Daily calorie calculator

Calculate how many calories you burn per day based on your age, weight, height and activity, and how much to eat to lose fat or build muscle.

What it is for

Knowing how many calories you burn per day is the starting point for any body-composition goal. If you eat about that amount, your weight stays the same; eat less and you lose, eat more and you gain. Training largely determines what you lose or gain (fat or muscle), but calorie balance determines how much.

How it is calculated

First we estimate your basal metabolic rate (what you burn at rest) with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, one of the most accurate for adults:

• Men: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5
• Women: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age − 161

Then we multiply it by an activity factor, from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (very active), to get your total daily energy expenditure, or maintenance calories.

How to use the result

• Lose fat: eat about 15–20% below maintenance. A moderate deficit helps preserve muscle, especially if you strength train and eat enough protein.
• Build muscle: a small surplus of 5–10% limits fat gain.
• Maintain: eat close to maintenance and adjust based on the scale.

Adjust with real data

Every formula is an estimate with an error margin of hundreds of calories. Use it as a starting point: weigh yourself at the same time several times a week for 2 to 3 weeks and look at the trend. If the average does not move as expected, adjust by 100–200 kcal. In GymTracking you can log your weight and see the trend on a chart.

The calculation does not apply to pregnancy, breastfeeding, minors or medical conditions that alter metabolism. In those cases, see a nutrition professional.

If you have an injury, pain or a medical condition, check with a professional before doing this exercise.