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Calorie Calculator
Result
The results show a number of daily calorie
estimates that can be used as a guideline for how
many calories to consume each day to maintain,
lose, or gain weight at a chosen rate.

Maintain weight 1,570 100%

Calories/day

Mild weight loss 1,320 84%

0.5 lb/week Calories/day

Weight loss 1,070 68%

1 lb/week Calories/day

Extreme weight loss 570 36%

2 lb/week Calories/day
Please consult with a doctor when losing 1 lb or
more per week since it requires that you consume
less than the minimum recommendation of 1,200
calories a day.
Show info for weight gain

Zigzag Calorie Cycling:

As you keep a low-calorie diet, your body will likely

adapt to the new, lower energy environment, which
can lead to a plateau in your progress. Zigzag
calorie cycling, also known as a "zigzag diet," is a
method of calorie consumption that can potentially
help you overcome this plateau and get you back
on track to meeting your goals. Click here to learn
more about zigzag diet. The following are two
sample 7-day Zigzag calorie cycling schedules.
Zigzag diet schedule 1

Mild weight loss

Sunday 1,570 Calories
Monday 1,220 Calories
Tuesday 1,220 Calories
Wednesday 1,220 Calories
Thursday 1,220 Calories
Friday 1,220 Calories
Saturday 1,570 Calories

Zigzag diet schedule 2

Mild weight loss

Sunday 1,200 Calories
Monday 1,280 Calories
Tuesday 1,360 Calories
Wednesday 1,440 Calories
Thursday 1,400 Calories
Friday 1,320 Calories
Saturday 1,240 Calories

Activity Level:

Another effective way to lose weight, aside from

reducing calorie intake, is increasing your activity
level. The following is a general list of estimated
weight lost based on varying activity levels and the
maintenance intake of 1,570 calories per day.

Weight lost
Activity level
per week
Exercise 1-3 times per week 0.5 lb
Exercise 4-5 times per week 0.8 lb
Daily exercise, or intense exercise
1.1 lb
3-4 times per week
Intense exercise 6-7 times per
1.6 lb
week
Very intense exercise daily, or a
2.2 lb
highly physical job

What Is Next?

Choose a method to track your calories and

progress. You can either do this on paper or
electronically using a mobile app.
Track your progress over time and make
adjustments as needed. As you lose weight,
your basal metabolic rate (BMR) will change
accordingly. As such, it will likely be
necessary to make adjustments to your
calorie intake plan to continue making
progress.

US Units Metric Units Other Units

Age 39 ages 15 - 80

Gender male female

Height 5 feet 3 inches

Weight 146.5 pounds

Activity Level
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Little or no exercise
Exercise 1-3 times/week
Exercise 4-5 times/week
Daily exercise or intense exercise 3-
4 times/week
Intense exercise 6-7 times/week
Very intense exercise daily, or
physical job

+ Settings

Calculate Clear

Exercise: 15-30 minutes of elevated heart rate activity.

Intense exercise: 45-120 minutes of elevated heart rate
activity.
Very intense exercise: 2+ hours of elevated heart rate
activity.

Food Energy Converter

The following converter can be used to convert
between Calories and other common food energy
units.

1 Calorie-Nutritional, kcal
=
4.1868 Kilojoules-kJ

Calculate Clear

Related:
BMI Calculator | Body Fat Calculator |

Ideal Weight Calculator

This Calorie Calculator is based on several

equations, and the results of the calculator are
based on an estimated average. The Harris-
Benedict Equation was one of the earliest
equations used to calculate basal metabolic rate
(BMR), which is the amount of energy expended
per day at rest. It was revised in 1984 to be more
accurate and was used up until 1990, when the
Mifflin-St Jeor Equation was introduced. The Mifflin-
St Jeor Equation also calculates BMR, and has
been shown to be more accurate than the revised
Harris-Benedict Equation. The Katch-McArdle
Formula is slightly different in that it calculates
resting daily energy expenditure (RDEE), which
takes lean body mass into account, something that
neither the Mifflin-St Jeor nor the Harris-Benedict
Equation do. Of these equations, the Mifflin-St Jeor
Equation is considered the most accurate equation
for calculating BMR with the exception that the
Katch-McArdle Formula can be more accurate for
people who are leaner and know their body fat
percentage. The three equations used by the
calculator are listed below:
Mifflin-St Jeor Equation:
For men:
BMR = 10W + 6.25H - 5A + 5
For women:
BMR = 10W + 6.25H - 5A - 161
Revised Harris-Benedict Equation:
For men:
BMR = 13.397W + 4.799H - 5.677A + 88.362
For women:
BMR = 9.247W + 3.098H - 4.330A + 447.593
Katch-McArdle Formula:
BMR = 370 + 21.6(1 - F)W
where:
W is body weight in kg
H is body height in cm
A is age
F is body fat in percentage

