Daily Calorie Calculator — Calories you burn per day and a target intake for reaching your goal weight
Calculate basal metabolic rate and daily calories burned from sex, age, height, weight and activity level. Enter a target weight and get a suggested daily intake for losing or gaining at a sustainable pace. A starting point for any diet plan.
Start any diet plan by finding out how many calories you actually burn in a day.
Before you rely on thisThe calorie targets shown are estimates from a statistical formula. Energy needs vary widely with body composition, health and medical conditions, so they will not suit everyone. This is not medical or dietary advice. Before cutting your intake, talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian. Extreme calorie restriction can harm your health, particularly for children and teenagers, during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and for anyone with a medical condition.
Calorie Calculator: tips and things to know
- Basal metabolic rate falls with age, so the same meals can add weight over the years.
- Losing one kilogram of body fat takes a deficit of roughly 7,200 kcal.
- More muscle raises resting energy use, which makes weight easier to manage.
How to use the Calorie Calculator
Enter your details
Choose your sex and enter age, height and weight.
Pick an activity level
Choose the level closest to how often you exercise.
Read the result
BMR and daily calories appear; add a target weight to get a suggested intake.
Calories in versus calories out
Weight changes are driven mainly by the gap between the energy you eat and the energy you use. Eat more than you burn and weight rises; eat less and it falls.
The reference point is your daily energy expenditure: basal metabolic rate multiplied by an activity factor. Eating about that amount keeps your weight roughly stable.
The 7,200 kcal per kilogram rule of thumb
Losing one kilogram of body fat is often estimated at about 7,200 kcal. To lose a kilogram a month, divide by 30 for a daily gap of roughly 240 kcal. That is how this tool sets its target.
It is a paper calculation. Not all lost weight is fat; water and muscle move too. Expect real progress to be less tidy than the arithmetic.
Why cutting too much backfires
Slash your intake and the body adapts by burning less, and weight loss stalls.
A long period without enough nutrients can also cost muscle, harm general health and disrupt menstrual cycles. The tool keeps the target at or above your BMR, but that is a floor, not a guarantee of safety.
A pace of 0.5 to 1 kg a month is generally the most sustainable. Faster is usually less successful.
When the scale stops moving
Steady loss often pauses for a while. Adaptation of energy use and shifts in body water both play a part.
Cutting further at that point tends to make things worse. Judge progress over two to four weeks rather than days, and pay more attention to how you feel and sleep than to the number.
If nothing changes for a long time or you feel unwell, stop self-managing and see a doctor or dietitian.
Sources
- Roza AM, Shizgal HM (1984), revised Harris-Benedict equation
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, e-Health Net, "Energy requirements" (エネルギー必要量)
Calorie Calculator FAQ
What is basal metabolic rate?
The energy your body burns at rest to stay alive: breathing, body temperature, organ function.
Which formula is used?
The revised Harris-Benedict equation, one of the most widely used estimates worldwide.
How is the target intake worked out?
From the gap to your target weight at a pace of one kilogram a month, capped so the target never falls below your BMR. Discuss any real diet plan with a doctor or dietitian.