Calorie Calculator — Daily Calorie Needs

What the calorie calculator does

This calculator tells you how many calories to eat each day to reach a specific goal — losing fat, maintaining your current weight, or gaining weight. It estimates your maintenance calories and then applies the surplus or deficit that matches your chosen objective, so you get a concrete daily target instead of guesswork.

How the calculation works

First it computes your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiplies by an activity factor to get your maintenance calories (TDEE). Your goal adjustment is added or subtracted from that figure. Because roughly 7,700 calories equal one kilogram of body fat, the tool also estimates your expected weekly weight change.

How to interpret your result

The "target" number is your daily calorie budget. For fat loss, a 250–500 kcal deficit balances results with sustainability. For lean gains, a 250–500 kcal surplus alongside training minimises fat gain. Extreme deficits work short-term but are hard to maintain and can cost you muscle and energy.

Health recommendations

Prioritise protein and fibre to stay full, weigh yourself weekly under the same conditions, and adjust calories if progress stalls for two to three weeks. Combine this calculator with the Macro and Weight Loss calculators to build a complete, trackable plan.