The value obtained from these equations is the

estimated number of calories a person can
consume in a day to maintain their body-weight,
assuming they remain at rest. This value is
multiplied by an activity factor (generally 1.2-1.95)
dependent on a person's typical levels of exercise,
which accounts for times during the day when a
person is not at rest. 1 pound, or approximately
0.45 kg, equates to about 3,500 calories. As such,
in order to lose 1 pound per week, it is
recommended that 500 calories be shaved off the
estimate of calories necessary for weight
maintenance per day. For example, if a person has
an estimated allotment of 2,500 calories per day to
maintain body-weight, consuming 2,000 calories
per day for one week would theoretically result in
3,500 calories (or 1 pound) lost during the period.
It is important to remember that proper diet and
exercise is largely accepted as the best way to lose
weight. It is inadvisable to lower calorie intake by
more than 1,000 calories per day, as losing more
than 2 pounds per week can be unhealthy, and can
result in the opposite effect in the near future by
reducing metabolism. Losing more than 2 pounds a
week will likely involve muscle loss, which in turn
lowers BMR, since more muscle mass results in
higher BMR. Excessive weight loss can also be
due to dehydration, which is unhealthy.
Furthermore, particularly when exercising in
conjunction with dieting, maintaining a good diet is
important, since the body needs to be able to
support its metabolic processes and replenish
itself. Depriving the body of the nutrients it requires
as part of heavily unhealthy diets can have serious
detrimental effects, and weight lost in this manner
has been shown in some studies to be
unsustainable, since the weight is often regained in
the form of fat (putting the participant in a worse
state than when beginning the diet). As such, in
addition to monitoring calorie intake, it is important
to maintain levels of fiber intake as well as other
nutritional necessities to balance the needs of the
body.

Calorie Counting as a Means for

Weight Loss
Calorie counting with the intent of losing weight, on
its simplest levels, can be broken down into a few
general steps:

1. Determine your BMR using one of the

provided equations. If you know your body fat
percentage, the Katch-McArdle Formula
might be a more accurate representation of
your BMR. Remember that the values
attained from these equations are
approximations and subtracting exactly 500
calories from your BMR will not necessarily
result in exactly 1 pound lost per week – it
could be less, or it could be more!
2. Determine your weight loss goals. Recall that
1 pound (~0.45 kg) equates to approximately
3500 calories, and reducing daily caloric
intake relative to estimated BMR by 500
calories per day will theoretically result in a
loss of 1 pound a week. It is generally not
advisable to lose more than 2 pounds per
week as it can have negative health effects,
i.e. try to target a maximum daily calorie
reduction of approximately 1000 calories per
day. Consulting your doctor and/or a
registered dietician nutritionist (RDN) is
recommended in cases where you plan to
lose more than 2 pounds per week.
3. Choose a method to track your calories and
progress towards your goals. If you have a
smartphone, there are many easy-to-use
applications that facilitate tracking calories,
exercise, and progress, among other things.
Many, if not all of these, have estimates for
the calories in many brand-name foods or
dishes at restaurants, and if not, they can
estimate calories based on the amount of the
individual components of the foods. It can be
difficult to get a good grasp on food
proportions and the calories they contain –
which is why counting calories (as well as any
other approach) is not for everyone – but if
you meticulously measure and track the
number of calories in some of your typical
meals, it quickly becomes easier to accurately
estimate calorie content without having to
actually measure or weigh your food each
time. There are also websites that can help to
do the same, but if you prefer, manually
maintaining an excel spreadsheet or even a
pen and paper journal are certainly viable
alternatives.
4. Track your progress over time and make
changes to better achieve your goals if
necessary. Remember that weight loss alone
is not the sole determinant of health and
fitness, and you should take other factors
such as fat vs. muscle loss/gain into account
as well. Also, it is recommended that
measurements are taken over longer periods
of time such as a week (rather than daily) as
significant variations in weight can occur
simply based on water intake or time of day. It
is also ideal to take measurements under
consistent conditions, such as weighing
yourself as soon as you wake up and before
breakfast, rather than at different times
throughout the day.
5. Keep at it!

