Why am I not losing weight on a deficit?

A calorie deficit is an estimate, and your scale can lag due to water retention, inconsistent tracking, or lower daily activity. Compare a 14-day weight trend (not a single weigh-in). If your trend is flat after 14 days, adjust by 100-200 calories and re-check.

How do I choose activity level?

Pick the activity level that matches your average week (work + exercise). When unsure, choose a lower multiplier, treat the result as maintenance calories (TDEE), and adjust by 100-200 calories after 14 days based on your weight trend.

Is 1200 calories too low?

1200 calories is a common safety floor, but it can be very low for many people and hard to sustain. Use this as a starting point, compare to your maintenance calories (TDEE), and avoid extreme deficits. If your target is too low, choose a slower goal and adjust by 100-200 calories based on your 14-day weight trend.

Free toolMaintenance calories (TDEE)Safety floors

Maintenance Calories Calculator

Use this calorie calculator to estimate how many calories you should eat per day for maintenance (TDEE), weight loss, or weight gain using your age, sex, height, weight, and activity level. We calculate your maintenance calories, then apply a standard calorie deficit or calorie surplus to set a goal calorie target. If your 14-day weight trend is flat, adjust by 100–200 calories and re-check. US units (ft/in, lb) are default with a metric toggle. Estimates only, not medical advice.

Daily calories

How many calories to eat per day

Maintenance calories (TDEE) are your baseline. Goal calories are your daily target for a calorie deficit (weight loss) or calorie surplus (weight gain). Values are in kcal/day.

Enter your details and click “Calculate daily calories” to get:

Maintenance calories (TDEE): kcal/day to maintain weight at your activity level.
Goal calories: kcal/day target for your selected calorie deficit or calorie surplus.

After you calculate, you can copy a shareable link.

Methods & assumptions

This variant focuses on Maintenance Calories Calculator.

What this calorie calculator does: It estimates two numbers: maintenance calories (TDEE) and a goal calorie target for weight loss or weight gain (calorie deficit or calorie surplus).

What the results mean: Maintenance calories (TDEE) are the calories per day to stay about the same weight. Goal calories are the calories per day to aim for based on your selected goal rate.

How we calculate daily calories: We convert your inputs to metric units, estimate BMR (basal metabolic rate) using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, calculate maintenance calories (TDEE) as BMR × activity multiplier, then apply a fixed goal delta and (for weight loss goals) a safety floor. Calories are shown as kcal/day.

Mifflin-St Jeor (BMR)

Male: 10 * kg + 6.25 * cm - 5 * age + 5
Female: 10 * kg + 6.25 * cm - 5 * age - 161
Other/Prefer not: average of male + female

TDEE = BMR * activity multiplier

Activity multipliers

Sedentary (little or no exercise):x1.2
Light (1-3 days/week):x1.375
Moderate (3-5 days/week):x1.55
Very active (6-7 days/week):x1.725
Extra active (twice/day or very physical job):x1.9

Goal deltas and safety floors

Lose 0.5 lb per week: -250 kcal
Lose 1.0 lb per week: -500 kcal
Gain 0.5 lb per week: +250 kcal
Maintain: 0 kcal

Safety floors:
Female: 1200 kcal
Male: 1500 kcal
Other/Prefer not: 1350 kcal

Track a 14-day weight trend and adjust by 100–200 calories if your trend is flat.

Estimates only, not medical advice. See our Editorial policy & methodology.