WeightLogDaily calorie calculator
See how much energy your body uses at rest and roughly how many calories a day keep your weight steady.
To maintain your weight
–kcal a day
- Lose weight gradually500 kcal below maintenance–
- Lose weight faster1,000 kcal below maintenance–
- Gain weight gradually500 kcal above maintenance–
- Basal metabolic rate
- – kcal a day
For adults aged 20 and over. These are estimates and real needs vary. If you plan a big change in how you eat, talk to a doctor or a dietitian first.
What BMR means
Basal metabolic rate is the energy your body uses at complete rest: breathing, blood circulation, keeping warm. Everything else you do, from walking to digesting food, comes on top of it.
Gradual and faster changes
The other three results are 500 kcal below, 1,000 kcal below and 500 kcal above maintenance. Like the app, the calculator doesn't suggest less than 1,500 kcal a day for men or 1,200 kcal for women: a line that would go lower shows that minimum instead. If your maintenance is already at or below that minimum, the calculator shows no weight-loss figure.
How it's calculated
BMR comes from the Mifflin–St Jeor equation:
Men: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5
Women: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age − 161
Maintenance calories are BMR times an activity factor: 1.2 (sedentary), 1.375 (light), 1.55 (moderate), 1.725 (vigorous) or 1.9 (extreme).
Source: Mifflin, St Jeor and colleagues, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990.
All six calculators, inside the app
WeightLog has these calculators built in, next to your weight log. They remember what you entered last time, so a quick check takes seconds.
More calculators
BMI
Your body mass index and the healthy weight range for your height.
Body fat
An estimate from neck, waist and hip measurements with the U.S. Navy method.
Calories burned
The energy you use in 25 activities, from walking and running to cycling and swimming.
Heart rate zones
Your estimated maximum heart rate and five training zones in beats per minute.
Waist-to-height ratio
How your waist compares with your height: a quick check of fat around the middle.
