Calorie Calculator
Calculate maintenance calories, fat-loss targets, muscle-gain targets, and higher training-load ranges from age, sex, height, weight, and activity level.
Last updated: 2026-03-20
Calorie calculator
Enter your details
Fill in your personal information and choose the calorie-planning category you want the result card to prioritize.
Daily Calories
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Enter your details to estimate your daily calorie needs.
Maintenance
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Goal Range
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Basal Metabolic Rate
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Planning Note
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Calculation History (0)
Example calculations
Tap an example to prefill the calculator with sample values.
Maintenance Baseline
30-year-old male, 5'10", 180 lb, sedentary
A desk-job baseline for finding maintenance calories before adjusting up or down.
Result: Maintenance: about 2,140 calories/day
Steady Fat Loss
35-year-old male, 6'0", 220 lb, lightly active
A moderate calorie cut that keeps maintenance visible as the baseline.
Result: Fat-loss target: about 2,460 calories/day
Lean Gain
28-year-old female, 5'5", 140 lb, active
A small surplus for muscle gain instead of jumping straight to an aggressive bulk.
Result: Muscle-gain target: about 2,610 calories/day
Half-Marathon Block
33-year-old female, 5'7", 150 lb, very active
A higher training-load range for someone stacking longer runs and more recovery demand.
Result: Training-support target: about 2,840 calories/day
How calorie calculation works
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which is considered the most accurate formula for estimating Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — the number of calories your body burns at rest.
Your BMR is then multiplied by an activity factor to estimate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) — the total calories you burn per day including physical activity.
The goal category does not change the base metabolism math. It changes which calorie-planning lane becomes the primary recommendation: maintenance, fat loss, muscle gain, or a higher training-load range.
BMR formula (Mifflin-St Jeor):
- Male: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5
- Female: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161
Activity multipliers: Sedentary (1.2), Lightly active (1.375), Moderately active (1.55), Active (1.725), Very active (1.9).
To lose weight, many adults start with 250–500 fewer calories than TDEE. To gain weight, a 250–500 calorie surplus is a common starting band. For harder training blocks, a modest bump above maintenance is usually easier to sustain than a dramatic jump.
Calories are the first layer. After you set a target here, use a macro calculator for meal planning, a keto calculator for lower-carb eating, a sleep tool for recovery habits, or a VO2 max calculator for endurance structure.
Calorie calculator FAQs
Answers to common questions about daily caloric needs.
What is TDEE?
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories your body burns in a day, including your basal metabolic rate (BMR), physical activity, and the thermic effect of food. Your TDEE determines how many calories you need to maintain your current weight.
Which goal category should I choose?
Use maintenance when you want a neutral baseline, fat loss when you want the calculator to surface a deficit range, muscle gain when you want a small surplus, and higher training load when your weekly volume is climbing. The base metabolism estimate does not change — only the planning lane shown first.
How accurate is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation?
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is considered one of the better predictive equations for estimating BMR in healthy adults, but it is still an estimate. Individual calorie needs can drift meaningfully based on body composition, training volume, medications, and metabolic variation.
Should I use this calculator before a macro or keto calculator?
Yes. Start here to set the calorie budget, then move to the macronutrient calculator for a standard carb-protein-fat split or the keto macro calculator if you want a low-carb framework. Calories answer how much energy to aim for; macro tools answer how to distribute it.
Does this account for exercise calories?
Yes. The activity multiplier is the main place exercise shows up. Choose the level that best fits your typical week rather than your best week, then adjust with real-world weight trend and recovery feedback.
How low is too low for calories?
For many adults, going below about 1,200 calories per day for women or 1,500 for men deserves caution and often professional guidance. If the lower end of the fat-loss range dips under those floors, stay closer to the higher end unless a clinician has you doing otherwise.
What should endurance athletes do after using this calculator?
Use the higher training-load category to get a better calorie starting point, then layer on training structure and recovery. The VO2 max calculator helps with pacing and heart-rate zones, while the sleep chronotype calculator helps tighten recovery habits when volume goes up.
Related tools
Explore more health and fitness calculators.
Macronutrient Calculator
Turn your calorie target into daily carb, protein, and fat grams.
Keto Macro Calculator
Use a lower-carb framework once you know your calorie target.
Sleep Chronotype Calculator
Dial in recovery habits that support appetite, routine, and training consistency.
VO2 Max Calculator
Pair a higher training-load calorie plan with heart-rate zones and endurance guidance.
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</script> Disclaimer
This calorie calculator provides estimates based on the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. Individual calorie needs vary based on metabolism, body composition, and other factors. Consult a healthcare provider or registered dietitian for personalized nutrition advice.