Calorie Calculator: Estimate Your Daily Calories (UK)

Estimate how many calories you need to maintain your weight, and sensible targets if you’d like to lose weight gradually. Nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.

How the calculator works

It estimates your resting energy needs using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation^[1], then multiplies by a standard factor for your activity level. As a rough guide, the NHS says an average man needs 2,500 kcal a day and an average woman 2,000 kcal^[2], but individual needs vary a lot.

Weight change isn’t perfectly linear: as you lose weight, your energy needs fall, so progress naturally slows over time^[3]. Treat any calculator as a starting point and adjust based on how you get on. See how to stay full on a calorie deficit.

Safety: we don’t suggest targets below 1,200 kcal a day (1,500 for men). Very low calorie diets, under 800 kcal a day, are only suitable for some people with medical supervision^[4]. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, have diabetes, an eating disorder or another medical condition, speak to your GP before changing your diet.

Want a plan built around your number? Message Andrew on WhatsApp. Free coaching comes with every DietPal order.

References

1. Mifflin MD, et al. (1990). A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi:10.1093/ajcn/51.2.241
2. NHS. Understanding calories. nhs.uk
3. Hall KD, et al. (2011). Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. The Lancet. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60812-X
4. NHS. Very low calorie diets. nhs.uk