Find out how many calories you should eat a day to lose weight, maintain it or gain it, with a safe-minimum guardrail instead of crash-diet numbers.
Estimates only, for general guidance. Gradual changes (around 0.25-0.5 kg/week) are usually more sustainable than rapid ones. Very low-calorie diets aren’t recommended without medical supervision – for a personalised plan, see a dietitian or doctor.
How Many Calories Should I Eat a Day to Lose Weight?
Eat about 500 kcal less than your maintenance calories, but not below 1,500 kcal for men or 1,200 kcal for women. A 30-year-old man who is 178 cm, 75 kg and moderately active maintains at about 2,662 kcal, so his loss target is 2,162 kcal a day.
| Goal | Adjustment | Daily target (example man) |
|---|---|---|
| Lose | Maintenance − 500 | 2,162 kcal |
| Maintain | Maintenance | 2,662 kcal |
| Gain | Maintenance + 300 | 2,962 kcal |
How the Daily Target Is Worked Out
The tool estimates maintenance calories (TDEE) from your BMR and activity level, then applies a gentle deficit or surplus for your goal.
Formula: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + (5 if male, −161 if female) [Mifflin-St Jeor equation]. TDEE = BMR × activity factor (1.2 to 1.9 depending on activity level). Target calories: Maintain = TDEE; Lose = TDEE − 500 (floored at 1,500 kcal for men or 1,200 kcal for women; if TDEE − 500 would fall below that floor, the floor value is shown instead); Gain = TDEE + 300. Imperial inputs convert first: height(cm) = (feet × 12 + inches) × 2.54, weight(kg) = pounds × 0.45359237.
- BMR: 10 × 75 + 6.25 × 178 − 5 × 30 + 5 = 1,717.5 kcal.
- Maintenance: 1,717.5 × 1.55 (moderately active) = 2,662 kcal.
- Lose: 2,662 − 500 = 2,162 kcal, which is above the 1,500 kcal floor for men.
- Sex: male or female, which changes the BMR constant (+5 or −161) and the safe-minimum floor (1,500 or 1,200 kcal).
- Age: your age in years.
- Height: in centimeters (metric) or feet and inches (imperial).
- Weight: in kilograms (metric) or pounds (imperial).
- Activity level: sedentary through extra active, each with its own multiplier applied to BMR.
- Goal: lose, maintain, or gain, which determines whether 500 kcal is subtracted, nothing changes, or 300 kcal is added.
How Many Calories Should a Man or Woman Eat a Day? Examples
| Sex | Age | Height | Weight | Activity | Goal | Target Calories (kcal/day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 30 | 178 cm | 75 kg | Moderately active | Maintain | 2,662 |
| Male | 30 | 178 cm | 75 kg | Moderately active | Lose | 2,162 |
| Male | 30 | 178 cm | 75 kg | Moderately active | Gain | 2,962 |
| Female | 50 | 160 cm | 55 kg | Sedentary | Lose | 1,200 (floor applied) |
| Female | 28 | 165 cm | 58 kg | Lightly active | Lose | 1,301 |
| Male | 45 | 182 cm | 95 kg | Very active | Gain | 3,521 |
Turning Your Target into Meals
A single daily figure is easier to stick to when you break it into meals you already eat.
- Split the target across your usual meals and snacks, leaving room for drinks, which people often forget.
- Build meals around protein, vegetables and whole grains, which tend to be filling for their calories.
- Plan for weekends and social meals rather than treating them as exceptions. Averaging over a week is fine.
- Weigh food for a week or two to learn what portions really look like.
To see how many calories to eat to maintain your weight, use the Maintain goal. Any result is an estimate, and metabolism varies, so follow it for two to three weeks, check your weekly average weight, and adjust a little if needed.
Do not go below the safe minimum shown without medical supervision. Pregnant or breastfeeding women, teenagers and anyone with a health condition should talk to a doctor or dietitian. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans offer balanced eating advice to pair with your target.
Common questions about daily calorie targets
How many calories should I eat a day to lose weight?
Start from your maintenance calories and subtract about 500 kcal, but not below 1,500 kcal for men or 1,200 kcal for women. For a 30-year-old man, 178 cm and 75 kg, moderately active, that is 2,662 − 500 = 2,162 kcal a day.How many calories should I eat to gain weight per day?
The Gain goal adds a gentle surplus of about 300 kcal per day on top of your maintenance calories, so the same man would eat about 2,962 kcal. Pairing the surplus with strength training is commonly suggested to support more muscle gain relative to fat.How many calories should a woman eat to lose weight?
It depends on her size and activity. A 35-year-old woman, 165 cm and 68 kg, lightly active, has a maintenance level of about 1,891 kcal, so her loss target is about 1,391 kcal. The calculator never shows a loss target below 1,200 kcal for women.How much weight will a 500-calorie daily deficit lose per week?
A roughly 500 kcal/day deficit is generally associated with about 0.45 kg (1 lb) of weight loss per week, since that’s approximately the energy value of a pound of body fat. Actual results vary by individual and tend to slow over time.Is the 1,200 / 1,500 kcal safety floor always the right minimum for me?
No. These are general guardrail figures, not personalized medical minimums, and safe intake varies with body size, activity and health conditions. Anyone considering a very low-calorie intake should get personalized guidance from a dietitian or doctor.Does this calculator account for muscle mass or body composition?
No. It uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which estimates BMR from age, sex, height and weight only, so it doesn’t account for muscle mass or body fat percentage. Treat the result as a general estimate.Related Calculators
To dig deeper into your energy needs, compare this against the TDEE calculator for your baseline maintenance number, plan your macros with the macro calculator, or map out a gradual plan with the weight loss timeline calculator.