Health & Fitness
Calorie Calculator
Work out how many calories you need a day — to stay where you are, or to lose or gain at a set rate.
Calorie Calculator
About the Calorie Calculator
This works out how many calories you need a day — to hold your weight where it is, or to lose or gain at a chosen rate. It uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for your basal rate, multiplies by your activity level to get your total daily expenditure, then adjusts for your goal.
Six targets are shown at once, from losing 1 kg a week through to gaining 0.5 kg a week, so you can see the trade-off rather than committing to one number. Any target that falls below the level generally considered safe without medical supervision is flagged, not quietly displayed.
Treat the output as a starting point. Real energy needs vary by around 10% between people who look identical on paper, so the honest method is to start here, track for a fortnight, and adjust from what actually happens.
How to use the Calorie Calculator
- Choose your sex — the Mifflin-St Jeor equation uses a different constant for each.
- Enter your age, height and weight.
- Pick the activity level that honestly matches your week.
- Choose a goal — maintaining, or losing/gaining at a set weekly rate.
- Select Calculate calories. The table underneath compares every goal at once.
How the number is built
1. BMR = Mifflin-St Jeor from weight, height, age and sex
2. TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier
3. Goal = TDEE ± (rate × 7,700 ÷ 7) calories a day
7,700 kcal is the widely used estimate for one kilogram of body mass.
Worked example
A 35-year-old woman, 68 kg, 165 cm, lightly active.
BMR = (10×68) + (6.25×165) − (5×35) − 161 = 680 + 1031.25 − 175 − 161 = 1,375
TDEE = 1,375 × 1.375 = 1,891 calories to maintain.
To lose 0.5 kg a week: 0.5 × 7,700 ÷ 7 = 550 fewer a day.
1,341 calories a day for 0.5 kg a week of loss
BMR and TDEE are not the same thing
BMR is what you would burn lying still all day. TDEE is what you actually burn, including everything you do. The gap is large: at a sedentary multiplier the difference is 20%, at very active it is 72%.
| Activity level | Multiplier | Who it describes |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Desk job, little or no exercise |
| Lightly active | 1.375 | Light exercise 1–3 days a week |
| Moderately active | 1.55 | Moderate exercise 3–5 days a week |
| Very active | 1.725 | Hard exercise 6–7 days a week |
| Extra active | 1.9 | Hard daily exercise or a physical job |
TDEE has four parts. BMR is 60–70% of it. The thermic effect of food — the energy used digesting what you eat — is about 10%. Deliberate exercise is often only 5–10%. The remainder is NEAT: fidgeting, walking, standing, everything unplanned. NEAT varies enormously between individuals and explains much of why two similar people burn different amounts.
Choosing a rate of loss
| Rate | Daily deficit | Typical view |
|---|---|---|
| 0.25 kg a week | 275 calories | Slow, very sustainable |
| 0.5 kg a week | 550 calories | The usual recommendation |
| 1 kg a week | 1,100 calories | Aggressive; often unsustainable |
A 0.5 kg weekly loss suits most people. It is slow enough to preserve muscle, leaves room for adequate protein and micronutrients, and is realistic to maintain for months.
A 1,100-calorie daily deficit pushes many people below a safe intake. For the woman in the example, it would mean 791 calories a day — well under the 1,200 floor. The calculator flags targets like that. If your aggressive target is flagged, the answer is a slower rate, not a smaller flag.
How accurate is any of this?
Moderately. Be clear-eyed about the sources of error, because they compound:
- The BMR equation carries roughly ±10% variation between individuals.
- The activity multiplier is a blunt instrument and the biggest single source of error — most people choose one level too high.
- The 7,700 kcal per kilogram figure is a simplification. Early weight loss includes water; later loss is slower as your body adapts.
- Food logging is routinely inaccurate. Under-reporting of 20–30% is well documented, even among people trying to be honest.
The practical answer: use the number as a starting hypothesis, weigh yourself under consistent conditions, average across a week, and adjust by 100–200 calories after a fortnight if the trend is not what you wanted. That feedback loop beats any equation.
Turning calories into food
A calorie total says nothing about composition, and composition matters when you are in a deficit — particularly protein, which protects muscle. Our carbohydrate calculator converts a calorie target into grams of carbohydrate, protein and fat under several common splits.
