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Calorie Calculator

Estimate the calories you need each day, with the resting rate, the activity multiplier and the goal rows all shown.

  • Unlimited
  • No signup
  • Private
  • Works offline

Estimate your daily calories

Measurements

How much you move in a normal week. Pick an average week, not your best one.

Mifflin-St Jeor is the usual choice. Harris-Benedict is older and reads high. Katch-McArdle needs a real body fat number.

Daily calories by goal

Daily calories for each weight goal
GoalChangeCalories
Lose 0.45 kg / week-500 kcal2,123
Lose 0.23 kg / week-250 kcal2,373
Maintain weightbaseline2,623
Gain 0.23 kg / week+250 kcal2,873
Gain 0.45 kg / week+500 kcal3,123
How this was calculated

BMR = 10w + 6.25h - 5a + 5

BMR = 1693 kcal

maintenance = BMR x 1.55 (moderate)

= 2623 kcal

Maintenance calories

2,623kcal/day

Moderate · ×1.55

BMR (at rest)
1,693 kcal
Activity
+930 kcal
Maintenance
2,623 kcal

Suggested macros at maintenance

Protein
164 g · 25%
25%
Carbs
295 g · 45%
45%
Fat
87 g · 30%
30%

How it works

  1. 01

    Enter your measurements

    Enter your age, sex, height and weight. You need body fat only for Katch-McArdle.

  2. 02

    Pick an activity level

    This causes the most error. If two levels both seem right, pick the lower one.

  3. 03

    Read the goal rows

    Each row adds or takes away a fixed amount a day from your maintenance figure.

How the estimate is built

The estimate has two steps. The first is your basal metabolic rate (BMR), the energy your body uses at complete rest. It comes from your height, weight, age and sex. Mifflin-St Jeor is the default formula, because it matches measured resting rates in adults best. You can compare it with Harris-Benedict and Katch-McArdle. Katch-McArdle is worth trying if you know your body fat percentage.

The second step multiplies that rate by an activity factor, from 1.2 for sedentary to 1.9 for extra active. The factor causes more error than anything else in the estimate. People often rate themselves as more active than they are. For the example on this page, the step from light to moderate adds about 300 kcal a day. If two levels both seem right, pick the lower one, then adjust after two or three weeks of real results.

Formulas
Mifflin-St Jeor, Harris-Benedict revised, Katch-McArdle.
Accuracy
About 10% either way. Metabolism varies between people.
Deficit maths
A kilogram of fat is about 7,700 kcal, so 500 a day is 0.45 kg a week.
Stored data
None. Values stay in the page and clear on reload.

Using the goal rows

Each goal row adds or takes away a fixed amount a day from your maintenance figure. A 500 kcal deficit is the usual starting point for losing weight. It is big enough to show on the scale within two weeks and small enough to keep up. A deficit bigger than about a quarter of maintenance tends to burn muscle instead of fat.

Your maintenance figure falls as your weight falls. A figure worked out when you start losing weight is a few hundred calories too high several kilograms later. Work it out again every 4 to 5 kg.

Frequently asked questions

How accurate is a calorie calculator?
For most adults, each of these formulas lands within about 10%. Resting rate depends on muscle mass and other things no equation can see. Use the result as a starting point. Track what you eat and what you weigh for two or three weeks, then adjust.
Which formula should I use?
Mifflin-St Jeor is the best default for most adults, because it matches measured resting rates well. Katch-McArdle is worth using when you know your body fat percentage accurately.
How big a deficit is safe?
A 500 kcal daily deficit is a common starting point and works out at about 0.45 kg a week. A smaller deficit is often easier to keep up. Talk to a doctor before a big change, especially if you are pregnant, under 18 or have a health condition.
Does the activity multiplier include exercise?
Yes. It covers both everyday movement and planned exercise. If your week varies, start low and adjust as your weight changes, instead of guessing high.
Do you store my measurements?
No. The calculator runs in the page, which never sends your measurements anywhere or keeps them between visits.
Does this work offline?
Yes. Once the page has loaded, all the arithmetic runs on your device without a network request.

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