The above steps are an attempt at the most basic

form of calorie counting. Calorie counting is not an
exact science, and can be as complex as you want
to make it. The above does not consider the
proportions of macronutrients consumed. While
there is no exactly known, ideal proportion of
macronutrients (fats, proteins, carbohydrates),
some balance is certainly advisable, and different
foods have been found to have different effects on
health, feelings of hunger, and number of calories
burned. Generally, minimally processed plant and
animal foods tend to be more conducive to healthy
weight loss and maintenance.
There are many approaches to weight loss and
there is no set ideal method that works for all
people, which is why so many different diets and
exercise regimens exist. While some methods are
more effective for each individual person, not all
weight loss methods are equivalent, and studies
suggest that some approaches are healthier than
others. That being said, one of the most commonly
effective weight loss methods is counting calories.
In its most basic form, calories consumed minus
calories expended will result in weight gain if the
result is positive, or weight loss if the result is
negative. However, this is far from a
comprehensive picture, and many other factors
play a role in affecting healthy, sustainable weight
loss. For example, there exist conflicting studies
addressing whether or not the type of calories or
foods consumed, or how they are consumed,
affects weight loss. Studies have shown that foods
that require a person to chew more and are more
difficult to digest result in the body burning more
calories, sometimes referred to as the thermic
effect of food. While the increase in burned calories
may be marginal, foods that are more difficult to
digest such as vegetables generally tend to be
healthier and provide more nutrients for fewer
calories than many processed foods.
Consistent with the view that in regards to weight
loss, only net calories are important and not their
source, there exist cases such as the Twinkie diet,
where a person that solely counted calories while
eating a variety of cake snacks managed to lose 27
pounds over two months. As effective as this can
be, it is certainly not suggested. While the
participant did not seem to suffer any noticeable
health detriments in this particular case, there are
other less measurable factors that should be
considered such as long-term effects of such a diet
on potential for developing cancers, heart disease,
and diabetes. However, ignoring efficiency and
health, sustained, significant reduction of caloric
intake or increase of physical activity should result
in weight loss, and counting calories can be an
effective way to achieve this sole result.
Aside from being one viable method for facilitating
weight loss, calorie counting has other somewhat
less quantifiable advantages including helping to
increase nutritional awareness. Many people are
completely unaware of, or grossly underestimate
their daily caloric intake. Counting calories can help
raise awareness of different types of foods, the
number of calories they contain, and how these
calories have a different effect on a person's
feelings of satiety. Once a person has a better
understanding of how many calories are actually in
that bag of chips that they can so easily inhale
within minutes, how much of their daily caloric
intake it consumes, and how little the chips do to
satiate their hunger, portion control and avoidance
of foods with empty calories tends to become
easier.
Having actual caloric measurements can also
assist in weight loss, since tangible calorie goals
can be set, rather than simply trying to eat less.
Also, although this is not necessarily directly
related to calorie counting, studies have shown that
portion control by simply eating from a smaller plate
can help reduce calorie intake, since people tend to
fill their plates and eat everything on their plates.
Many people do not realize that they are
overeating, since they have become accustomed to
restaurant-sized portions being the norm, when
said portions can be up to three or more times
larger than necessary for a typical meal.
Tracking calories also puts exercise in a
quantifiable perspective, increasing a person's
awareness regarding how much exercise is really
required to counteract a 220-calorie bag of M&M's.
Once a link is made between the amount of
exercise that some snack equates to, many people
find abstaining from that bag of chips to be the
preferred option rather than performing an
equivalent amount of exercise – which can lead to
healthier eating habits.
In the end, however, what's important is picking a
strategy that works for you. Calorie counting is only
one method used to achieve weight loss amongst
many, and even within this method, there are many
possible approaches a person can take. Finding an
approach that fits within your lifestyle that you think
you would be able to adhere to is likely going to
provide the most sustainable option and desirable
result.

