Free calculator
Calorie calculator
How many calories you burn in a day, and how many to eat to lose, keep or gain weight.
How it works
First the calculator estimates the energy your body uses at rest, with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the formula most dietitians use for healthy adults. It then multiplies that by how active you are, which gives the calories you burn in a typical day.
You choose the pace. About 7,700 calories make a kilo (3,500 a pound), so losing half a kilo a week takes about 550 calories a day off that number; gaining a quarter kilo adds about 275. It never sets food below 1,200 calories for women or 1,500 for men: when a pace needs more, it shows how much to burn through training instead. If you know your body fat, it uses the Katch-McArdle formula, which is more accurate for very muscular or heavier people.
Use it as a starting point
Every formula is an estimate; your real needs can be a few hundred calories higher or lower. Eat at the number for two or three weeks, watch your weight, and adjust by 100 to 200 calories. If you play sport, count game days as active days: a 90-minute pickup game can burn 600 calories or more. The calories burned calculator shows how much.
Questions
How many calories should I eat a day?
It depends on your size, age and how active you are. Most adults burn between 1,800 and 3,000 calories a day. Use the calculator above for your own estimate, then adjust after two or three weeks.
How accurate is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation?
In studies it predicts resting energy within about 10% for most healthy adults, which is why it is the most widely used formula. It is less accurate for very muscular people and for people with obesity.
How many calories do I need to lose a kilo?
Roughly 7,700 calories, or about 3,500 calories per pound. Eating 500 calories a day below what you burn loses about half a kilo, or a pound, a week.
Do I eat back the calories I burn playing sport?
The activity level already counts your usual training. On a much bigger day than usual, such as a tournament, eat a little more so you recover.
Sources
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241-247.
- Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. American College of Sports Medicine joint position statement: nutrition and athletic performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016;48(3):543-568.
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Track it all in Fuel
Fuel is a free macro and calorie tracker from JOGO. Log food in seconds, scan barcodes, and your JOGO games count toward what you burn. Get an email when it opens.
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