Calorie Calculator
Your daily calorie target, matched to your specific goal.
Updated October 2026
Calculated in your browser with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. Your inputs are not saved unless you choose to sign up. AI estimates, not medical advice.
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Read the full disclaimer
Every number on this page (calorie targets, macro splits and any suggested meal plan) is produced by formulas (Mifflin-St Jeor for basal metabolic rate, standard activity multipliers) or, for AI-generated meal plans, by a language model applying those same formulas. On meal-plan pages the carbohydrate figure for each meal is calculated by difference: total calories minus protein and fat calories, divided by 4. It is not measured or estimated on its own, so read it as an arithmetic balance and not as an independent nutritional analysis of the dish. None of it is individualized medical or nutritional advice, and none of it has been reviewed by a registered dietitian, physician or other licensed healthcare professional.
Ask your doctor or a registered dietitian what is right for you before starting a new diet, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a diagnosed medical condition, take prescription medication, or have a history of disordered eating. If you have kidney disease or another medical condition, ask your clinician before raising protein.
Mealyno never recommends a calorie target below your calculated Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), the minimum energy your body needs at complete rest. Even the most aggressive weight-loss setting is clamped at that floor.
Calorie and BMR estimates use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990).
Generated: October 2026
A calorie target only means something in the context of a goal. The same person's Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) can translate to very different daily numbers depending on whether they want to lose weight quickly, lose weight sustainably, maintain their current weight, build muscle, or gain weight generally - and getting that adjustment wrong is one of the most common reasons diet plans fail before they even start.
This calculator takes your TDEE (calculated the same way as the TDEE calculator above, from the Mifflin-St Jeor BMR equation and your activity level) and applies a percentage adjustment based on your selected goal: roughly a 20% deficit for an aggressive but still evidence-based cut, a 15% deficit for steady, sustainable fat loss, no adjustment to maintain, a 10% surplus for a muscle-building phase, or a 15% surplus for a general weight-gain goal. These percentages scale with your body size instead of using flat calorie numbers, which is safer across a wide range of starting weights.
Every result here passes through the same BMR-floor safeguard used throughout the Mealyno product: if the percentage-based deficit would put your target below your calculated Basal Metabolic Rate, the target is raised back up to your BMR instead. This is real safety engineering, not a disclaimer - eating consistently below BMR risks metabolic adaptation, and this calculator will tell you plainly if that floor has been applied to your result. There is also an absolute minimum (1,200 kcal for women, 1,500 kcal for men) that the target never drops below, in line with general WHO guidance.
This number is a starting point for a conversation with your own body, not a fixed prescription - weight trends over 2-3 weeks matter more than any single day's number, and if you have a diagnosed medical condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a history of disordered eating, talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before changing your intake. For the macro breakdown that goes with this calorie target, use the macro calculator below.
How the calculation works
- Step 1: BMR via Mifflin-St Jeor, then TDEE = BMR x activity multiplier (see the TDEE calculator).
- Step 2: goal multiplier applied to TDEE - lose-weight-fast x0.80, lose-weight x0.85, maintain x1.00, build-muscle x1.10, gain-weight x1.15.
- Step 3: BMR-floor and absolute-minimum safety checks applied, then the result is rounded to the nearest calorie.
Worked example
The same man (80 kg, 178 cm, 30 years, moderate activity) has a TDEE of 2,740 kcal. With the steady weight-loss goal the calculator applies a 15% deficit: 2,740 x 0.85 gives a daily target of 2,329 kcal.
The safety checks then compare that with his BMR of 1,768 kcal and the absolute minimum. The target is above both, so it stands. Choose the faster weight-loss goal and the multiplier becomes 0.80; the same checks apply.
For a 35-year-old woman with 65 kg, 165 cm and light activity, TDEE is 1,850 kcal. The steady weight-loss goal gives 1,572 kcal a day. Her BMR is 1,345 kcal and the absolute minimum for women is 1,200 kcal, so the target stands.
What to do with this number
Eat around the target for two to three weeks and watch your weight trend before you adjust. A single day means little. If the number looks low to you, or you have a medical condition, take it to a doctor or registered dietitian.
To see it as food, open the plan nearest to it. For the example, 2,329 kcal is closest to the 2200 kcal plan. The protein calculator can set a daily protein range for the same calories.
Keep in mind what the number is: a formula-based estimate for a healthy adult, worked out in your browser and not reviewed by a doctor or dietitian. Use it to plan, then watch how you feel and how your weight trends over a few weeks, and adjust. If anything about it looks wrong for your situation, or you have a medical condition, ask a clinician before you change what you eat.
Calorie calculator questions
How big a deficit does the calculator use?
A 15% deficit for the steady weight-loss goal and 20% for the faster one. The percentages scale with body size, which is safer across a wide range of starting weights than a flat number of calories.
Why is my target not lower?
Two floors apply. The target never drops below your BMR, and it never drops below 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 kcal for men. The calculator tells you when the BMR floor has been applied to your result.
Does it work for building muscle?
Yes. The muscle-building goal adds a 10% surplus and the general weight-gain goal adds 15%. Pair the calories with a protein range from the protein calculator.
How fast will I lose weight?
Nobody can promise that from a calculator. Weight changes vary from person to person, so use your own trend over two to three weeks and adjust from there.
Should I eat back the calories from exercise?
The activity level already includes typical exercise. If you enter steps and workouts in the TDEE calculator you can see the extra burn separately, but the calorie target here is a daily average, not a per-workout budget.
What if I have a medical condition?
This is a formula-based estimate, not medical advice, and it has not been reviewed by a doctor or dietitian. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, take medication or have a history of disordered eating, ask a clinician before changing how you eat.
Can I change the goal later?
Yes. Change the goal and press Recalculate. Many people move from a weight-loss goal to maintenance once they reach a weight they are comfortable with, and the calculator handles either without a new signup.
Why does the calculator give a number and not a range?
A single number is easier to plan meals around, and it is an estimate with some margin either way. Treat it as the centre of a band of a few hundred kilocalories and adjust from your own results.
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- We may change the widget design, or pause it for abuse, at any time. The tool stays general nutrition information, not medical advice.
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