Calorie Calculator

The tool starts from your estimated maintenance calories. Then it adds or removes a small daily amount for the goal you pick. It never shows a loss target below your estimated resting burn or below 1,200 calories.

Formulas

How it works, step by step

1. First, the calculator estimates your maintenance calories with the same steps as the TDEE calculator.
2. Then it adds the adjustment for your goal.
3. If a loss target would fall below your BMR or 1,200 calories, it holds the target at the larger of the two.
4. Finally, it rounds the result to the nearest 10 calories.

Worked example

Take a person with a maintenance of 2,500 calories and a BMR of 1,700 who picks Lose steadily. Their target is 2,000 calories. If the same person had a maintenance of 1,800 and a BMR of 1,500, the target would stay at 1,500.

Accuracy and limits

Your maintenance number carries the same uncertainty as any TDEE estimate. A 2005 review of the main equations found noteworthy errors for some people, even with the best one.

Body weight responds slowly to a change in calories, so the tool gives no rate of weight change. Hall and colleagues modeled half-times of about a year in adults, and the response also shifts as weight changes.

The 1,200-calorie floor is this site's own conservative limit. It does not come from a clinical guideline.

• The adjustments stay small on purpose, and they are the same for everyone. They do not account for age, medical conditions or medication.
• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or have a history of disordered eating, talk to a clinician before you change how much you eat.
• Treat a target as a plan to test. After two to three weeks, compare it with your weight data and adjust.

Sources

1. Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241-247. Used for: The Mifflin-St Jeor equation and the 498 adults it came from.
2. Frankenfield D, Roth-Yousey L, Compher C. Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate in healthy nonobese and obese adults: a systematic review. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005;105(5):775-789. Used for: How often each common equation lands within 10% of measured resting rate.
3. Hall KD, Sacks G, Chandramohan D, et al. Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. Lancet. 2011;378(9793):826-837. Used for: Why body weight responds slowly to a change in calories.
4. Ramirez-Marrero FA, Edens KL, Joyner MJ, Curry TB. Predicted vs. actual resting energy expenditure and activity coefficients: post-gastric bypass, lean and obese women. Obes Control Ther. 2014;1(2):1-7. Used for: The 1.2 to 1.9 activity multipliers and how self-reported activity can overshoot.

Sources and math last reviewed: November 4, 2026.