Daily Calorie Calculator
Find out exactly how many calories you need per day to reach your weight goal — free and instant.
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📊 How We Calculate Your Calories
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — the most accurate and widely accepted formula for calculating Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), recommended by nutritionists and dietitians worldwide.
Men: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) + 5
Women: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) − 161
Your BMR is then multiplied by your Activity Factor (TDEE) to give total daily calorie needs. Your goal adjustment is then applied on top of this.
Understanding Your Results
- BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) — the calories your body burns just to stay alive at complete rest. Breathing, circulation, cell repair.
- TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) — your BMR multiplied by your activity level. This is how many calories you actually burn per day.
- Caloric Deficit — eating below your TDEE causes your body to use stored fat for energy. A 500-calorie daily deficit = approximately 0.5kg lost per week.
- Caloric Surplus — eating above your TDEE provides extra energy for muscle building. Combined with strength training, a modest surplus builds lean muscle.
How to Hit Your Calorie Target Daily
- Use a free app like MyFitnessPal to track calories — even tracking for just 2 weeks builds powerful awareness of your eating habits.
- Prioritise protein at every meal — it keeps you full longest and burns the most calories during digestion.
- Fill half your plate with vegetables — high volume, very low calories, extremely filling.
- Meal prep on Sundays — having meals ready removes the temptation to eat calorie-dense convenience food.
- Do not cut calories below 1,200 (women) or 1,500 (men) — below this your body enters starvation mode and burns muscle.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is the most validated formula for estimating calorie needs and is accurate within 10% for most people. Individual variations in metabolism mean it is a starting point — monitor your weight over 2–3 weeks and adjust your intake by 100–200 calories if results do not match expectations.
This calculator already accounts for your activity level through the TDEE multiplier. If you have selected the correct activity level, you do not need to add back exercise calories — they are already included in your target. If you dramatically increase your exercise level, you may need to increase your calorie target slightly.
A safe, sustainable rate is 0.5–1 kg per week. This preserves muscle mass, maintains energy levels, and produces lasting results. Faster loss typically involves muscle loss and metabolic slowdown, making it harder to maintain long term.
No — most people only need to track for 4–8 weeks to build an accurate intuitive understanding of portion sizes and calorie content. After this period, many people can maintain their goals through habit and awareness without ongoing tracking.
Different calculators use different equations (Harris-Benedict, Katch-McArdle, Mifflin-St Jeor). The Mifflin-St Jeor formula used here is considered the most accurate for most people by current research. Small differences between calculators are normal — treat any result as a starting estimate and adjust based on your real-world results.
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