Free tool
Find your calories and protein
A starting estimate of how much to eat for your goal, based on your height, weight, age and how active you are. It takes about a minute.
Your daily target
- Estimated maintenance–
- ProteinAim within this range–
- FatFlexible estimate–
- CarbsFlexible estimate–
Using your estimate
Check in, then adjust
Use this as a starting estimate. Over the next 2–3 weeks, check your average weight, energy and training performance. Track waist measurements, strength and how your clothes fit over time, too. Your weight may stay similar while your body composition changes.
If your average weight consistently trends up or down and your goal is to maintain it, adjust by about 100–200 calories. Don’t change your intake because of a single weigh-in.
Check in, then adjust
Use this as a starting estimate. Eat at this number for 2–3 weeks and track your weekly average weight, along with your energy and training performance.
If your weekly average hasn’t started trending down after a few weeks, lower your intake by about 100–200 calories. Make changes in response to a consistent trend, not a single weigh-in.
Check in, then adjust
Use this as a starting estimate. Eat at this number for 2–3 weeks and track your weekly average weight, along with your strength and training performance.
If your weekly average isn’t trending slowly upward after a few weeks, add about 100–200 calories. If it’s climbing faster than you want, reduce by a similar amount. Make changes in response to a consistent trend, not a single weigh-in.
Get support before going lower
Your calculated target fell below this tool’s minimum, so please don’t lower your intake further on your own. A registered dietitian can help you set a target that fits your body, health and goals.
Water retention and menstrual-cycle changes can temporarily affect weight. Look for a trend over several weeks.
How this is calculated
Your resting calorie needs come from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which uses your weight, height, age and sex. That number is multiplied by an activity factor to estimate your maintenance calories, and then adjusted for your goal. The result is a starting estimate, not a measurement of your metabolism.
Protein is shown as a range of 1.6–2.2 g per kg of bodyweight (about 0.7–1 g per pound), the range supported by research on people who lift. To estimate carbs, the calculator uses 2 g per kg as a single reference point within that range. Fat is set at 25% of your calories, and carbs make up the rest. Fat and carbs are flexible, so you can shift calories between them to suit your preferences.
If a calculated target comes out below 1,200 calories for women or 1,500 for men, the tool shows that minimum instead and flags the result. That minimum is a display limit, not a recommendation.
This tool is general education for healthy adults, not medical advice. It isn't designed for anyone under 18, pregnant or breastfeeding, or with a history of disordered eating. If that's you, please work with your doctor or a registered dietitian.
Want a plan built around these numbers?
In 1:1 coaching, I turn your targets into training and meals that fit your life, and adjust them every week as you progress.