How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

Start from your maintenance (TDEE) and subtract 300–500 kcal a day. That produces a sustainable loss of 0.5–0.75 kg per week while preserving muscle. Crash deficits below this raise hunger hormones and lead to regain.

Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the calories your body uses in a full day, including resting metabolism (BMR), digestion and activity. Your calorie target is set against TDEE, not BMR.

Is the Mifflin-St Jeor formula accurate?

It is the most accurate general formula available, but any formula is an estimate with roughly 10–20% individual variation. Treat the number as a starting point and adjust by your actual results (weekly weight trend and hunger levels).

Why is a moderate deficit better than a crash diet?

Very large deficits cause more muscle loss, sharper rises in the hunger hormone ghrelin and bigger metabolic adaptation — which is why crash diets typically regain. A 300–500 kcal deficit is the sustainable sweet spot.

Should I count calories or just eat healthy?

Both work; the evidence favours awareness. Tracking even briefly (a week or two) corrects the 30–50% under-estimation most people have, after which many people can maintain with habits alone.

Calorie calculator

Your daily calorie needs — maintenance and sustainable deficit targets. Built on the Mifflin-St Jeor formula, the most accurate standard estimation method.

Calorie calculator

Your daily calorie needs

This tool estimates how many calories your body uses each day (TDEE), so you can size a sustainable deficit. It is an estimate, not a prescription.

How the estimate works

It uses the Mifflin-St Jeor formula to estimate your resting metabolism (BMR), then multiplies by an activity factor to get your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). The deficit targets assume about 0.5–0.75 kg per week — the sustainable range that preserves muscle.

Your estimate

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Enter your details to see your daily calorie needs.

Discuss my plan with a doctor

Estimates only — individual metabolism varies by 10–20%. A structured assessment by a qualified healthcare professional is more accurate than any formula.

About calorie needs

How many calories should I eat to lose weight?: Start from your maintenance (TDEE) and subtract 300–500 kcal a day. That produces a sustainable loss of 0.5–0.75 kg per week while preserving muscle. Crash deficits below this raise hunger hormones and lead to regain.
What is TDEE?: Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the calories your body uses in a full day, including resting metabolism (BMR), digestion and activity. Your calorie target is set against TDEE, not BMR.
Is the Mifflin-St Jeor formula accurate?: It is the most accurate general formula available, but any formula is an estimate with roughly 10–20% individual variation. Treat the number as a starting point and adjust by your actual results (weekly weight trend and hunger levels).
Why is a moderate deficit better than a crash diet?: Very large deficits cause more muscle loss, sharper rises in the hunger hormone ghrelin and bigger metabolic adaptation — which is why crash diets typically regain. A 300–500 kcal deficit is the sustainable sweet spot.
Should I count calories or just eat healthy?: Both work; the evidence favours awareness. Tracking even briefly (a week or two) corrects the 30–50% under-estimation most people have, after which many people can maintain with habits alone.

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Your daily calorie needs

How the estimate works

About calorie needs