Daily Calorie Intake Calculator
Calculate your daily calorie needs based on age, weight, height, gender, activity level, and weight goals. Find out how many calories you need to maintain, lose, or gain weight.
Our Daily Calorie Intake Calculator helps you determine how many calories you need each day based on your personal characteristics and goals. Whether you want to maintain your current weight, lose weight, or gain weight, this calculator provides personalized recommendations including macronutrient breakdown to help you achieve your goals.
How This Tool Works
Our Daily Calorie Intake Calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate your calorie needs:
For men:
BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age in years) + 5
For women:
BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age in years) − 161
This equation calculates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which is the number of calories your body needs to maintain basic bodily functions at rest.
To find your total daily calorie needs, we multiply your BMR by an activity factor:
- Sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR × 1.2
- Lightly active (light exercise 1-3 days/week): BMR × 1.375
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3-5 days/week): BMR × 1.55
- Very active (hard exercise 6-7 days/week): BMR × 1.725
- Extra active (very hard exercise & physical job): BMR × 1.9
For weight loss or gain goals, we adjust the maintenance calories as follows:
- Mild weight change (0.25 kg/week): ±250 calories from maintenance
- Moderate weight change (0.5 kg/week): ±500 calories from maintenance
- Extreme weight change (1 kg/week): ±1000 calories from maintenance
The calculator also provides a recommended macronutrient distribution, using a balanced approach of:
- 30% of calories from protein (4 calories per gram)
- 40% of calories from carbohydrates (4 calories per gram)
- 30% of calories from fat (9 calories per gram)
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is this calorie calculator?
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which is considered one of the most accurate formulas for estimating calorie needs. Studies show it's typically accurate within 10% for most people. However, individual factors such as muscle mass, genetics, hormonal conditions, and certain medical issues can affect your actual metabolism. For most healthy individuals, this calculator provides a reliable starting point. You can fine-tune your intake by monitoring your weight changes over 2-3 weeks and adjusting accordingly.
Why aren't my weight loss efforts working despite following calorie recommendations?
Several factors might explain why you're not seeing results despite following calorie recommendations: (1) Unintentional underestimation of calories consumed or overestimation of activity level; (2) Water retention masking fat loss, especially with new exercise routines; (3) Metabolic adaptation, where your body becomes more efficient with fewer calories; (4) Medical conditions like hypothyroidism or PCOS; (5) Insufficient protein intake or lack of resistance training leading to muscle loss instead of fat loss; (6) Stress and poor sleep affecting hormones like cortisol. If you've been consistently following your plan for 3-4 weeks without results, consider consulting a healthcare professional or adjusting your calorie target by an additional 10%.
What's the difference between this calculator and BMR calculators?
A BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) calculator only estimates the calories your body needs at complete rest to maintain basic functions like breathing and circulation. This Daily Calorie Intake Calculator goes further by: (1) Calculating your BMR; (2) Adjusting for your activity level to find your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE); (3) Providing calorie targets based on your weight goals (maintain, lose, or gain); (4) Recommending macronutrient distribution (protein, carbs, and fat). Simply put, a BMR calculator tells you your baseline metabolism, while this calculator provides practical, actionable calorie and macronutrient targets tailored to your lifestyle and goals.
How should I adjust my calories if I have specific fitness goals?
For different fitness goals, you'll want to adjust both calories and macronutrients:
- Fat loss while preserving muscle: Moderate calorie deficit (500 calories below maintenance), higher protein (35-40% of calories), moderate carbs (30-35%), and moderate fat (25-30%).
- Building muscle (bulking): Moderate calorie surplus (300-500 calories above maintenance), high protein (30-35%), higher carbs (45-50%), and moderate fat (20-25%).
- Athletic performance/endurance: Maintenance calories with cycling (higher on training days), moderate protein (25-30%), high carbs (50-60%), and lower fat (15-25%).
- Body recomposition (build muscle/lose fat simultaneously): Near maintenance calories, high protein (35-40%), moderate carbs (30-40%), and moderate fat (25-30%).
These adjustments should be coupled with appropriate training protocols for best results. Track your progress and adjust every 2-4 weeks based on your body's response.
Is it dangerous to eat below my BMR?
Eating below your BMR for extended periods is generally not recommended. Your BMR represents the minimum energy your body needs for essential functions. Consistently eating below this level can lead to: (1) Metabolic slowdown as your body conserves energy; (2) Muscle loss, as your body breaks down muscle for energy; (3) Nutrient deficiencies; (4) Hormonal imbalances affecting thyroid function, reproductive health, and stress hormones; (5) Reduced immune function; (6) Fatigue, irritability, and poor concentration. For healthy, sustainable weight loss, it's better to create a moderate deficit from your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) while staying at or above your BMR. Very low-calorie diets below BMR should only be followed under medical supervision.
Tips and Best Practices
Tips for using your daily calorie target effectively:
- Consider tracking your food intake for at least a few weeks when starting out, using an app or food diary, to ensure you're actually hitting your targets.
- Prioritize whole, nutrient-dense foods that provide more satiety and nutritional value per calorie (vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, whole grains, healthy fats).
- Distribute your protein intake throughout the day (20-30g per meal) rather than consuming it all at once for better muscle protein synthesis.
- Adjust your carbohydrate intake based on activity - higher carbs on more active days, lower carbs on rest days.
- Don't cut calories too drastically - weight loss of more than 1% of body weight per week increases the risk of muscle loss and metabolic adaptation.
- Measure and track your progress beyond just the scale - body measurements, progress photos, energy levels, and performance metrics often show changes before weight does.
- Plan for social events and occasional treats by adjusting your calories slightly the days before and after, rather than completely abandoning your plan.
- Reassess your calorie needs every 10-15 pounds of weight change, or if your activity level significantly changes.
- Consider calorie cycling (slightly higher calories some days, lower on others) while maintaining the same weekly average, which may help prevent metabolic adaptation during weight loss.