Calorie Calculator
Find your daily calorie target for weight loss, maintenance or muscle gain.
Whether you're trying to lose weight, maintain, or build muscle, it starts with knowing your daily calorie target. This calculator estimates your maintenance calories, then adjusts based on your goal.
How maintenance calories are estimated
This uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR — the calories your body burns at rest), then multiplies by an activity factor to estimate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), which is your maintenance calorie level.
Why a moderate deficit or surplus works better
A roughly 500-calorie daily deficit targets about 0.5kg (1lb) of weight loss per week — an aggressive, sustainable pace for most people. Larger deficits often aren't sustainable and can affect muscle retention and energy levels. The same logic applies in reverse for a lean muscle-building surplus.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is this estimate?
It's a solid starting point, but individual metabolism varies — treat the number as a starting point and adjust based on your actual results over 2-3 weeks of consistent tracking, rather than assuming it's exact from day one.
Should I eat the same calories every day?
Daily variation is fine as long as your weekly average lines up with your target — many people find flexibility (eating slightly more on active days, less on rest days) easier to sustain than a rigid daily number.