How many calories should I eat a day?

It depends on your age, sex, height, weight, and activity level. This calculator estimates your maintenance calories using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then shows targets for steady weight loss or gain around that number.

Daily calorie calculator

Estimate the calories you'd eat to maintain, lose, or gain weight at a steady pace.

Age

Weight (lbs)

Height — feet

Height — inches

Activity level

Maintain

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Lose 0.5 lb/wk

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Lose 1 lb/wk

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Gain 0.5 lb/wk

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Gain 1 lb/wk

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A pound of body weight is roughly 3,500 calories, so a 500-calorie daily deficit or surplus works out to about a pound a week. These are averages — real-world results depend on metabolism, sleep, and consistency.

How this is calculated

We estimate your basal metabolic rate with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiply by an activity factor to get total daily calorie needs. It's one of the more accurate equations available for estimating resting metabolism in non-clinical settings. Want the fuller picture including macros? Try the TDEE calculator.

These are estimates based on population averages. A registered dietitian can tailor targets to your medical history and goals.

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