For the underlying resting figure and how three equations compare, see the BMR calculator.
This is an estimate, not a prescription. Individual energy needs vary by roughly ±10% even between people with identical height, weight, age and sex. Nothing here is medical or dietary advice. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, managing a health condition, taking medication that affects appetite or metabolism, or have a history of disordered eating, talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before changing what you eat.
Calories burned walking and running
Exercise calories come from a simple formula that uses MET values — how hard an activity is compared with sitting still.
Calories per minute = MET × 3.5 × body weight (kg) ÷ 200
| Body weight | Walking 1 mile (3 mph) | 10,000 steps (≈ 5 miles) | Running 1 mile (6 mph) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 kg (121 lb) | 67 kcal | 337 kcal | 94 kcal |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 86 kcal | 429 kcal | 120 kcal |
| 85 kg (187 lb) | 104 kcal | 521 kcal | 146 kcal |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 122 kcal | 612 kcal | 172 kcal |
These use MET 3.5 for walking at 3 mph and 9.8 for running at 6 mph, from the Compendium of Physical Activities. Walking faster, uphill or on a treadmill incline burns more. Carrying a weighted pack (rucking) can raise it a lot too.
Steps to calories calculator: a quick rule
How many steps to lose weight? Burning an extra 500 calories a day from walking takes roughly 10,000–15,000 extra steps, depending on your weight. About 2,000 steps make one mile for most adults. Walking burns roughly 0.03 to 0.06 calories per step, depending on your weight. So 10,000 steps is roughly 340–610 calories. Your fitness tracker may show a different number — it guesses too.
Breastfeeding calorie calculator: extra needs
Making breast milk uses energy. US Dietary Guidelines suggest about 330 extra calories a day in the first six months of exclusive breastfeeding, and about 400 extra in the second six months. Work out your normal maintenance calories above, then add these amounts. Many people also lose some pregnancy weight this way, so there is no need to cut hard — talk to your midwife or doctor before dieting.
How to calculate TDEE
TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is the calories you burn in a full day. Here is the method this calculator uses:
- Work out BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.
- Multiply by an activity factor: 1.2 (sedentary), 1.375 (light), 1.55 (moderate), 1.725 (very active) or 1.9 (extra active).
- The result is your TDEE — your maintenance calories.
Bulking? Add about 250–500 calories to your TDEE for slow muscle gain with less fat gain.
Exercise calorie calculator: calories burned by activity
Scientists rate activities in METs (metabolic equivalents) — how hard they are compared with sitting still. That makes this section a simple metabolic equivalent calculator and workout calorie calculator. Turn a MET value into calories with this formula:
Calories burned per minute = MET × 3.5 × body weight (kg) ÷ 200
| Activity (30 minutes) | MET | 70 kg person | 90 kg person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking, 3.5 mph | 4.3 | 158 | 203 |
| Elliptical, moderate | 5.0 | 184 | 236 |
| Swimming, easy freestyle | 5.8 | 213 | 274 |
| Hiking | 6.0 | 220 | 284 |
| Stationary bike, moderate | 6.8 | 250 | 321 |
| Rowing machine, moderate | 7.0 | 257 | 331 |
| Cycling, 12–14 mph | 8.0 | 294 | 378 |
| Running, 6 mph (10-minute mile) | 9.8 | 360 | 463 |
| Jump rope, moderate | 11.8 | 434 | 558 |
MET values come from the Compendium of Physical Activities. Treat the results as estimates: fitness watches and gym machines often read 10%–30% high. This table works as a running calorie calculator, a cycling calorie calculator and a treadmill calorie burn calculator in one.
- Walking calories calculator — use the walking row, or the steps rule above.
- Biking calorie calculator — use 6.8 for an easy exercise bike and 8.0 for steady road cycling.
- Calories burned in treadmill calculator — walking or running on a flat treadmill burns about the same as outdoors at the same speed.
Prefer a Harris-Benedict calculator for your resting calories? The BMR calculator lets you choose the Harris-Benedict equation as well as Mifflin-St Jeor.
Weight loss percentage calculator
Percentage lost is a fairer way to track progress than pounds, because it scales with your starting weight.
