Calorie Calculator
This calorie calculator tells you exactly how many calories to eat per day for your goal, whether that is losing fat, maintaining, or building muscle. It is based on your maintenance calories (TDEE).
Your results
| Aggressive fat loss | 2259 kcal/day |
| Fat loss | 2459 kcal/day |
| Maintenance | 2759 kcal/day |
| Lean bulk | 3009 kcal/day |
| Bulk | 3259 kcal/day |
How it works
- 1We estimate your maintenance calories (TDEE) from your body stats and activity level.
- 2For fat loss we subtract a moderate deficit; for muscle gain we add a lean surplus.
- 3Pair your calorie target with enough protein and progressive training to keep results as muscle, not just weight.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
Eat about 300-500 calories below your maintenance (TDEE) each day. This produces steady fat loss of roughly 0.25-0.5 kg per week without crushing your energy or muscle.
Is a calorie deficit enough to lose fat?
Yes, a consistent calorie deficit is the one requirement for fat loss. Protein and strength training decide how much of the loss is fat versus muscle.
How many calories to build muscle?
A surplus of 250-500 calories above maintenance supports muscle growth while limiting fat gain. Combine it with progressive resistance training and adequate protein.
Using the result
What the numbers are
An estimate for an average person with your stats. Formulas like Mifflin-St Jeor are accurate to roughly plus or minus ten percent for most people, which is close enough to start and never close enough to argue with the scale.
How to use them
Eat at the calculated intake for two to three weeks and weigh yourself consistently. If the trend is not moving the way you want, adjust the intake by a few hundred calories rather than recalculating from scratch.
When to stop guessing
If you have been adjusting for months without progress, the missing piece is usually programming and accountability rather than a better number. That is what a coach on Trainera does.
What this calculator cannot know
Every formula here works from height, weight, age, sex and activity, which is most of the picture and not all of it. It does not know your training history, your medication, your thyroid, how well you sleep, how much you actually move outside training, or how honestly you log food. Treat the output as a starting estimate: pregnant and breastfeeding women, children, competitive athletes at very low body fat and anyone managing a medical condition should get a number from a doctor or dietitian instead of from a form. Nothing here is medical advice.
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Turn these numbers into a real plan
Train on your own with Trainera's free workout and diet tracker, or get matched with a certified personal trainer who builds your plan around these numbers.