CalcInfinity

Calorie Calculator

Health

Find out how many calories you burn each day, and how many to eat for weight loss or weight gain.

years

Exercise 3–5 days/week

Maintenance Calories
BMR (resting calories)
—

TDEE varies with activity — even a small increase in daily movement can shift your maintenance calories meaningfully.

What is a calorie deficit?

A calorie deficit means eating fewer calories than your body burns in a day (your maintenance level, or TDEE) — the gap forces your body to draw on stored fat for the difference, which is how weight loss happens. A calorie surplus is the reverse, eating more than you burn, which is needed for weight gain.

Worked Example — Male, 70 kg, 175 cm, 30 years, Moderate activity

BMR1,649 kcalat complete rest
Maintenance (TDEE)2,556 kcalto stay at the same weight
Weight Loss (−0.5 kg/wk)2,006 kcalthe standard recommended deficit

Weight Loss & Gain Tiers

Every target below is derived from the same maintenance number — 1 kg of body fat is roughly 7,700 calories, spread across the week.

Mild Loss (−0.25 kg/week)

A small, easy-to-sustain deficit

Weight Loss (−0.5 kg/week)

The most commonly recommended pace

Extreme Loss (−1 kg/week)

Aggressive — harder to sustain, more muscle loss risk

Mild Gain (+0.25 kg/week)

Slow, lean-focused surplus

Weight Gain (+0.5 kg/week)

Faster surplus, more likely to include fat gain

Frequently Asked Questions

A tool that estimates how many calories your body burns per day (maintenance/TDEE) from your age, weight, height, sex, and activity level, then shows calorie targets for weight loss or weight gain based on that number.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • This isn't a food-item calorie lookup. It estimates how many calories your body needs based on your stats and activity level — it doesn't look up calories for specific foods, restaurant menu items, or recipes.
  • Very low targets aren't automatically better. A number well below your Extreme Loss tier usually isn't sustainable and can risk nutrient deficiency — the tiers shown are meant to be realistic ranges, not a floor to undercut.
  • Activity level is where most people overestimate. "Moderate" assumes real structured exercise most days — a desk job with occasional weekend activity is closer to "Light" or "Sedentary," and picking too high inflates every number that follows.

References

  • Mifflin-St Jeor equation (1990)
  • Institute of Medicine — Dietary Reference Intakes

Last reviewed July 2026

Was this calculator helpful?
Can't find a calculator you need?

Keep building your health picture

BMR Calculator

Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate using the Mifflin-St Jeor, Harris-Benedict, and Katch-McArdle formulas.

Ideal Weight Calculator

Estimate your ideal body weight from your height and sex, compared across four established formulas.

BMI Calculator

Calculate Body Mass Index and see your healthy weight range.

Water Intake Calculator

Calculate how much water you should drink daily based on your weight and activity level.