Calorie Calculator
Find how many calories you burn each day and how many to eat to lose, maintain or gain weight. Choose your country for units, then enter your age, height and weight.
Estimates only, not medical advice. Check with a doctor or dietitian before changing your diet, especially if you are under 18, pregnant or have a medical condition.
Your details
Your results
How to use the calorie calculator
Pick Daily calories to see how many calories you burn and eat to lose, keep or gain weight. Pick Goal weight to enter a target weight and a number of weeks, and get the daily calories that reach it. Pick Calories burned to see how many calories an activity burns in the time you choose.
- Select your country. This only sets the default units, so the United States uses pounds, feet and inches and other countries use kilograms and centimetres. You can switch units yourself.
- Enter your sex, age, height and weight.
- Choose the activity level that matches a normal week, not your best week.
- Leave the formula on Mifflin-St Jeor unless you know your body fat percentage.
- Press Calculate to see your BMR, maintenance calories (TDEE), calories for each goal and a macro split.
Calorie formulas and a worked example
Your body burns calories at rest (BMR) and through movement. Maintenance calories, also called TDEE, are BMR multiplied by an activity factor.
| Formula | Equation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Mifflin-St Jeor | 10 x kg + 6.25 x cm – 5 x age + 5 (men) or – 161 (women) | 1,699 kcal |
| Revised Harris-Benedict | Men: 88.362 + 13.397 x kg + 4.799 x cm – 5.677 x age | 1,763 kcal |
| Katch-McArdle | 370 + 21.6 x lean body mass in kg | 1,666 kcal |
The example is a 30-year-old man, 175 cm and 75 kg. For Katch-McArdle he has 20% body fat, so lean mass is 60 kg. With a moderate activity factor of 1.465, the Mifflin-St Jeor result becomes 1,699 x 1.465 = 2,489 kcal a day.
Mifflin-St Jeor is the usual choice for most adults. Katch-McArdle can be better for very lean or very muscular people, but only if the body fat number is accurate. No formula is exact, so treat the result as a starting point and adjust after two to three weeks of real results.
Activity levels explained
| Level | Factor | Typical week |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Little or no exercise, desk job |
| Lightly active | 1.375 | Light exercise 1 to 3 days |
| Moderately active | 1.465 | Exercise 3 to 5 days |
| Very active | 1.55 | Hard exercise 6 to 7 days |
| Extra active | 1.725 | Very hard exercise or a physical job |
| Athlete or heavy labour | 1.9 | Training twice a day or heavy manual work |
People tend to pick a level that is too high. If you are unsure, choose the lower one and see how your weight changes.
Calories to lose or gain weight
A common rule is that about 3,500 kcal equals 1 lb of body weight, or about 7,700 kcal per kg. Eating 500 kcal a day below maintenance gives roughly 1 lb (0.45 kg) of loss a week. Real results vary, because water, muscle and metabolism change as you diet.
| Goal | Daily change | Weekly change |
|---|---|---|
| Lose slowly | -250 kcal | 0.5 lb or 0.2 kg |
| Lose steadily | -500 kcal | 1 lb or 0.45 kg |
| Lose fast | -1,000 kcal | 2 lb or 0.9 kg |
| Gain slowly | +250 kcal | 0.5 lb or 0.2 kg |
| Gain steadily | +500 kcal | 1 lb or 0.45 kg |
For example, a person with 2,489 kcal maintenance would eat about 1,989 kcal to lose 1 lb a week, or 2,989 kcal to gain 1 lb a week. Most guidelines suggest losing up to about 1% of body weight a week at most.
Calories burned by exercise
Every activity has a MET value, a number that shows how much harder it is than resting. Calories burned = MET x your weight in kg x hours. For example, running at 6 mph (9.7 km/h) is about 9.8 MET, so a 75 kg person burns about 9.8 x 75 x 0.5 = 368 kcal in 30 minutes.
