Maintenance calories
An estimate of what you burn in a day, and a sensible fat-loss target from it.
Result
Enter your details and your estimated maintenance intake, with a sensible fat-loss target, appears here.
How it works
- Estimates resting energy with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation from sex, age, height and weight, then multiplies by an activity factor.
- The fat-loss target is a deficit of roughly 15–20%, the range most people can sustain while keeping their training quality.
What it can't tell you
- Equations like this are typically within about 10% for most people, and can be further off for some. Treat the result as a starting point.
- The real answer comes from two to three weeks of eating at a steady intake and watching your weekly average weight.
- If you have a history of disordered eating, skip calorie targets and talk to a professional instead.
Understand the number
Energy balance, honestly: what actually decides fat loss
Fat loss comes down to taking in less energy than you use over time. The details are messier than any calculator suggests, but the principle holds, and your metabolism is very rarely broken.
Why the scale lies to you
Daily bodyweight swings of 1–2 kg (2–4 lb) are normal and mostly water. Here is what the number is actually telling you, and what to track alongside it.