Zigzag Calorie Cycling

Zigzag calorie cycling is a weight loss approach

that aims to counteract the human body's natural
adaptive tendencies. Counting and restricting
calories, as described above, is a viable method to
lose weight, but over a period of time, it is possible
for the body to adapt to the lower number of
calories consumed. In cases where this happens, a
plateau in weight loss that can be difficult to
surmount can result. This is where zigzag calorie
cycling can help, by not allowing the body to adapt
to the lower calorie environment.
Zigzag calorie cycling involves alternating the
number of calories consumed on a given day. A
person on a zigzag diet should have a combination
of high-calorie and low-calorie days to meet the
same overall weekly calorie target. For example, if
your target calorie intake is 14,000 calories per
week, you could consume 2,300 calories three
days a week, and 1,775 the other four days of the
week, or you could consume 2,000 calories each
day. In both cases, 14,000 calories would be
consumed over the week, but the body wouldn't
adapt and compensate for a 2,000-calorie diet. This
also allows a person more flexibility in their diet,
allowing them to plan around occasions, such as
work or family gatherings, where a person may
consume more calories. Consuming a lower
number of calories on other days can allow a
person to enjoy these gatherings or even have a
"cheat day" where they eat whatever they want
without feeling guilty, since they can make up for
the excess calories on their low-calorie days.
There is no concrete rule or study that dictates the
most effective way to alternate or spread out
calorie consumption. How to vary calorie intake is
largely up to personal discretion. Depending on a
person's activity, it is generally recommended that
the high-calorie and low-calorie days vary by
approximately 200-300 calories, where the high-
calorie day is often the number of calories a person
needs to consume to maintain their current weight.
For a person with a higher activity level, the calorie
difference should be larger. The calculator presents
two zigzag diet schedules. The first schedule has
two higher calorie days and five lower calorie days.
The second schedule increases and reduces
calories gradually. In either case, the total weekly
calorie consumption is the same.
In the end, regardless of what method you choose
to use when approaching weight loss, what's
important is picking a strategy that works for you.
Calorie counting and zigzag calorie cycling are only
two methods (that are fairly interrelated) used to
achieve weight loss among many, and even within
these methods, there are many possible
approaches a person can take. Finding an
approach that fits within your lifestyle that you think
you would be able to adhere to is likely going to
provide the most sustainable and desirable result.

How Many Calories Do You Need?

Many people seek to lose weight, and often the
easiest way to do this is to consume fewer calories
each day. But how many calories does the body
actually need in order to be healthy? This largely
depends on the amount of physical activity a
person performs each day, and regardless of this,
is different for all people – there are many different
factors involved, not all of which are well-
understood or known.
Some factors that influence the number of calories
a person needs to remain healthy include age,
weight, height, sex, levels of physical activity, and
overall general health. For example, a physically
active 25-year-old male that is 6 feet in height
requires considerably higher calorie intake than a
5-foot-tall, sedentary 70-year-old woman. Though it
differs depending on age and activity level, adult
males generally require 2,000-3000 calories per
day to maintain weight while adult females need
around 1,600-2,400 according to the U.S
Department of Health.
The body does not require many calories to simply
survive. However, consuming too few calories
results in the body functioning poorly, since it will
only use calories for functions essential to survival,
and ignore those necessary for general health and
well-being. Harvard Health Publications suggests
women get at least 1,200 calories and men get at
least 1,500 calories a day unless supervised by
doctors. As such, it is highly recommended that a
person attempting to lose weight monitors their
body's caloric necessities and adjusts them as
necessary to maintain its nutritional needs.

