Calculate your daily calorie needs for weight loss, maintenance, or muscle gain
Based on your age, weight, height, and activity level
Calories burned at complete rest
Calories burned including activity
500 calorie daily deficit
Stay at current weight
500 calorie daily surplus
1000 calorie daily deficit
Based on your weight loss calorie target
Track your nutrition accurately with these proven tools
Accurately measure portions to hit your calorie targets. Essential for tracking macros and meal prep.
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Enter your age, gender, current weight, height, and typical activity level. Click "Calculate My Calorie Needs" to get your BMR (calories burned at rest) and TDEE (total calories burned per day). The calculator also provides specific calorie targets for weight loss, maintenance, and weight gain, plus recommended macros.
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate): The calories your body burns just to keep you alive (breathing, circulation, cell production). This is what you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day.
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure): Your BMR plus calories burned through activity. This is your maintenance calories— eat this amount to stay at your current weight.
Weight Loss: To lose 1 pound per week, eat 500 calories below your TDEE. For 2 pounds per week, eat 1000 calories below (though this is aggressive and not recommended for everyone).
Weight Gain: To gain 1 pound per week (ideal for muscle building), eat 500 calories above your TDEE. Combine with strength training for best results.
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which is considered the most accurate BMR formula for modern populations. It was developed in 1990 and has been validated by numerous studies. The equation takes into account your age, weight, height, and biological sex to estimate your metabolic rate.