Calorie calculator
Work out your daily calorie need, and how much of it should come from protein, fat and carbohydrate.
- No sign-up — results appear instantly
- Mifflin–St Jeor equation
Where these numbers come from
Resting metabolic rate
The energy your body uses at complete rest — breathing, circulation, the work of the organs. We use the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, currently the most accurate for adults.
Men: 10 × weight + 6.25 × height − 5 × age + 5
Women: 10 × weight + 6.25 × height − 5 × age − 161Multiply by your activity level
Resting energy is the minimum. It is multiplied by a factor that matches how much you move during the day, which gives the calories you need to maintain your weight.
- Minimal, desk job
- × 1.2
- Light, 1–3 sessions a week
- × 1.375
- Moderate, 3–5 sessions
- × 1.55
- High, 6–7 sessions
- × 1.725
Adjust for your goal
The last step subtracts or adds a percentage, depending on what you want. The calculator does this for you — the figure it shows is already adjusted.
- Weight loss
- -20%
- Maintaining weight
- 0%
- Gaining weight
- +15%
How it works out for different people
Six ordinary cases, run through the same equation.
| Who | At rest | With activity |
|---|---|---|
| Woman, 32, 165 cm, 62 kg, office job | 1,330 kcal | 1,596 kcal |
| Woman, 45, 168 cm, 70 kg, walks a lot | 1,364 kcal | 1,876 kcal |
| Woman, 27, 172 cm, 64 kg, gym 3 times a week | 1,419 kcal | 2,199 kcal |
| Man, 35, 180 cm, 85 kg, office job | 1,805 kcal | 2,166 kcal |
| Man, 29, 178 cm, 78 kg, gym 3 times a week | 1,753 kcal | 2,717 kcal |
| Man, 41, 183 cm, 92 kg, physical work | 1,864 kcal | 3,215 kcal |
These are examples, not norms. Two people of the same height and weight can spend very different amounts — muscle mass, sleep, thyroid function and a dozen other things the equation cannot see all play a part.
What the calculator does with your goal
The figure above is already adjusted for the goal you chose. Here is what that adjustment is, and what to do with the result.
If you chose “lose weight”
The calculator has already taken 20% off the calories you need to maintain your weight. Do not subtract anything further: a bigger deficit does not speed the result up proportionally — muscle goes along with the fat, energy drops, and the routine becomes one that is hard to keep up for more than a fortnight.
If you chose “gain weight”
The calculator has already added 15% on top of what you need to maintain your weight. Keep an eye on the pace rather than adding more: a larger surplus mostly ends up where you did not want it, and muscle growth is limited by your training, not by how much you eat.
How long to give it
Your weight swings by a kilo or two from water, salt and your cycle, so a single morning on the scales tells you nothing. Go by the average over two or three weeks — that is the span on which you can see whether the adjustment is working. If it is not, change the daily figure by 100–200 kcal and give it another fortnight.
How the total splits into macros
Calories tell you how much to eat. Macros tell you what it should be made of. Here is the logic the calculator uses to split your total three ways.
Protein — from body weight
Protein is counted in grams per kilogram of body weight rather than as a share of calories: someone weighing 60 kg and someone weighing 90 kg need different amounts, even on the same calorie total. The calculator offers three levels — take the one that matches your week.
- An ordinary day
- 0.9 g per kilogram
- More protein
- 1.6 g per kilogram
- Regular training
- 2.0 g per kilogram
Fat — a share of the total
Fat is taken as 30% of the daily total — the middle of the range considered acceptable (20–35%). Below 20%, the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K suffers, so cutting it to nothing makes no sense.
- Protein
- 4 kcal per gram
- Fat
- 9 kcal per gram
- Carbohydrate
- 4 kcal per gram
Carbohydrate — whatever is left
Once protein and fat are counted, the rest of the total goes to carbohydrate. That is why there is little of it at a low calorie level — not because it is bad for you, but because there is no room left.
Sources: 0.83 g of protein per kilogram — EFSA, 2012. The 1.4–2.0 g/kg range for people who train — International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017. The 20–35% fat share — AMDR. Calories per gram — Atwater factors.
