Calorie Calculator: Daily Calories to Lose, Maintain or Gain Weight
Enter your age, sex, height, weight and activity to see your maintenance calories and safe targets for losing or gaining weight.
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Calories to maintain weight
2,220kcal/day
- Lose 0.25 kg/week
- 1,950 kcal/day
- Lose 0.5 kg/week
- 1,670 kcal/day
- Gain 0.25 kg/week
- 2,500 kcal/day
- Gain 0.5 kg/week
- 2,770 kcal/day
An estimate for general information, not medical advice.
Your BMR (calories at complete rest) is about 1618 kcal a day.
Maintenance calories by activity level
| Sedentary | Light | Moderate | Active | Very active |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,940 | 2,220 | 2,510 | 2,790 | 3,070 |
How to use
- Enter sex, age, height and weight.
- Pick the activity level that fits a normal week.
- Read maintenance calories and the targets for your goal.
Good to know
Mifflin-St Jeor (1990): BMR = 10 × weight kg + 6.25 × height cm − 5 × age + 5 for men, or − 161 for women. It is the equation the US Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found most accurate for healthy adults. Maintenance = BMR × activity factor (1.2 sedentary to 1.9 very active).
Targets use about 7,700 kcal per kg of body fat: 0.25 kg a week ≈ 275 kcal less per day, 0.5 kg a week ≈ 550 kcal less. We never suggest less than 1,200 kcal a day for women or 1,500 for men; if a target would fall below that, we show the minimum instead.
Results are estimates and can be 10% off for an individual. Track your weight for 2–3 weeks and adjust by 100–200 kcal. For reference, ICMR-NIN (2020) puts a sedentary Indian man (65 kg) at about 2,110 kcal and a woman (55 kg) at about 1,660 kcal.
Questions
How many calories should I eat a day?
It depends on your size, age and activity. A typical sedentary Indian adult needs roughly 1,600–2,200 kcal. Use the maintenance number above as your starting point.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
About 300–550 kcal below maintenance for 0.25–0.5 kg a week. Do not go below 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 kcal (men) without medical supervision.
Why does the result say "raised to safe minimum"?
Because the plain maths gave a number below the safe floor. Eating less than that risks muscle loss and missing nutrients.
Which activity level should I pick?
Be honest and pick lower if unsure. Most people with desk jobs are sedentary or light even with a daily walk.
Is my data stored?
No. Everything is calculated on your device.