Weight loss % = (starting weight − current weight) ÷ starting weight × 100
Go from 95 kg to 88 kg and you have lost 7 ÷ 95 × 100 = 7.4% of your body weight. Doctors often treat a 5%–10% loss as a meaningful health improvement.
From calories to macros
Once you know your daily calories, split them into protein, carbs and fat. A common starting point for fat loss or muscle gain is 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight, with fat at 25%–35% of calories and carbs making up the rest. To calculate your macros in grams, use the carbohydrate and macro calculator; it has keto, low-carb and high-protein presets.
Remember the conversion when you read labels: 1 kcal is the same as 1 food Calorie. A “kcal to calories converter” just returns the same number — only the small scientific calorie is 1,000 times smaller.
Other ways to use this calculator
Daily calorie needs and exercise calories answer many related questions.
- Mifflin-St Jeor calorie calculator — this calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, recommended by many dietitians.
- Bulking calorie calculator — choose a gain goal, or add 250–500 calories to your maintenance figure.
- Walking and treadmill calorie calculator — use the MET table above; uphill and treadmill incline burn more.
- Steps to calories converter — about 2,000 steps make a mile — see our 10,000 steps guide.
- Exercise bike and rowing calorie calculator — use the MET formula with about 7 METs for moderate cycling or rowing.
- TDEE calculator — your maintenance figure is your total daily energy expenditure.
- Calorie deficit calculator — choose a weight loss goal and the tool subtracts the right deficit.
- Weight loss calories — a 500-calorie daily deficit is roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) a week.
- Calories burned walking calculator — use the walking row in the exercise table above.
Related guides
- How Many Calories Do 10,000 Steps Burn?
- How to Calculate Calories Burned Based on Heart Rate
- BMR vs TDEE: What Is the Difference?
- How to Calculate Calories From Macros
Frequently asked questions
BMR is what your body burns at complete rest — typically 60–70% of your daily total. TDEE is what you actually burn once activity is included, and it is BMR multiplied by an activity factor between 1.2 and 1.9. A sedentary person's TDEE is 20% above their BMR; a very active person's is 72% above. TDEE is the figure to build a calorie target around.
A deficit of 500–550 calories a day, giving about 0.5 kg a week, suits most people. It is slow enough to preserve muscle and leaves room for adequate nutrition. Larger deficits push many people below safe intake — standard guidance is not to go under roughly 1,200 calories a day for women or 1,500 for men without medical supervision, and this calculator flags targets that do.
Because it has generally performed best against measured metabolic rates in the general population. Published in 1990, it was fitted to a more representative sample than the 1919 Harris-Benedict equation it largely replaced, and dietetic bodies recommend it for both non-obese and obese adults. Harris-Benedict tends to run slightly high — the BMR calculator shows both.
Roughly, but not precisely. Individual metabolic rates vary about ±10% even between people identical on paper, the activity multiplier is blunt, and food logging is commonly under-reported by 20–30%. Use the figure as a starting point, track your weight under consistent conditions for two weeks, and adjust by 100–200 calories based on what actually happens rather than on the equation.
Roughly 340 to 610 calories for most adults. A 70 kg (154 lb) person walking at 3 mph burns about 430 calories over 10,000 steps, which is about five miles. Heavier people and faster walkers burn more.
US Dietary Guidelines suggest about 330 extra calories a day in the first six months of exclusive breastfeeding and about 400 extra in the next six months. Add this to your normal maintenance calories.
At 3.5 mph, a 70 kg person burns about 158 calories in 30 minutes and a 90 kg person about 203. The formula is MET times 3.5 times body weight in kg, divided by 200, per minute, using a MET of 4.3 for brisk walking.
Subtract your current weight from your starting weight, divide by your starting weight and multiply by 100. Going from 95 kg to 88 kg is a 7.4% loss.
Sources and further reading
- Mifflin MD et al. (1990) — A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure — the BMR equation used here
- NIH — Body Weight Planner — a more sophisticated model of weight change over time
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025 — estimated calorie needs by age, sex and activity
- NHS — Losing weight safely — safe rates of loss and minimum intake guidance
- Compendium of Physical Activities — MET values for walking, running and other activities