Reading a food label could give you the impression that everybody needs more or less the same things, in the same quantities, to be healthy. Not so! We all have different bodies, different goals, and different lifestyles, and the way we eat should reflect that.
This calorie calculator will help you estimate the number of calories you're burning each day, plus a daily calorie target to help you lose weight, add muscle, or maintain your current weight. This can be your launch pad to gain better control of your nutrition and better results while working toward your goals!
Calorie Calculator
Age
Sex
Height
Weight
Goal
Current Activity Level
Your calorie count should put you in a slight caloric deficit of around 200-700 calories. This can help you establish a consistent, sustainable pace of weight loss. Here are your next steps to lose weight:
1. Pick a weight-loss workout plan.
A well-designed program is an essential part of turning hard numbers like calories into hard-body results! Here are the most popular ones from BodyFit:
2. Calculate your macronutrient ratio.
Calories aren't just calories! They're actually values that come from the macronutrients of protein, fats, and carbohydrates (as well as alcohol). Paul Salter, RD, can show you how to dial yours in for your goal in the article, "Macronutrient Calculator: Find Your Macro Ratio for Flexible Dieting and IIFYM."
3. Learn about the best fat-loss supplements.
Supplements can help you accelerate your results once you have your calories and training in place. Krissy Kendall, Ph.D., shares her recommendations in the article, "5 Ways to Up Your Fat-Loss Supplement Game."
4. Join a fitness community.
For over 10 years, members of BodySpace have been helping each other build their best bodies. Join a fitness community that's over 2 million people strong!
Your calorie count should put you in a slight caloric surplus of around 500 calories. This can help you establish a consistent, sustainable pace of weight gain. Here are your next steps to gain muscle:
1. Pick a muscle-building workout plan.
A well-designed program is an essential part of turning hard numbers like calories into hard-body results! Here are the most popular ones from BodyFit:
2. Calculate your macronutrient ratio.
Calories aren't just calories! They're actually values that come from the macronutrients of protein, fats, and carbohydrates (as well as alcohol). Paul Salter, RD, can show you how to dial yours in for your goal in the article, "Macronutrient Calculator: Find Your Macro Ratio for Flexible Dieting and IIFYM."
3. Learn about the best supplements for gaining muscle.
Supplements can help you accelerate your muscle-building results once you have your calories and training nailed. Krissy Kendall, Ph.D., shares her recommendations in the article, "8 Proven Supplements for Muscle Growth and Strength."
4. Join a fitness community.
For over 10 years, members of BodySpace have been helping each other build their best bodies. Join a fitness community that's over 2 million people strong!
Your calorie count should put you close to a level where you maintain your current weight. Here are the next steps on your journey to customize your nutrition:
1. Pick a workout plan.
A well-designed program is an essential part of staying motivated and seeing results. Here are some of our most popular programs from BodyFit:
2. Calculate your macronutrient ratio.
Calories aren't just calories! They're actually values that come from the macronutrients of protein, fats, and carbohydrates (as well as alcohol). Paul Salter, RD, can show you how to dial yours in for your goal in the article, Macronutrient Calculator: Find Your Macro Ratio for Flexible Dieting and IIFYM."
3. Learn about the best health-focused supplements.
Supplements can help you accelerate your results and support your training once you have your calories and training in place. Chris Lockwood, Ph.D., shares what to take and why in the article, "Start Here: The Most Important Supplements for Every Body."
4. Join a fitness community.
For over 10 years, members of BodySpace have been helping each other build their best bodies. Join a fitness community that's over 2 million people strong!
Which Goal and Activity Level Should I Choose?
Maintain current weight
First time counting calories? Or not sure which goal is right for you? Then start with "maintenance." In theory, this is where you will eat the same amount of calories that you burn and maintain your current weight. Many nutritionists say before you start cutting calories, you should spend some time at maintenance and get more comfortable with tracking your foods and portion sizes.
Lose weight
If you know that you're ready to lose a few pounds and you've counted calories before, select "lose weight." This will give you a target that is usually 200-700 calories below maintenance. This is a popular "sweet spot" for healthy, sustainable weight loss.
