR times an activity factor, from 1.2 for little exercise to 1.9 for very active. It is the calories that keep your weight steady.

Which formula does this use?

The Mifflin-St Jeor equation, published in 1990 and the one dietitians most often use for adults: 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age, plus 5 for men or minus 161 for women.

How low should calories go?

Health guides commonly advise not going below about 1,200 a day for women and 1,500 for men without a doctor or dietitian involved. The calculator warns when a target is lower.

How many grams of protein should I eat?

It depends on your calories and split. On 1,800 calories with 30% from protein, that is 540 calories, or 135 g. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans give 10–35% of calories from protein for adults.

Is anything sent anywhere?

No. The calculation runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent to us or stored.

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