Calorie Calculator
Find the daily calories for your goal: maintain, lose or gain. Built on the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the most accurate everyday formula.
Want to turn these numbers into a plan you will actually follow?
A coach adjusts the calories and macros to your real life, your training and your progress. Compare weight loss and body transformation coaches on BoulderGain.
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Example
A 30-year-old man, 5 ft 11 in and 180 lb, moderately active, burns about 2,750 kcal a day. To lose about 1 lb a week he would target 2,250 kcal.
Method and formula
Basal metabolic rate uses Mifflin-St Jeor (1990): 10 × weight + 6.25 × height − 5 × age, plus 5 for men or minus 161 for women.
Maintenance = BMR × activity multiplier (1.2 sedentary to 1.9 very active). Goals add or remove a fixed amount: −500 kcal for about 1 lb per week, +200 to +400 kcal for gaining.
Limits
- Formulas estimate the average person: your real expenditure can differ by 10 to 15 %.
- The calculator never goes below 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 kcal (men).
- Not intended for people under 18, pregnancy or medical conditions.
FAQ
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
Around 500 kcal below maintenance gives about 1 lb per week for most people. Larger deficits are harder to keep and cost more muscle.
Why does my weight not follow the calculator?
The multiplier is an average and food logging is rarely exact. Track your weight for two weeks and adjust by 100 to 150 kcal.
Do I need to eat back exercise calories?
If you chose an activity level that already includes your training, no. If you chose sedentary and train hard, yes, partly.
Free educational tool. Body composition, calorie and heart rate values are estimates from published formulas, not medical measurements. They do not replace a professional assessment. No weight-loss recommendation is intended for people under 18.