Gain weight
Gaining weight—especially as muscle—sounds easy enough. Train hard, eat big, right? But you may be surprised at how much more you need to eat to grow! Selecting "gain weight" will put you a few hundred calories above maintenance. If this doesn't make the scale go up after a couple of weeks, you may need to add a few hundred more.
Activity Level
This choice should reflect the amount of activity in your life based on how you exercise and how physically active your life and/or job is. Nutritional researchers agree calorie estimates should take more into account than just the amount you exercise. Here's how to figure out what's right for you:
- Sedentary: You work at a desk job and you don't do much housework, walking, or exercising.
- Lightly active: You don't exercise much, but you go for walks 1-3 times per week and are on your feet doing housework during some of the day.
- Moderately active: You exercise 3-5 times a week and stay moving throughout the day with non-exercise activities.
- Very active: You exercise intensely or play vigorous sports on most days.
- Extra active: You exercise intensely or play vigorous sports nearly every day, including occasional "two a days." You also work a physical job or are on your feet most of the time.
How Did We Calculate Your Calories?
Bodybuilding.com's calculator uses the Mifflin St. Jeor calculation, which is considered by our nutritionists and dieticians to be the "gold standard" of calorie calculators. Here's how it works:
Calculate basal metabolic rate (BMR), or the calories your body burns simply by being alive.
For men: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) + 5 (kcal / day)
For women: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) -161 (kcal / day)
Then, this BMR count is multiplied, depending on your activity level:
Sedentary = 1.2
Lightly active = 1.375
Moderately active = 1.550
Very active = 1.725
Extra active = 1.9
Finally, the count is adjusted, depending on your goal:
Weight Loss: Reduce by 10-20%
Weight Gain: Add 500 calories
Should I Count Calories?
There are plenty of people who can maintain a healthy body composition without ever counting calories, but for many others, it is incredibly valuable.
Wondering if it's right for you? Registered dietician Susan Hewlings, Ph.D., explains how to know in the video, "All You Really Need to Know about Calories and Food Labels."
Advantages of calorie-focused nutrition:
- Allows you to compare different meals and foods
- Gives you an objective measurement of portions
- Help show how small indulgences—like a daily soda—can add up over time
Disadvantages of calorie-focused nutrition:
- Doesn't take food quality into account
- It can be tempting to cut too many calories, too fast
- Food labels aren't necessarily accurate
It's one measurement of many, but one that definitely matters! To learn more about all the fundamental ideas of nutrition and how to match your eating to your goals, dive into Bodybuilding.com's Foundations of Fitness Nutrition course.
How Do I Calculate the Calories in My Food?
You can do this using food labels, as well as by weighing out your food and using one of the many online nutritional databases.
Weighing food may seem like a lot of counting and not much fun, but it gets easier over time. Fitness coach Vince Del Monte says in the article, "From Here to Macros: 4 Steps to Better Nutrition" that you quickly learn to "eyeball" quantities of both calories and macronutrients after just a few weeks of practice.
Bodybuilding.com has also created visual guides to help you learn these skills:
Serving Size vs. Portion Size
Calorie counts are almost never 100 percent accurate. But they can be pretty close, as long as you have one crucial piece of information dialed in: the serving size.
Whenever you look at a nutrition label, look at the serving size first. All the information that follows is based on that. Sometimes serving size reflects an entire box or bottle of the product, but often, it's just a small amount.
Sound scientific? It's not. Serving size is an estimation of the average portion a person eats—and as nutritionist Sara-Jane McShane explains in the article, "5 Sneaky Culprits of Weight Gain," it's not always an accurate one! If you eat a cup of a product with a serving size of half a cup, you will then double all the nutritional information: calories, protein, carbs, sodium, fat, and everything else.
This is essential information if you want your calorie counts to be reliable! Not into doing complicated math? Then maybe pre-portioned foods like tuna fish, protein bars, or packaged nuts are a good choice for you. These sorts of calorie-counting hacks can be lifesavers!
