Calculate your daily calorie needs for weight management
Our calorie calculator helps you estimate the number of calories you need daily to maintain your current weight, lose weight, or gain weight. By inputting your personal details and activity level, you can get personalized recommendations to help you achieve your health and fitness goals.
Calories needed to maintain your current weight
0.25 kg/week
0.5 kg/week
1 kg/week
As you maintain a low-calorie diet, your body may adapt to the reduced energy intake, potentially leading to a weight loss plateau. Calorie cycling is a method that alternates between higher and lower calorie days to help overcome this plateau and continue making progress toward your goals.
Here are two sample 7-day calorie cycling schedules:
| Day | Mild Weight Loss | Weight Loss |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 2,425 Calories | 2,425 Calories |
| Monday | 2,075 Calories | 1,725 Calories |
| Tuesday | 2,075 Calories | 1,725 Calories |
| Wednesday | 2,075 Calories | 1,725 Calories |
| Thursday | 2,075 Calories | 1,725 Calories |
| Friday | 2,075 Calories | 1,725 Calories |
| Saturday | 2,425 Calories | 2,425 Calories |
| Day | Mild Weight Loss | Weight Loss |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 1,925 Calories | 1,500 Calories |
| Monday | 2,092 Calories | 1,783 Calories |
| Tuesday | 2,258 Calories | 2,067 Calories |
| Wednesday | 2,425 Calories | 2,350 Calories |
| Thursday | 2,342 Calories | 2,208 Calories |
| Friday | 2,175 Calories | 1,925 Calories |
| Saturday | 2,008 Calories | 1,642 Calories |
Another effective way to manage weight, in addition to adjusting calorie intake, is increasing your activity level. The following table shows estimated weight loss based on varying activity levels and a maintenance calorie intake.
| Activity Level | Estimated Weight Loss per Week |
|---|---|
| Daily exercise, or intense exercise 3-4 times per week | 0.2 kg |
| Intense exercise 6-7 times per week | 0.6 kg |
| Very intense exercise daily, or a highly physical job | 1.1 kg |
After calculating your daily calorie needs, here are some steps to help you achieve your goals:
This calorie calculator is based on several equations, and the results are based on estimated averages. The Harris-Benedict Equation was one of the earliest equations used to calculate basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the amount of energy expended per day at rest. It was revised in 1984 to be more accurate and was used until 1990, when the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation was introduced.
The Mifflin-St Jeor Equation also calculates BMR and has been shown to be more accurate than the revised Harris-Benedict Equation. The Katch-McArdle Formula is slightly different as it calculates resting daily energy expenditure (RDEE), which takes lean body mass into account, something neither the Mifflin-St Jeor nor the Harris-Benedict Equation do.
Of these equations, the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation is considered the most accurate for calculating BMR, with the exception that the Katch-McArdle Formula can be more accurate for people who are leaner and know their body fat percentage.
For men:
BMR = 10W + 6.25H - 5A + 5
For women:
BMR = 10W + 6.25H - 5A - 161
For men:
BMR = 13.397W + 4.799H - 5.677A + 88.362
For women:
BMR = 9.247W + 3.098H - 4.330A + 447.593
BMR = 370 + 21.6(1 - F)W
Where:
The value obtained from these equations is the estimated number of calories a person can consume in a day to maintain their body weight, assuming they remain at rest. This value is multiplied by an activity factor (generally 1.2-1.95) dependent on a person's typical levels of exercise.
1 pound, or approximately 0.45 kg, equates to about 3,500 calories. As such, to lose 1 pound per week, it's recommended to reduce 500 calories from the estimated maintenance calories per day. For example, if a person has an estimated allotment of 2,500 calories per day to maintain body weight, consuming 2,000 calories per day for one week would theoretically result in 3,500 calories (or 1 pound) lost during that period.
It's important to remember that proper diet and exercise are widely accepted as the best approach to weight management. It's not advisable to lower calorie intake by more than 1,000 calories per day, as losing more than 2 pounds per week can be unhealthy and may have the opposite effect in the near future by reducing metabolism.
Losing more than 2 pounds a week will likely involve muscle loss, which in turn lowers BMR, since more muscle mass results in higher BMR. Excessive weight loss can also be due to dehydration, which is unhealthy. Furthermore, particularly when exercising in conjunction with dieting, maintaining a good diet is important, as the body needs to support its metabolic processes and replenish itself.
Depriving the body of the nutrients it requires through unhealthy diets can have serious detrimental effects, and weight lost in this manner has been shown in some studies to be unsustainable, as the weight is often regained in the form of fat (putting the person in a worse state than when beginning the diet). As such, in addition to monitoring calorie intake, it's important to maintain adequate fiber intake and other nutritional necessities to balance the needs of the body.