| Activity | MET | Calories in 30 min (70 kg person) |
|---|---|---|
| Walking, 3.5 mph (5.6 km/h) | 4.3 | 151 |
| Brisk walking, 4 mph (6.4 km/h) | 5 | 175 |
| Hiking | 6 | 210 |
| Running, 6 mph (9.7 km/h) | 9.8 | 343 |
| Running, 8 mph (12.9 km/h) | 11.8 | 413 |
| Cycling, leisure | 4 | 140 |
| Cycling, moderate (12 to 14 mph) | 8 | 280 |
| Swimming, easy | 5.8 | 203 |
| Swimming, fast | 9.8 | 343 |
| Weight training, light to moderate | 3.5 | 123 |
| Weight training, vigorous | 6 | 210 |
| HIIT or circuit training | 8 | 280 |
| Yoga | 2.5 | 88 |
| Jump rope | 11.8 | 413 |
| Stair climbing | 8.8 | 308 |
| Basketball | 8 | 280 |
| Soccer | 7 | 245 |
| Elliptical trainer | 5 | 175 |
| Housework | 3.3 | 116 |
MET values come from the Compendium of Physical Activities and are averages. A heavier person burns more, a lighter person burns less, and effort matters. Use the Calories burned mode above to enter your own weight and time. Exercise calories do not need to be eaten back in full, because the estimates are rough.
Calories in different countries and units
The formulas are the same everywhere. Only the units change. Food labels in the United States, Canada and the Philippines use Calories (kcal). Australia and some European labels also show kilojoules (kJ), where 1 kcal = 4.184 kJ. The calculator shows kJ next to your results so you can compare with a label.
Typical daily intakes differ by body size, so a single number such as 2,000 kcal is only an average. Use your own result instead.
Safe limits and who should not use this
- Do not go below about 1,200 kcal a day for women or 1,500 kcal a day for men unless a doctor or dietitian is supervising you.
- A deficit larger than 1,000 kcal a day is hard to sustain and is not advised.
- This calculator is for healthy adults. It is not for children, teenagers under 15, or people who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- If you have diabetes, a thyroid condition, kidney disease, a history of disordered eating or take medicine that affects weight, speak to a doctor first.
- Calorie estimates can be off by a few hundred calories. Track your weight for two to three weeks and adjust.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories does exercise burn?
It depends on the activity, your weight and the time. Calories burned = MET x weight in kg x hours. A 70 kg person burns about 343 kcal in 30 minutes of running at 6 mph and about 150 kcal walking at 3.5 mph. Use the Calories burned mode for your own numbers.
How many calories should I eat a day?
It depends on your age, sex, height, weight and activity. Most adults need roughly 1,600 to 3,000 kcal a day to maintain weight. Enter your details above to get your own number.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is the energy your body uses at complete rest to keep you alive. TDEE, or maintenance calories, is BMR plus the energy you use through daily movement and exercise.
Which formula is the most accurate?
Mifflin-St Jeor is widely used and a good default for most adults. Katch-McArdle can suit lean or muscular people if body fat is known. All are estimates, so check them against your real weight trend.
How many calories do I cut to lose weight?
A deficit of 500 kcal a day is about 1 lb (0.45 kg) a week. A deficit of 250 kcal is gentler. Avoid going below 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 kcal (men) without medical advice.
Is 1,200 calories a day safe?
For many adults it is too low, and it is the lowest level usually advised for women without supervision. Larger or more active people usually need more. Ask a doctor or dietitian before eating this little for long.
Why does this give a different number from another calculator?
Calculators use different formulas and activity factors. A difference of 100 to 200 kcal is normal. Pick one, follow it for a few weeks and adjust to your results.
Does my country change the result?
No. The country only sets the default units. The formulas are the same in every country, and you can switch between kg and cm or lb and feet at any time.
How do I convert calories to kilojoules?
Multiply kilocalories by 4.184. For example, 2,000 kcal is about 8,368 kJ. The results above show both.
About this calculator
This calculator estimates your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor, Revised Harris-Benedict or Katch-McArdle equation and multiplies it by an activity factor to give maintenance calories. Weight change uses 7,700 kcal per kg (3,500 kcal per lb). Last updated November 13, 2026. Questions or corrections: [email protected].
Written by Umar Khan
Umar Khan is a PhD student in engineering at NTNU, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, in Norway. Every formula and worked example on this page is shown in full so you can check each result yourself. Corrections are welcome at [email protected].
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For information only, not professional advice.
Written by Umar Khan. Last updated: November 13, 2026.