One more "secret" that's increasingly well-known: eat enough protein! A major study in 2018 found that as long as your calories are under control and you're eating enough protein, different weight-loss diets work with about the same degree of effectiveness.
PROTEIN IS YOUR FRIEND FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND MUSCLE GAIN. HAVE A SHAKE AFTER TRAINING, OR ANY TIME OF DAY AS A MEAL REPLACEMENT - View All
Get Systematic About Your Results
Once you have your daily calorie intake, it's time to take the same kind of strategic approach to the rest of your training and nutrition. These popular calculators can help you dial in your plan!
- 1RM Calculator: Calculate Your Max Weight for Lifts
- Calculate Your Lean Body Mass
- Macronutrient Calculator: Find Your Macro Ratio for Flexible Dieting and IIFYM
- Protein Calculator: Calculate How Much Protein You Need to Eat Each Day
As a nutrition and fitness enthusiast with a deep understanding of the concepts discussed in the article, I can confidently guide you through the intricacies of reading a food label, understanding calorie needs based on individual goals, and the importance of macronutrient ratios. My expertise is rooted in a solid understanding of nutritional science, fitness programming, and the principles of calorie counting.
The article emphasizes the personalized nature of nutrition and fitness, acknowledging that everyone has different bodies, goals, and lifestyles. To better tailor your approach, it introduces a calorie calculator that estimates the number of calories burned daily, along with a recommended daily calorie target for weight loss, muscle gain, or weight maintenance.
Here's a breakdown of the key concepts discussed in the article:
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Calorie Calculator:
- Users input their age, sex, height, weight, and activity level.
- The calculator provides a daily calorie target based on the goal (lose weight, gain weight, maintain current weight).
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Weight Loss Recommendations:
- For those aiming to lose weight, the article suggests a caloric deficit of around 200-700 calories.
- It recommends selecting a suitable weight-loss workout plan and calculating the macronutrient ratio.
- The importance of fat-loss supplements and joining a fitness community for support is highlighted.
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Muscle Gain Recommendations:
- Individuals aiming to gain muscle are advised to consume a caloric surplus of around 500 calories.
- The article recommends a muscle-building workout plan, calculating the macronutrient ratio, and incorporating muscle-building supplements.
- Joining a fitness community is also encouraged for mutual support.
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Weight Maintenance Recommendations:
- For those aiming to maintain their current weight, the article suggests a calorie count close to maintenance.
- It recommends selecting a suitable workout plan, calculating the macronutrient ratio, and incorporating health-focused supplements.
- Joining a fitness community for support is again emphasized.
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Choosing Goals and Activity Levels:
- Users are guided on how to choose their goals (maintain, lose weight, gain weight) and activity levels (sedentary, lightly active, moderately active, very active, extra active) based on their lifestyle and exercise habits.
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Calorie Calculation Method:
- The article explains that the calculator uses the Mifflin St. Jeor calculation, considered a "gold standard" for calorie calculations.
- The calculation involves determining basal metabolic rate (BMR) and adjusting for activity level and goal.
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Advantages and Disadvantages of Calorie Counting:
- The article discusses the pros and cons of calorie-focused nutrition, highlighting its value in comparing meals and tracking portions.
- Advantages include objective measurement and awareness of indulgences, while disadvantages include neglecting food quality and the temptation to cut calories too rapidly.
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Calorie Counting Implementation:
- Practical tips for implementing calorie counting, such as using food labels, weighing food, and utilizing online nutritional databases, are provided.
- The importance of serving size in accurate calorie counting is emphasized.
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Protein's Role:
- The article stresses the importance of protein intake for both weight loss and muscle gain.
- A reference is made to a 2018 study supporting the effectiveness of different weight-loss diets when protein intake is sufficient.
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Additional Calculators:
- The article recommends additional calculators, including the 1RM Calculator, Lean Body Mass Calculator, Macronutrient Calculator, and Protein Calculator, to help users fine-tune their training and nutrition plans systematically.
In summary, the article provides a comprehensive guide to personalized nutrition and fitness, incorporating elements such as calorie counting, macronutrient ratios, workout plans, and community support to help individuals achieve their health and fitness goals.
