Daily Calorie Needs Calculator

Calorie targets for loss, maintenance or gain, with macros. Free, private and instant.

How to use the Daily Calorie Needs

  1. Pick metric (cm, kg) or imperial (ft, in, lb) units.
  2. Choose sex: Male or Female.
  3. Enter age.
  4. Enter height.
  5. Enter weight.
  6. Choose activity level: Sedentary (little or no exercise), Lightly active (1-3 days/week), Moderately active (3-5 days/week), Very active (6-7 days/week) and more.
  7. Choose goal: Lose 1 kg per week (fast), Lose 0.5 kg per week, Lose 0.25 kg per week (gentle), Maintain weight and more.
  8. Press Calculate to get an instant result with a colour scale, chart and plain-English explanation.

About the Daily Calorie Needs

Choose a goal and get a daily calorie target built from your BMR and activity level, with a suggested macronutrient split and a safe-minimum warning.

Also known as: calorie calculator, calorie intake calculator, how many calories should I eat, calories per day calculator.

Worked example

Daily calorie target: 2,224 kcal/day (Maintain). To maintain your weight, aim for about 2,224 kcal per day (+0 kcal from your maintenance of 2,224 kcal).

Formula and cut-offs

Target = TDEE +/- (goal kg per week x 7,700 kcal / 7). Suggested macros: 20% protein, 50% carbohydrate, 30% fat. Protein and carbs provide 4 kcal per gram, fat 9 kcal per gram.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories should I cut to lose weight?

A deficit of about 500 kcal per day leads to roughly 0.5 kg of fat loss per week. Avoid going below about 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 kcal (men) without medical supervision.

Do I need to count macros?

Not necessarily. Total calories drive weight change, while enough protein helps keep muscle. The macro split here is a starting point.

How many calories do I need a day?

It depends on your size, age, sex and activity. US dietary guidelines estimate about 1,600 to 2,400 kcal a day for adult women and about 2,000 to 3,000 kcal for adult men. This calculator gives a personal estimate from your own details.

What is the lowest safe calorie intake?

Very low-calorie diets, under about 800 kcal a day, should only be followed with medical supervision. For most adults, a moderate deficit of about 500 kcal below maintenance is easier to keep and safer.

What is the daily calorie target for a 30-year-old man, 170 cm and 70 kg?

Daily calorie target: 2,224 kcal/day (Maintain). To maintain your weight, aim for about 2,224 kcal per day (+0 kcal from your maintenance of 2,224 kcal). Enter your own numbers above for a personal result.

Sources and references

Written and checked by the MediHub editorial team against the sources above. Read how we build and review our calculators.

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Last updated . This calculator is for education only and is not medical advice. See the medical disclaimer.