Calories: Different Kinds and Their

Effects
The main sources of calories in a typical person's
diet are carbohydrates, proteins, and fat, with
alcohol also being a significant portion of calorie
intake for many people (though ideally this should
be limited since alcohol contains many empty
calories). Some studies have shown that the
calories displayed on nutrition labels and the
calories actually consumed and retained can vary
significantly. This hints at the complex nature of
calories and nutrition and is why many conflicting
points of view on the "best" methodology for losing
weight exist. For example, how a person chews
their food has been shown to affect weight loss to
some degree; generally speaking, chewing food
more increases the number of calories that the
body burns during digestion. People that chew
more also tend to eat less, since the longer period
of time necessary to chew their food allows more
time to reach a state of satiety, which results in
eating less. However, the effects of how food is
chewed and digestion of different foods are not
completely understood and it is possible that other
factors exist, and thus this information should be
taken with a grain of salt (in moderation if weight
loss is the goal).
Generally, foods that take more effort to chew –
fruit, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, etc. –
require the body to burn more calories since more
calories are required to digest them. It also results
in the feeling of satiety for longer periods of time.
Furthermore, certain foods like coffee, tea, chilies,
cinnamon, and ginger have been found to increase
the rate of calories burned, due to the ingredients
they contain.
The "quality" of calories consumed is also
important. There are different classifications of
foods in terms of calories. This includes high-
calorie foods, low-calorie foods, and empty
calories. Consistent with their naming, high-calorie
foods are foods that are calorically dense, meaning
that there are a high number of calories relative to
serving size, while low-calorie foods have fewer
calories relative to serving size. Foods such as fat,
oils, fried foods, and sugary foods are examples of
high-calorie foods. Being a high-calorie food does
not inherently mean that the food is unhealthy
however – avocados, quinoa, nuts, and whole
grains are all high-calorie foods that are considered
healthful in moderation. Low-calorie foods include
vegetables and certain fruits, among other things,
while empty calories, such as those in added
sugars and solid fats, are calories that contain few
to no nutrients. Studies have shown that there is a
measurable difference between consuming 500
calories of carrots compared to 500 calories of
popcorn. As previously mentioned, this in part can
be attributed to differences in how the foods are
consumed and processed. Carrots require far more
chewing and can result in more calories burned
during digestion. Again, the mechanism for these
differences is not fully defined, but simply note that
for weight loss purposes, the general formula of
calories in minus calories out determining weight
gain or loss does hold, but that the number of
calories on a nutrition label is not necessarily
indicative of how many calories the body actually
retains. While there is no clear-cut or ideal amount
of macronutrient proportions a person should
consume to maintain a healthy diet or lose weight,
eating a "healthy" diet replete with a variety of
unprocessed foods such as vegetables, fruits, and
lean meats is correlated with being healthier, and is
more likely to result in sustainable weight loss.
Also, remember that calories from drinks comprise
an estimated 21% of a typical person's diet. Many
of these calories fall under the category of empty
calories. While sodas are an obvious culprit, drinks
such as juices and even milk have large amounts
of sugar and should be consumed in moderation to
avoid negating their nutritional benefits. Ideally, a
person should drink water, tea, and coffee without
adding sugar in order to reduce calories gained
from drinks.
Remember: All foods, including "healthful foods,"
should be consumed in moderation, and
distinctions can often be misleading since even
natural foods like fruits can have large amounts of
sugar, and foods labeled as "health foods" such as
low-calorie foods, reduced-fat foods, etc. can
potentially replace one unhealthy component with
another. Many reduced-fat foods have large
amounts of added sugar to compensate for taste
lost through fat reduction. It is important to pay
attention to, and consider the different components
in a food product in order to determine whether
said food should have a place within your diet.

Calories in Common Foods

Food Serving Size Calories kJ
Fruit
Apple 1 (4 oz.) 59 247
Banana 1 (6 oz.) 151 632
Grapes 1 cup 100 419
Orange 1 (4 oz.) 53 222
Pear 1 (5 oz.) 82 343
Peach 1 (6 oz.) 67 281
Pineapple 1 cup 82 343
Strawberry 1 cup 53 222
Watermelon 1 cup 50 209
Vegetables
Asparagus 1 cup 27 113
Broccoli 1 cup 45 188
Carrots 1 cup 50 209
Cucumber 4 oz. 17 71
Eggplant 1 cup 35 147
Lettuce 1 cup 5 21
Tomato 1 cup 22 92
Proteins
Beef, regular,
2 oz. 142 595
cooked
Chicken, cooked 2 oz. 136 569
Tofu 4 oz. 86 360
Egg 1 large 78 327
Fish, Catfish,
2 oz. 136 569
cooked
Pork, cooked 2 oz. 137 574
Shrimp, cooked 2 oz. 56 234
Common Meals/Snacks
Bread, white 1 slice (1 oz.) 75 314
Butter 1 tablespoon 102 427
Caesar salad 3 cups 481 2014