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Home› Health Calculators› Nutrition› Calorie Calculator

Calorie Calculator
with Maintenance, Loss & Gain Targets

Estimate daily calorie needs using Mifflin-St Jeor and activity multipliers. See maintenance calories and general calorie target ranges for weight loss or weight gain planning.

🍎
Calorie Calculator
⚥
Required for the base BMR equation.
yrs
Adult use only. Allowed range is 15 to 100.
Metric inputs
kg
Enter weight in kilograms.
cm
Enter height in centimetres.
Imperial inputs
lb
Enter weight in pounds.
ft
Feet part of height.
in
Inches part of height.
Activity level
🏃
Choose the option that best matches your typical weekly activity.
Sedentary
Little or no exercise. Mostly seated daily routine.
Primary goal
🎯
This changes the primary emphasis card. The full target block is still shown below.
Maintain weight
Uses estimated maintenance calories as the primary reference point.
Daily Calories
—
goal-based calorie estimate
BMR
—
resting calorie estimate
TDEE
—
total daily energy estimate
Activity Level
—
selected activity category
Activity Multiplier
—
selected activity factor
Maintenance
—
Estimated calorie level for weight maintenance.
Mild Loss
—
Maintenance minus 250 kcal per day.
Moderate Loss
—
Maintenance minus 500 kcal per day, display floor applied.
Mild Gain
—
Maintenance plus 250 kcal per day.
Moderate Gain
—
Maintenance plus 500 kcal per day.
Calorie Interpretation
Unit system—
Sex—
Age—
Weight used—
Height used—
BMR—
Activity level—
Activity multiplier—
TDEE—
Selected goal—
Maintenance—
Mild loss—
Moderate loss—
Mild gain—
Moderate gain—
Relative interpretation—
This calculator provides general estimates and is not medical advice. Actual calorie needs vary based on body composition, health status, and real daily activity.
✦ Cal, AI Explanation
Cal is reviewing your calorie result...
💬 Ask Cal about your calorie target
Cal
Your calorie estimate is ready. Ask me what maintenance means, how the target ranges work, or how calorie planning differs from BMR and TDEE.

💡 Calorie Notes

Maintenance is the reference point for general calorie planning.
Loss targets sit below maintenance and gain targets sit above it.
BMR is the resting base, while TDEE reflects daily activity as well.
These targets are planning estimates, not exact prescriptions.
Real calorie needs can differ from formula outputs.

Related Calculators

TDEE Calculator→ BMR Calculator→ BMI Calculator→ Water Intake Calculator→ Sleep Calculator→

Related Guides

What Are Maintenance Calories→ Calorie Deficit Explained→ TDEE vs Calorie Intake→

What calorie needs mean

A calorie calculator estimates how much energy you may need per day based on body size, age, sex, and activity. It starts with BMR, which estimates resting energy use, and then applies an activity multiplier to reach TDEE, which is closer to full daily energy use.

Maintenance calories are usually the main reference point. Once maintenance is estimated, general loss and gain targets can be built around it by subtracting or adding calories in measured steps.

Core structure

BMR = Mifflin-St Jeor estimate
TDEE = BMR × Activity Multiplier
Maintenance = TDEE
Mild Loss = TDEE − 250
Moderate Loss = TDEE − 500
Mild Gain = TDEE + 250
Moderate Gain = TDEE + 500
This calculator is a general planning tool, not a medical nutrition assessment.

How calorie targets are built

Maintenance calories are the central reference point because they estimate intake at roughly stable body weight. From there, a deficit can be used as a general weight loss target and a surplus can be used as a general weight gain target.

Smaller adjustments often create more moderate planning ranges, while larger adjustments create more aggressive targets. This calculator shows both mild and moderate target ranges so the user can compare them side by side.

Common target structure

Target Type Calculation General Use
MaintenanceTDEEWeight maintenance estimate
Mild LossTDEE − 250Moderate calorie reduction
Moderate LossTDEE − 500Stronger calorie reduction
Mild GainTDEE + 250Moderate calorie increase
Moderate GainTDEE + 500Larger calorie increase

Why your true needs may differ

Calorie calculators are estimates. Real energy needs can vary because formulas simplify human metabolism into a few measurable inputs. Factors such as body composition, routine changes, step count, training intensity, and day-to-day variation can shift actual needs above or below the calculator output.

That is why many people use calculators as a starting point and then adjust based on real-world results over time. The value of the calculator is in giving a structured starting range, not in claiming perfect precision.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a calorie calculator?+
A calorie calculator estimates how many calories you may need per day based on body size, age, sex, and activity. It is commonly used for general maintenance, loss, or gain planning.
Is calorie target the same as TDEE?+
Not exactly. TDEE is usually the maintenance estimate. Calorie targets for loss or gain are built by adjusting that maintenance value up or down.
What is maintenance calories?+
Maintenance calories are the estimated daily intake level at which body weight may remain roughly stable over time, assuming the estimate matches real daily energy use.
What deficit should I choose?+
This calculator shows mild and moderate deficit targets as general planning options. They are estimates only and should not be treated as medical recommendations.
Why is my calorie estimate only a guide?+
Because formulas cannot perfectly capture individual metabolism, body composition, and daily routine. The estimate is useful as a starting point, but real needs may differ.