How many calories
should you eat?
Find your exact daily calorie target — for fat loss, maintenance, or muscle gain — in under a minute.
Your calorie target based on your goal:
The Basics
How Many Calories Should You Eat?
There’s no single “right” number of calories — it depends entirely on your body and your goal. This calculator gives you three numbers at once: your maintenance calories (TDEE), plus adjusted targets for losing fat or building muscle, so you can see your full range in one place instead of guessing.
The Method
How This Calorie Calculator Works
Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
The calories your body burns at complete rest — just to keep your organs running. Calculated with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation:
Women: BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) − 161
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)
Your BMR multiplied by an activity factor — this is your true maintenance number, the calories that keep your weight stable.
| Activity Level | What It Looks Like | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | Desk job, little to no structured exercise | × 1.2 |
| Lightly active | Light exercise 1–3 days/week | × 1.375 |
| Moderately active | Moderate exercise 3–5 days/week | × 1.55 |
| Very active | Hard exercise 6–7 days/week | × 1.725 |
| Extra active | Physical job plus daily training | × 1.9 |
Adjusting for Your Goal
From your TDEE, calories are adjusted up or down depending on what you’re trying to achieve:
| Goal | Adjustment | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| Lose fat | TDEE − 20% | Steady, sustainable fat loss |
| Maintain | TDEE, unchanged | Weight stays stable |
| Build muscle | TDEE + 10% | Lean muscle gain, minimal fat |
Want the full breakdown?
Get your protein, carb, and fat targets — not just total calories.
Weight Loss Rates
Choosing Your Rate of Weight Loss
A bigger deficit isn’t always better — the right rate depends on how much you have to lose and how sustainable you need this to be.
| Deficit Size | Weekly Loss (approx.) | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Mild (−10%) | ~0.5 lb / week | Long-term, minimal hunger |
| Moderate (−20%) | ~1 lb / week | Most people — our default |
| Aggressive (−25%) | ~1.5 lb / week | Short-term, requires discipline |
Questions
Calorie Calculator FAQs
Yes — completely free, no signup, no email required.
It gives a scientifically grounded starting point, not a guarantee — everyone’s metabolism varies slightly. Track your weight for 2–3 weeks against your target and adjust from there.
BMR is the calories you burn at complete rest. TDEE is your BMR multiplied by your activity level — it reflects your true daily maintenance calories, including movement and exercise.
Generally, eating about 20% below your TDEE (maintenance calories) leads to steady, sustainable fat loss of roughly 1 lb per week for most people. Enter your details above to get your exact number.
No — if you’ve already selected an activity level that reflects your regular training, your exercise calories are already factored into your TDEE. Adding them again would inflate your target.
This calculator is provided for general informational purposes and is not a substitute for advice from a registered dietitian or physician, particularly if you have a medical condition affecting your nutrition needs.