Calorie Calculator
Estimate maintenance calories from BMR and activity, then see targets for steady loss, maintenance or a controlled surplus.
Calories to maintain
2,336 kcal
Per day
Maintenance calories
2,336 kcal
Basal metabolic rate
1,699 kcal
- BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor)
- 1,699 kcal
- Activity multiplier
- × 1.375
- Total daily expenditure
- 2,336 kcal
- Daily difference from maintenance
- 0 kcal
- Protein (30%)
- 175 g
- Carbohydrate (40%)
- 234 g
- Fat (30%)
- 78 g
- Estimated weekly weight change
- 0 kg
How this was calculated
- 1.BMR = 10 × 75 + 6.25 × 175 − 5 × 30 + 5 = 1,699 kcal.
- 2.TDEE = 1,699 × 1.375 = 2,336 kcal.
- 3.Your target matches expenditure.
- 4.Roughly 7,700 kcal corresponds to 1 kg of body weight, which is where the weekly change estimate comes from.
Estimates, not prescriptions. Measure your weight weekly under the same conditions and adjust intake by 100–200 kcal at a time.
How the calorie calculation works
Calorie needs come from three places: your resting metabolism, the energy used digesting food, and movement. The activity multiplier folds the last two into one figure applied to BMR, giving total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).
A deficit of about 500 kcal a day produces roughly half a kilogram of loss per week, because a kilogram of body tissue stores around 7,700 kcal. Real progress is rarely linear — water, glycogen and digestion all shift the scale.
The macro split here is a balanced default (30% protein, 40% carbohydrate, 30% fat). Protein at 1.6–2.2 g per kg of body weight is a common target when training.
Worked example
A 30-year-old woman, 65 kg, 165 cm, lightly active, wanting to lose weight.
- →BMR = 650 + 1,031 − 150 − 161 = 1,370 kcal
- →TDEE = 1,370 × 1.375 = 1,884 kcal
- →Target = 1,884 − 500
Answer: About 1,384 kcal a day, for roughly 0.45 kg of loss a week.
Calorie FAQs
Do I have to hit the number exactly?
No. Daily variation averages out; what matters is the weekly trend. Aim within 100–200 kcal and judge by weight change over three to four weeks.
Why am I not losing weight in a deficit?
Common causes are under-reporting intake, over-estimating activity, and water retention masking fat loss. Weigh food for a week and keep the deficit moderate.
Can I lose weight faster?
Larger deficits work initially but cost muscle and are hard to sustain. 0.5–1% of body weight per week is the usual sustainable range.
Calorie Calculator is part of the health calculators collection on Calcora, alongside 7 other tools. Results are calculated in your browser and are for information only — see our disclaimer.
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