Five mistakes in counting
The total is right and nothing is happening. Usually the reason is one of these five.
Oil, sauces and drinks go uncounted
A tablespoon of oil is about 120 kcal, two spoons of sauce another 60, a coffee with milk 150. Over a day that adds up to 300–500 kcal — exactly the deficit that was meant to be doing the work.
Weighing it cooked, counting it raw
A hundred grams of dry grain and a hundred grams of cooked grain are different amounts of food with different calories. Weigh anything that absorbs water before cooking, or use the calorie figure for the finished dish.
Overstating the activity level
Three sessions a week is moderate activity, not high. When in doubt, choose the lower level: an underestimate shows up in how your weight moves and is easy to correct, an overestimate is not.
Eating back what the workout burned
An hour of cardio usually gets valued at 600–700 kcal; in reality it is closer to 300–400. The activity factor already accounts for training, so there is no need to add calories for each session on top.
Never recalculating the total
Your daily need depends on your weight, so it changes every four or five kilograms. A target worked out at your old weight gradually turns into maintenance — run the calculator again.
Who this calculation is not for
This equation is not intended for pregnant or breastfeeding women, for children and teenagers under 18, or for people with diabetes, thyroid or kidney conditions or an eating disorder. In those cases the figure is set by a doctor. The calculator also will not show a result below 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 kcal for men: that is the line below which nobody should go without professional supervision.
A ready-made plan at every calorie level
Nine plans, from 900 to 3,000 kcal. Choose the one that matches your daily need, or the closest to it.
| Calories | Plan | Per day, 1–4 days | Per day, 20 days or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| 900 kcal | Lightness | 108 zł | 100 zł |
| 1,200 kcal | Lightness | 118 zł | 110 zł |
| 1,400 kcal | Lightness | 128 zł | 120 zł |
| 1,600 kcal | Lightness | 138 zł | 130 zł |
| 1,800 kcal | Balance | 148 zł | 140 zł |
| 2,000 kcal | Balance | 155 zł | 147 zł |
| 2,200 kcal | Balance | 165 zł | 157 zł |
| 2,500 kcal | Sport and activity | 175 zł | 167 zł |
| 3,000 kcal | Sport and activity | 185 zł | 177 zł |
Work out the cost
The “Balance” plan
- Price per day
148 zł144 zł- Total
740 zł720 zł
You save 20 zł on this order
The price per day depends on how many days you order: the longer, the cheaper. If your need sits between two levels, choose the lower one to lose weight and the higher one to maintain it. If the level you need is not in the table, write to us and we’ll sort it out.
Find your plan
1. Choose your goal
2. Calories
You can work out your own daily need with the calculator.
Light and balanced. An easy format for every day.
Before the box heads your way
Common questions about calorie needs
How accurate is this calculator?
The Mifflin–St Jeor equation is accurate to about 10%. Only laboratory measurement does better. Treat the result as a starting point: if your weight has not moved the way you want after two or three weeks, adjust the daily figure by 100–200 kcal.
Do I have to sign up to see the result?
No. The calculation runs in your browser, the result appears immediately, and what you type is never sent anywhere or stored.
How long does it take to lose 5 kg?
A kilogram of body fat holds roughly 7,700 kcal, so 5 kg is around 38,500 kcal of deficit. At 500 kcal a day that works out at about 77 days. Faster does happen, but usually at the expense of water and muscle rather than fat.
What if my daily need comes out below 1,200 kcal?
Do not go lower without medical supervision. At that level a deficit is easier to create through movement than by cutting food further. The calculator deliberately withholds a figure here — write to us and we’ll work something out together.
How often should I run this again?
After every four or five kilograms of weight change, whenever your activity level changes, and once a year — the figure drops gradually with age.
Does the calculator take training into account?
Yes, through the activity factor. There is no need to add calories separately for each session — that is the most common reason a deficit stops working.
What happens if I eat less than the calculator showed?
The first few weeks the weight comes off faster, then the body adapts: less movement outside training, more tiredness and more hunger. A moderate deficit gives a slower but steadier result, and it is far easier to keep to.