Calorie Calculator
Estimate daily calorie targets for maintenance, fat loss, or muscle gain.
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Result
Enter values above and click Calculate to see your result.
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Formula
The tool estimates BMR then applies activity and goal adjustments.
Worked Example
How Daily Calorie Needs Are Calculated
- Maintenance calories: the amount needed to maintain your current weight, calculated as BMR multiplied by your activity level multiplier
- Fat loss: typically a 300 to 500 calorie deficit below maintenance for steady, sustainable weight loss of 0.5 to 1 pound per week
- Muscle gain: a 200 to 400 calorie surplus above maintenance to support muscle growth during resistance training
- Very aggressive deficits (over 1,000 calories below maintenance) can lead to muscle loss, nutrient deficiency, and metabolic adaptation
Use this calculator as a starting point, then adjust based on real-world results over 2 to 4 weeks. Everyone metabolic rate varies from estimates.
You can also calculate changes using our BMR Calculator, TDEE Calculator, Macro Calculator or Body Fat Calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this calculate maintenance calories?
Yes. Maintenance is the baseline, and fat loss and muscle gain targets are derived by subtracting or adding calories relative to your maintenance level.
Can I use this for meal planning?
Yes. Use the calorie target as a daily budget, then use the Macro Calculator to split those calories into protein, carbs, and fat grams for specific meal planning.
What is a safe rate of weight loss?
Most nutrition guidelines recommend losing 0.5 to 1 pound (0.25 to 0.5 kg) per week. This typically requires a daily deficit of 250 to 500 calories below maintenance.
Why does activity level change calories so much?
Activity can increase daily energy expenditure by 20% to 100% above BMR. A sedentary person may burn 1,800 calories daily while a very active person of the same size burns 3,000 or more.
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