Calorie Calculator

How to use the Calorie Calculator

1. Enter age, gender, height and weight.
2. Choose your activity level.
3. Read your BMR and daily calorie needs.

Calorie Calculator example

A 30-year-old man, 70 kg, 175 cm, moderately active, needs about 2,550 calories a day (BMR about 1,649 × activity factor 1.55).

Who uses the Calorie Calculator?

Anyone planning meals, fitness or weight goals who wants a daily calorie target.

About Calorie Calculator

Find your daily calorie needs in seconds with our free calorie calculator. Get your BMR and TDEE for weight loss, gain or maintenance — free, no sign-up. Everything runs in your browser, so your data stays private and results appear instantly. No signup and no payment — free to use.

What Is a Calorie Calculator?

A calorie calculator estimates how many calories your body needs each day. It takes a few facts about you — age, gender, height, weight and how active you are — and turns them into a daily target you can actually use. Without a target, eating well is guesswork: you might eat far too little and feel tired, or far too much without realising it. This tool removes that guesswork with one clear number.

The calculation is based on the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which researchers consider one of the most reliable ways to estimate resting energy needs. It is not a perfect measurement of your body — no online tool can be — but it is a solid, evidence-based starting point. Think of the result as the middle of the range to aim for, then adjust it up or down over a few weeks based on what happens to your weight and energy.

What Is TDEE and How Is It Calculated?

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It is the total number of calories you burn in a full day, including everything: breathing, digesting food, walking, working, exercising and even fidgeting.

BMR: the calories your body burns at rest

Your BMR, or Basal Metabolic Rate, is the energy your body uses at complete rest. It covers the basics — keeping your heart beating, your lungs working and your body warm. BMR depends mainly on your age, gender, height and weight. Younger, taller and heavier people usually have a higher BMR, while BMR slowly falls as we get older.

Activity levels: from sedentary to very active

Your daily total is your BMR multiplied by an activity factor. This tool uses five levels: sedentary (1.2) for desk work with little exercise, lightly active (1.375), moderately active (1.55), very active (1.725) and extra active (1.9) for physical jobs or intense daily training. Choosing the honest level matters more than anything else — picking "very active" when you mostly sit at a desk will give you a target that is too high.

How to Use This Calorie Calculator

Step 1: Enter your age in years.

Step 2: Select your gender, because the formula differs for men and women.

Step 3: Enter your height and weight in the units shown.

Step 4: Choose the activity level that best matches a normal week for you, not your busiest week.

Step 5: Read your BMR and your daily calorie needs instantly — no button to press, no form to submit.

If you are unsure between two activity levels, try both and note the two results. The truth for most people sits between them, and you can start in the middle.

Who Uses a Calorie Calculator?

People planning weight loss use it to set a daily limit that is below their TDEE, usually by 300 to 500 calories. People who want to gain weight use it the other way round, aiming a little above their TDEE. Gym members and athletes use it to match food intake to training, so they recover well and build strength. Students learning about nutrition use it to see how age, weight and activity change energy needs. Anyone starting a new eating plan uses it simply to know what "normal" looks like for their body, instead of copying a number from a friend or a social media post.

Benefits of Knowing Your Daily Calorie Needs

A personal target beats a generic one every time. A 2,000-calorie diet may be too much for a small, inactive person and too little for a tall, active one. Knowing your own number helps you plan meals, read food labels with purpose, and spot why progress has stalled. It also protects you from extreme diets: if your target looks very low, that is a sign to talk to a doctor or dietitian rather than cut food sharply. The number is free, instant and private, and you can recalculate it whenever your weight or activity changes.

Worked Example: Daily Calories for a Moderately Active Adult

Take a 30-year-old man who weighs 70 kg, is 175 cm tall and is moderately active. His BMR works out to about 1,649 calories a day — what his body needs at rest. Multiply that by the moderate activity factor of 1.55 and his TDEE is about 2,556 calories a day, roughly 2,550. That is his maintenance target: eat around that amount and his weight should stay steady. To lose weight slowly, he could aim for about 2,050 to 2,250 calories a day. To gain weight, he could aim for about 2,850 to 3,050. The same steps work for anyone — only the numbers change.